So much for the whole “fringe Republican” label …
According to the results of a new Rasmussen Reports poll released Tuesday night, candidates running under a hypothetical “Tea Party” label would actually fare better on a generic general election ballot than candidates running under the Republican banner.
From Rasmussen Reports:
In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.
Among voters not affiliated with either major party, the Tea Party comes out on top. Thirty-three percent (33%) prefer the Tea Party candidate, and 30% are undecided. Twenty-five percent (25%) would vote for a Democrat, and just 12% prefer the GOP.
Among Republican voters, 39% say they’d vote for the GOP candidate, but 33% favor the Tea Party option.
Wowzers.
The poll also found that 41% of all voters nationwide say Republicans and Democrats are so much alike that a new party is needed to represent the American people.
Obviously, a “Tea Party” is a long way off, and third parties have typically underperformed at the ballot box.
Still, this polling data – which reinforces the results of an October Gallup poll on voter ideology – should scare the ever living crap out of big-spending “establishment” Republicans.
“The stunning Rasmussen Poll showing the Republican Party finishing a decided third to a hypothetical ‘Tea Party’ candidate should send shock waves through the GOP,” said Bill Wilson, president of Americans for Limited Government. “It demonstrates once again that the timid, tepid Republican leadership is leading its party to the brink of disaster.”
True that.
Republicans’ inability to stick to their party’s fiscally conservative platform cost the party dearly in the 2006 and 2008 elections. In the 2008 presidential race, specifically, the GOP had nothing with which to counter President Barack Obama’s since-abandoned promise of middle class tax relief.
Additionally, Republicans have thus far failed miserably to articulate a vision for government that would contrast the socialist push of the Obama administration.
So what are your thoughts? React in our poll and in the comments section below …
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Rasmussen Reports Tea Party Poll
Pic: Jonathan Williams
By Liberty For Me December 8, 2009 at 11:58 am
Maybe Liberty will be for me!!!
By weighing in December 8, 2009 at 12:06 pm
They should rename it the “Nutjob Party”, it would be more fitting
By Fevered Teabager December 8, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Yes, “nutjobs”.
I’ve never heard anyone make any rational argument for The Obama Agenda without using petty name calling.
Must be because The Agenda is total bullshit.
By Liberty For Me December 8, 2009 at 1:20 pm
By weighing…Yeah the Constitution and Thomas jefferson is pretty crazy…I guess we would kick his ass now ,huh???…
Freedom..that is just pure Nutjob thinking!!
By Recovering Lobbyist December 8, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I think the greater likelihood is that the Rs and Ds will each move more toward their base, and away from the center, over time. This will push out moderates.
As fewer people claim a major-party label, some will join one of several “third party” groups. However, I think most who are disaffected will become “independents,” a group that will grow much larger in size. This will be compounded by the Gen X and Gen Y groups which have demonstrated that they are not “joiners.”
As a result, all of the parties will be smaller and the largest block of voters will be independent.
I for one have never held tightly to a party label, instead selecting candidates who best fit my personal beliefs, no matter the party they represent. I think 20 years from now we are going to see a government not unlike those of parliamentary countries, with governing coalitions because no single party has a majority. We have seen the beginning of that in Congress, and I think there is more to come.
The jury is still out on whether we will see that dynamic here in SC.
By Eric December 8, 2009 at 1:35 pm
What is funny about this is the “Tea Party” is pretty much inline with the Libertarian party which no one wants to associate with.
By weighing in December 8, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I’m sure Liberty for Me is opposed to the ACLU as well, whose sole job is to defend the Bill of Rights….but since they’ve been painted as “liberals”, you probably have no use for that either. Douchebaggers/Teabaggers basically offer nothing but criticism of anything and everything, and while they offer very very few ideas (usually just criticism), the ones they do offer are so extreme, they could never be achieved.
By 2 cents December 8, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I’m done with both Dem. and Repubs. Not part of the teabag thing.
I should have voted for Ron Paul this time. I’ll go Independent or other from now on, but no more votes for either Dem. or Repub. Why don’t they just merge anyway, they resemble each other so much who can tell?
By Liberty For Me December 8, 2009 at 2:09 pm
By weighing in ..I am so glad you can speak for me…Yes..most who read my posts know I am against everything…WOW,thats the best comment you could think of???.You are hopeless…but people who do want great ideas and political changes that will make a huge difference can go to
http://reason.tv/
Its video so you dont even have to be able to read…just think
By Fevered Teabager December 8, 2009 at 2:42 pm
@weighing in: you just haven’t been listening. You are probably too busy using your clever nomeclature skills to pay attention.
The Republican party is going to listen. It just might have to take a while.
The ACLU ignores a huge part of the bill of rights (the 2nd amendment) for political reasons so whatever they get painted as is their problem.
By countryboy December 8, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I voted Tea Party only because “unamed third party” wasn’t an option. Wouldn’t actually vote for TP but would definitely vote for a conservative third party (not Libertarian though). Sick of RINO’s and DINO’s.
By OhNoNotAgain December 8, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Being for the Constitution and Thomas Jefferson isn’t a bad thing.
But there are many “tea party” types who are nutjobs because they equate the actual taxation without representation that happened in the 13 colonies to having an existing tax increased by the democratically elected government. They oppose it only because their guy/gal didn’t win.
It’s nowhere near the same. It’s strains credulity and aanity to compare the two.
Nobody represented them, they got taxed, objected and they were gunned down when they objected.
The nutjobs just don’t like who actually represents them. They actually have no faith in the actual democratic process, because they are refusing to abide by the results of a democratic election.
By Pat Hendrix December 8, 2009 at 3:37 pm
President Glenn Beck.
By weighing in December 8, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Oh Liberty for Me….what a lost cause you are. I’m quite convinced, based on your posts in the past, that I read, write, and think at a superior level than you ever have, but I wanted you to comprehend what I was saying without having to translate into layman’s vocabulary.
Keep up the good fight fella, sooner or later, everything will be on TV and YouTube, so your level of understanding may improve over time, unconvinced, but there is hope. Just don’t sit too close; it’s bad for your eyes.
By Liberty For Me December 8, 2009 at 6:00 pm
weighing in….I know you are but what am I ?? na na nana….What a tool you are
By Liberty For Me December 8, 2009 at 6:05 pm
OhNoNotAgain….There is no representation when both parties are the same.How many republicans actually try to stop any social spending or stopping illegal wars???How many Democrats will help to protect your freedom??…and how much tax is enough.If its much more it will be 100%…then what will we have?..Can you say communism?
By Elmer December 8, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Even though its a little later than I would have wished, I am delighted to see the general public wake up and realize what a sham our federal government has become.
By scooter December 8, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Never have I seen such crazy behavior. These folks are from outer space. It scares me that such ideas can have even one person believing. If I were one of them, I would advocate the overthrow of all other beliefs. Oh, wait, isn’t that what they are advocating?
By Dr. Hunley December 9, 2009 at 8:30 am
Excellent… (rolls fingers)
I not believe Tea Baggers can do simple math. Let me put it this way; If some Repub vote for a Tea Bagger and the rest of the Repubs vote for the “non-crazy” Repub = Democratic reine! I probably should not have pointed it out, but so true.
By Liberty For Me December 9, 2009 at 10:39 am
Dr. Hunley…”NON-CRAZY” You mean the ones that will work within the framework of “Progressivism” right??…kind of like Lindsey Graham?
That would be kind of moot then as there is no difference in a “NON-CRAZY” Republican and a Democrat…except for the flag waving.
By weighing in December 9, 2009 at 11:19 am
Nice comeback Liberty, I see that GED is kicking in
By trubyrudin December 9, 2009 at 12:00 pm
this only proves that people are sheep and that the teabag party is a false option, created by the very same people whose only goal is to further divide and conquer and destroy america from the inside. the teabaggers dont represent a new way forward. they represent the lowest common denominator, manipulated by corporatist media. this is a creation of rupert murdoch, who is interested in monopolizing the news industry for his own personal profit, and glenn beck, admitted cokehead and shameles self promoter who would do or say anything his handlers demand in return for money (or maybe coke). (The fact that these teabaggers actually believe that beck/foxnews has the country’s/honest american’s interests at heart is simply proof of how deluded and brainwashed they are.) for instance, when ron paul ran for president, speaking truth and common sense, where were the teabag brigades?? they were nowhere to be found. LOL most probably voted for john mccain and their core following were attending sarah palin rallies, another obvious media created stooge, claiming to represent the exact same values as this very same teabag movement. and now where is sarah palin, patron saint of teabaggers?? the same place that glenn beck and rupert murdoch are: not participating in the system for the betterment of the country/honest americans, but exploiting her own corporatist media pimped popularity for her own personal enrichment. bottom line, the teabag phenomenon is nothing more than a right wing corporatist media marketing campaign. and of course they is no dearth of easily manipulated/brainwashed idiots who believe that their interests are being advanced, when in fact they are just being used. (but among their followers you will find many who hold glenn beck up as a jesus figure/political saviour and will defend the “truths” of foxnews with the same fervor that they would defend edicts from their church.)
By dirtbogger December 9, 2009 at 1:47 pm
trubyrudin, yep that sumed it up!
By Liberty For Me December 9, 2009 at 5:10 pm
trubyrudin….I think there is a lot of truth to what you say.But,I think you misjudge a lot of these people.I think a majority of people at rallies are Ron Paul Libertarians…..Glenn Beck stumbles a little(talks like he is not really sincere) when he talks about military intervention.I have heard him trying to back up a little..but people wont let him.I think he believes he would loose listeners if he was not for military intervention.If you call and try to support Ron Paul you can here his voice change and gets all indignant.But..Like tonight he is having him on his show…trying to play both sides and keep his ratings and following as big as possible…I think in the end..People I hope could separate the Liberty part of his message from the military industrial part…But that goes with Jim DeMint as well.I figure we win most of the battles now and the military stuff later.The point is if we dont have a country left it wont matter about our foreign policy.
By dirtbogger December 10, 2009 at 9:12 am
The Shawn Hannaty crowd moved into the tea party movement and has tried to become its mouth peice. Ron Paul started it though I have went to a few and when given opprotunity I remind people there that Bush Admin gave us the Patroit act, started the bail outs and illegally invaded Iraq. I eve saw people holding up signs saying Liz Chenny for Prez. How screwed up is that. I do think the liberty faction of the tea party has got to strive to be the most visible there so we dont loose it. However I think many seeds have been sown and people are paying more attention now than they have in a long time.
By Liberty for me December 10, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I think Sean Hannity is one of the worst Republican talking heads around…He is so phony and just loves to waves flags and spout how we should keep invading other countries…while saying how much he cares about soldiers.I can never figure out how these guys sleep at night.I wonder if he is related to Kevin Cohen?