Tuesday, September 6, 2011

If the Tea Party becomes a “real” third party elections could be thrown to the Democrats

According to the Chicago Tribune, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) said, "I don't want this to happen. But if the Republican Party doesn't really get serious about government spending, I think you will see a third party, a fourth party, a fifth party, who knows right now they are not a party, just a big group of people."
The tea party could take half of the conservative and right leaning moderate votes if they become a “real” party.  A recent AP-GfK survey showed that 56 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning people identified themselves as tea party supporters. Also, Republicans who back the tea party place a higher priority than other Republicans on the budget deficit and taxes, issues at the center of the nomination contest.  During the month of August, the number of Republicans inched up from 33.1% to 33.5%. The past two months have been the lowest total for the GOP since they won control of the House last November.  33.0% consider themselves to be Democrats, down from 34.8% in July and the lowest level measured in seven years.  But if the tea party takes 56% of the Republican’s 33.5% the Republican Party is left with only approximately 15% and no chance of winning.  It is also highly unlikely that economically conservative yet Socially Liberal voters or Communitarian voters are going to support the tea party’s religious right wing ideologies.  These two groups account for 44 percent of Americans according to the latest Reason-Rupe Poll as of August 29thAfter Washington's debt showdown this summer, an Associated Press-GfK poll found that 46 percent of adults had an unfavorable view of the tea party, compared with 36 percent just after last November's election.  If the tea party becomes a separate “real” party this could mean trouble for the Republican Party.  I just hope our Republican officials are not making decisions based on the fear that the tea party becomes a separate party and destroys the Republican Party.  The threat of this third party appears to be imminent if the GOP doesn’t give them whatever they want whenever they want it.  I don’t underestimate the power of the tea party and powerful people don't like being pushed around. You can never quite predict what they're going to do. Point is, the GOP having the tea party is kind of like owning a pit bull; it might protect and attack for them, or it might just bite their hand off.
Source:
Michael Westin

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