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- Apr 26, 2011
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Seems that, unlike what especially many on the right like to say, which is that the Tea Party consists of many Independents and Democrats, that it is in fact, a spin-off of disgruntled Republicans. Which many, espeically on the Left have been saying for the last 3 years.
In fact, Tea Party supporters were for the most part activist Republicans well before both the financial crisis and before Obamas election. Campbell and Putnam found that Republican affiliation was actually the single strongest predictor of Tea Party support, and that Tea Party supporters were more likely than other people to have lobbied their public officials before.
Todays Tea Party supporters are disproportionately white social conservatives, who, Campbell and Putnam say, had a low regard for immigrants and blacks long before Barack Obama was president, and still do. And while Tea Party leaders say their main concern is limiting the size of government, Campbell and Putnam found that the cause that really unites rank-and-file Tea Partiers is a desire for more religion in government. Campbell and Putnam argue that their public devotionnot their ideas about taxesexplains the appeal of figures like Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Texas governor Rick Perry to the Tea Party.
Read it and weep: Where Does the Tea Party Come From? | Politeia | Big Think
What is it with the obsession with the Tea Party from the left?
A bunch of people that espouse financial conservatism and sound economics are more or less Republican, no shit.
But they didn't come together because of a horrid economy and an administration that increased national deficit spending by mind boggling leaps and bounds, increasing the national debt more than any other previous administration in two years--none of that is relevant. They organized and came together out of racism, right?
By the way, how is your attempts at organizing a leftist 'tea party' in Atlanta going?