Consider this a follow-up to my Open Letter to Michael Steele, for which I received no reply. I’ve said much about voting on ideology and not party. Many on the right have also been discussing a great deal of disenchantment with the Republican Party. After squandering opportunities with the majorities earlier in this decade, the party has clearly alienated its base, as evidenced by significant losses in 2006 & 2008. I have repeatedly stated that this alienation has caused problems for the party, and will continue to do so until it is corrected. It seems that I have a lot of company in that regard.
My assertions apparently have some merit, as evidenced by this report on Tea Party Candidates from Rasmussen.
Running under the Tea Party brand may be better in congressional races than being a Republican.
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.
For this survey, the respondents were asked to assume that the Tea Party movement organized as a new political party. In practical terms, it is unlikely that a true third-party option would perform as well as the polling data indicates. The rules of the election process—written by Republicans and Democrats–provide substantial advantages for the two established major parties. The more conventional route in the United States is for a potential third-party force to overtake one of the existing parties.
This is somewhat creative, in assuming that the Tea Party is another party. However, I think the lesson that should be learned here is that there is a disconnect between the Republican Party and it’s traditional base. Mr. Steele needs to address this, or he’ll see the base abandon the party yet again-at the worst possible moment in history for this to occur.
Data from the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that just 55% of conservatives nationwide consider themselves Republicans. Recent polling shows that 73% of Republican voters believe their leaders in Washington are out of touch with the party base.
Did you see that Mr. Steele??
Republican voters are paying a lot more attention to the Tea Party movement than anyone else. Forty-three percent (43%) of GOP voters are following news about the movement Very Closely. Another 30% are following it Somewhat Closely. Just 12% of Democrats are following stories about the Tea Party movement Very Closely.
Seventy percent (70%) of Republican voters have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement while only seven percent (7%) offer an unfavorable view. Interestingly, 49% of Democrats have no opinion one way or the other.
Among unaffiliated voters, 43% have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party efforts while 20% say the opposite.
The Tea Parties, in spite of what the MSM would lead the public to believe, are very popular among the Republican base, and even among unaffiliated voters, which I’m assuming to be Independents.
Forty-one percent (41%) of all voters nationwide say Republicans and Democrats are so much alike that a new party is needed to represent the American people. Republicans are evenly divided on this question, while Democrats overwhelmingly disagree. However, among those not affiliated with either major party, 60% agree that a new party is needed, and only 25% disagree. Men are far more likely than women to believe a new party is needed.
Again, Paging Mr. Steele…are you there? Hello…is there anybody in there…can anybody hear me…
The Tea Party candidates are the first choice among political conservatives. Among moderates, the Tea Party candidates are more popular than Republicans. However, nearly half of all moderate voters prefer a Democrat.
However, among those with populist or Mainstream views, 31% prefer the Tea Party, and 26% are undecided. Twenty-three percent (23%) pick a Republican candidate, and 19% are for the Democrat (See more on the Political Class-Mainstream divide).
At a time when the Republican Party needs to be strong, it is broken. Time and time again, they have betrayed the base. Mr. Steele has talked a good game, at times, but the national party supporting Scozzafava in NY 23 only served to show that the party is not following Conservative principals. If the Republican Party wants to embrace the base, they better start now, and they’d better follow words with actions. If they do not, they will cease being relevant within a decade. I’d invite Mr. Steele to review the history of the Party, and remember what happened to the Whigs.
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I believe that future generations should have the same opportunities that myself, and those that came before me, had. My parents taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do. I don’t want to have to tell my daughter, “You can do whatever the government tells you to do.” We are at a crossroads in this country; are we going to be free, or are we going to be slaves to the nanny state. I choose freedom. 
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If you turn on Fox news and see something about a violent outburst with thousands of bodies laying in the streets, you can be pretty sure that was me freaking out on the next Republican who says “we need to move left to attract the moderates.”
LOL, violent rampage! Just make sure to get the RINOS, you’ll know them from being prostrate!
The tea party movement reminds me a lot of the Ross Perot movement in 1992, that led to the election of Bill Clinton. Actually, I voted for Ross that go round. The tea party however does have one thing the Perot movement didn’t have -OBAMA! And that may get them over the hump. Republicans need to get on board or be left at the station.
If the party had been doing their job, we would have not needed either movement. Not to put either down, but they are a result of the major parties ignoring the voting public!
I am an independent and am actively involved with the Tea Party movement. Now is the time. Neither party is doing what we elected them to do,nor are they trustworthy. There are a few that are but their affiliation with the Republican Party for me is enough to say no.
Great article, Matt…and timely!
There are many people out there like you Dominique. I think if we vote for honesty and ideology, we’ll be fine. We should be able to get that from at least one of the parties, hence my warning to Mr. Steele.
I do agree that the Party needs to shape up. But, I don’t think that most in the Republican Party are like the Democrats. I say that because the GOP is not for cap & trade, not for remaking America, and they are for real health care reform, and don’t want to take away our liberty and freedom. But, I do agree they need to delve deeper into their conservative roots. Some seem to be waking up now.
Teresa, you are correct with what they are doing now. But they are on defense, and that is always easier. My anger at the party goes back to when they had majorities. They spent too much, they did the “big government thing” with education, and so on. They were not socialists like the Dems, however, they didn’t reduce the size and scope of government-they just grew it more slowly. That isn’t going to be enough. Not for me, and I’d venture to guess that it won’t be good enough for many Conservatives, Independents, and Libertarians.
I think that we need to tear out the liberal power structure in DC. It exists and grows no matter who is in the White House or Congress. The left uses the bureaucracy to push their agendas irregardless of what the people want. That whole monster needs to be torn out by the roots. The Republicans failed to even address that at all. We need to move the government back to the size and powers that were set up in the Constitution. It’ll be a fight, but one worth starting.
I’m with you on this. I have had it with the Republican Party. I consider myself an independent conservative. If I see a libertarian or independent candidate that has a chance I will vote for them. I think our best hope is for a lot of libertarians to take over the Republican Party.
I think it’s wise to have Libertarians at the table. More unite us than separate us, and the Dems are a bigger threat to the nation than either Conservatives or Libertarians are to each other.
Steele had an interesting exchange on TV – MSNBC CNBC, with several of
their loony leftists. At least he had some gumption to answer as he did.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30391.html
I found this on the blog post of this gentleman who is following many of us,
he has a very good blog! Check it out. Rational Nation USA
http://rationalnationusa.blogspot.com/
That being said, The Rep. Party, under the “leadership” of Mr. Steele, had better get their
act together ASAP, or we are totally up you know what creek without a paddle! (Or even a boat).
They have talked a mean game at times, and Steele often says the right things. Then, the party supported scuzzyface in NY 23. Words need to be followed by actions. I’ve heard enough. now I need to see something.
That being said, thanks for the comments and linkies!