alternet | Now that the federal government has reopened and its debt limit
raised, the Tea Party is more unpopular with Americans than
ever—including among moderate Republicans—polls are finding, with
analysts asking if the Tea Party is part of the GOP at all.
“The
Tea Party is less popular than ever, with even many Republicans now
viewing the movement negatively. Overall, nearly half of the public (49
percent) has an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party, while 30 percent
have a favorable opinion,” the Pew Research Center For People And The
Press said in its latest poll and report.
“For
Republicans, the decline is steepest among those who describe
themselves as moderate or liberal. Today, only about a quarter (27
percent) of moderate and liberal Republicans have a favorable opinion of
the Tea Party movement, down 19 points from June,” Pew said,
after surveying 1,500 adults over 18 across the country between Oct. 9
and 13. “Yet the Tea Party’s ratings have also declined among
conservative Republicans, from 74 percent favorable in June to 65
percent now.”
Since the standoff ended, there’s been no shortage of media reports
about the Republican Party tearing itself apart—with rightwingers
accusing leaders in Congress of “surrender” and finger pointing at usual
targets such as the media's supposedly liberal bias. Tea Party leaders
such as former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, now president of the
Heritage Foundation, vowed in a Wall Street Journal column
Friday that the fight to destroy the Affordable Care Act will continue.
Meanwhile, another Tea Party darling, Kentucky’s Sen. Rand Paul, is
AWOL in this fracas, perhaps nursing his 2016 presidential bid.
But
no one should think that the Tea Party’s latest failures will make them
go away. This faction, as epitomized by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz declaring
that the shutdown was a victory, is unapologetic, arrogant and proud of
it. As Pew notes, Tea Partiers share 10 beliefs and causes that make
most Americans cringe—not just Democrats but millions of moderate and
liberal Republicans. Let’s look at those views and values, according to Pew.
