Random, Self-Selected Poll Proves T.P. People Are "Swell Folks," 57 Million Strong & Growing!

Here's a good one, via TWI, from Tea Party Patriots ("Official Grassroots American Movement," proving their authenticity beyond any doubt!) & an outfit that calls itself Liberty Central:

(Washington – February 18) A poll of random online respondents commissioned by Liberty Central.org and Tea Party Patriots finds that new citizen activists have been misunderstood and mischaracterized by much of the mainstream media.

You're kidding. How did that happen? You had a poll & found something that matches your narrative? It's a gawd-damn miracle, innit?

It gets even better, & all of it will be good news for John McCain (except perhaps in his attempt to hold off drooling fat-boy J.D. Hayworth in the Arizona Republican senate primary):

Some of the key findings of the poll include:

1. The size of this movement is increasing and it evidences a conservative ascendancy.
• While ‘just’ 38% of Americans identify themselves as conservatives, 58 percent are conservative when judged based on their answers about policy views. By the same measure, just 28 percent are liberal.
• While there are currently up to 14 million conservative “activists”, there are an additional 43 million conservative “information seekers” who are deciding how active they want to be - - making 57 million people open to “informed activism.”

2. More and more worry that we are losing the core of what makes America great.
• 85% worry that America might be losing the core of what made America great, including 46% of liberals (and 47% of those who voted for President Obama).

3. These new citizen activists are more likely to be consumers of mainstream media, but find most credibility in talk radio, the internet and Fox News.
• Conservative activists and information seekers are more likely than average Americans to be viewers of mainstream news sources like the three major networks, PBS, CNN, MSNBC - including 60 Minutes, Frontline and other network specials. So while the liberal Left likes to portray this conservative counterculture as out-of-touch and uninformed, they are actually better informed than most. (Note: an average of 9% of Americans watch CNN and MSNBC but 32% of conservative activists watch these.)
• 80% of conservative activists and 72% of liberals believe the internet has become the best source of information about what is going on in government.
• 72% of conservative activists and 33% of liberals think talk radio has become the best source of information on what is going on in the government.

4. Their Key ‘gripes’ are: (1) aloof politicians, (2) biased media and (3) leftist agenda.
• 64% think politicians listen more to lobbyists than ordinary citizens.
• 58% find it frustrating that politicians seem not to be listening to citizens.
• 44% think laws are being written in technical, legal jargon.
• 59% think the mainstream media is showing favoritism.
• 53% think the media ignores views of people like them, or treats those with their views
unfairly.

5. Focus is intensely on 2010.
• While 63% of conservative activists (34% of Republicans) and 50% of conservative ‘info-seekers’ are passionately focused on the 2010 midterms, just 14 percent of liberals (19% of Democrats) are focused there.

We are not an economist, a politician or a Megan McArdle, but it doesn't take any of the above to debunk most of this crap, which seems based on silly questions & the load of (not entirely racial, but plenty of it) resentment that these T.P. Patriots are so anxious to cultivate & use against the educated, biased elites. David Brooks has been working this for a while.

The public is not only shifting from left to right. Every single idea associated with the educated class has grown more unpopular over the past year.

The educated class believes in global warming, so public skepticism about global warming is on the rise. The educated class supports abortion rights, so public opinion is shifting against them. The educated class supports gun control, so opposition to gun control is mounting.The story is the same in foreign affairs. The educated class is internationalist, so isolationist sentiment is now at an all-time high, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

The educated class believes in multilateral action, so the number of Americans who believe we should “go our own way” has risen sharply.

And working it:

Ever since I started covering politics, the Democratic ruling class has been driven by one fantasy: that voters will get so furious at people with M.B.A.’s that they will hand power to people with Ph.D.’s. The Republican ruling class has been driven by the fantasy that voters will get so furious at people with Ph.D.’s that they will hand power to people with M.B.A.’s. Members of the ruling class love populism because they think it will help their section of the elite gain power.

[...]

[V}oters aren’t as stupid as the populists imagine. Voters are capable of holding two ideas in their heads at one time [As is Mr. Brooks. — Ed.]: First, that the rich and the powerful do rig the game in their own favor; and second, that simply bashing the rich and the powerful will still not solve the country’s problems.

(Remember "aggro" & "Paki-bashing," when "bashing" meant caving in the head of, rather merely the repressed desires of Internet tough guys bitching about criticism? "White House 'Bashes' Tin-Foil Hat Party for Claiming Reptilians Are Advising The President!" Actual, physical bashing of the rich & the powerful, followed by seizure of their assets in the name of the people & running them out of town on a rail is the solution, not just "bashing." But we digress.)

And then beating on the poor animal w/ his tiny little fists until it's dead, dead, dead. In his most recent on the "elites," we are treated to:

[W]e have opened up opportunities for women, African-Americans, Jews, Italians, Poles, Hispanics and members of many other groups. Moreover, we’ve changed the criteria for success. It is less necessary to be clubbable. It is more important to be smart and hard-working.

Yet here’s the funny thing. As we’ve made our institutions more meritocratic, their public standing has plummeted. We’ve increased the diversity and talent level of people at the top of society, yet trust in elites has never been lower.

Brooks' point, as usual, is lost in equivocation & Broderistic centrism, but somehow he gets from the laundry list of non-majority types (Type what he will, the face of America's power elite is overwhelmingly white, male & over 50.* Why he had to list all those let in, rather than simply say "Opportunity is now open to more than white guys from good families" is a can of worms we aren't opening right now.) to something's wrong somewhere, but, like ...

This is not to say that we should return to the days of the WASP ascendancy. That’s neither possible nor desirable. Rather, our system of promotion has grown some pretty serious problems, which are more evident with each passing day.

(We still digress. Sorry. Brooks devoting three columns in seven wks. to worrying about weakening "leadership-class solidarity" while hoping not to alienate every last T.P. person seemed like something we should note.)

Let's see how "informed" the Patriots are. If they aren't lying through their teeth, they "watch" anything, "but find most credibility in talk radio, the internet and Fox News."

So while the liberal Left likes to portray this conservative counterculture as out-of-touch and uninformed, they are actually better informed than most. (Note: an average of 9% of Americans watch CNN and MSNBC but 32% of conservative activists watch these.)

Been to any "liberal Left" events lately where "Thank You, Keith Olbermann" or "God Bless Amercia[sic] & MSNBC" signs were prominently displayed? We thought not. Flipping to CNN because you've seen the apocalyptic gold commercial on Glenn Beck over a hundred times is not the same as "better informed than most."

Shorter: "You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make him or her think."

Another surprise: echo chambers.

• 80% of conservative activists and 72% of liberals believe the internet has become the best source of information about what is going on in government.
• 72% of conservative activists and 33% of liberals think talk radio has become the best source of information on what is going on in the government.

Make your own reality time again. They believe it they're getting the best of all possible info, so they are.

No. 2 (far above) is nothing but ad-speak. "We are losing the core of what makes America great." What made Milwaukee famous?

No. 4 (Key 'gripes.') It's called public financing of elections. Level the playing field & make votes more important than fund-raising; let's see what happens. (They really should be behind public financing, given that Republican electoral strategy is to keep the number of voters to a minimum. Instead, it's hooray for corporate money everywhere. How can one conclude that the "new conservative activist" isn't out-of-touch & uninformed?)

That 57 million? If the poll numbers pan out, it's: "Up to 14 million conservative 'activists' [...] there are an additional 43 million conservative 'information seekers' who are deciding how active they want to be - - making 57 million people open to 'informed activism.'" Oh. Keep telling yourselves that.

Who's behind this tripe? We'll let people who give a shit dig into the money, but it all looks like a nice gig for one
Virginia (Ginni) Thomas is a new social entrepreneur and the Founder and President of Liberty Central, Inc.
(Founder, Pres. & sole proprietor, judging from the biography section. That must make it easier to put the grassroots funding directly to Ginni's offshore tax haven, or the household account.)

Why does "social entrepreneur" make us think of the madam in a whorehouse, anyway?

And what is Liberty Central, Inc., beyond its obvious function as a cash conduit to "proud Nebraskan" (One of her "professional accomplishments." So proud that she lives in Virginia.) Ms. Thomas &, just maybe, possibly, a cash conduit to Mr. Thomas (first name: Clarence) as well, who has a life-time wing-nut welfare appointment in the judicial system?
LibertyCentral.org is a non-profit, non-tax deductible organization which will have a user-friendly, entertaining, and educational website designed to provide an online community for visitors to preserve freedom and reaffirm the core founding principles.
Their (her) own shorter: "Where like-minded people gather to preserve freedom in America." A gathering of the "Don't confuse us. We know what to think" gang. Here shall they gather, to be ill- & mis-informed by Ms. Thomas & her interns.

LibertyCentral.org will serve the big tent of the conservative movement and assist all viable individuals and organizations with education and engagement. The site’s primary focus will be on emerging and new citizen activists – helping them discover a viable path to effective and efficient activism, along with an understanding of why their participation matters in accordance with founding principles and limited Constitutional governance.

Visitors will be offered self-assessment tools directing them to profile-specific threats, opportunities, local activities, and groups they may wish to join.

Return w/ us now to Ginni's thrilling opening salvo:

“New citizen activists have been cast as ignorant, intolerant or a radical fringe by many in the media. The facts are now demonstrating that the mainstream media is wrong and ordinary citizens are up against biased elitists who are not seemingly interested in the truth.” said Virginia Thomas, President and CEO of Liberty Central at CPAC. “The heart of America is our everyday citizens whose voices and inspiring stories will help preserve our precious liberty, and this poll shows why new citizen activists are mad, who they are and what they want.”

Good luck w/ your new social engineeringentrepreneuring, Mrs. Associate Justice. And look into that silk purse/sow's ear thing before you blow any more oil co. money on this inane crap.

*Yes, that's us. Wanna make something of it, tough guy?