Understanding the Tea Party Movement

by Keith Cooper

From Broader View Weekly, April 29, 2010

On April 15, the Tea Party movement held Tax Day demonstrations across the country. Tax day was the culmination of a nationwide tour over the past several weeks and an opportunity for this loosely organized but narrowly focused group of conservatives to protest taxation. Modest crowds gathered in cities like Boston and Philadelphia, and around 10,000 gathered on the national Mall in Washington, D.C. There is much emphasis, among the faithful supporters of the movement, on patriotism and historical context. Make no mistake, however, this ain’t your founders’ Tea Party.

Timed to coincide with the April 15 events was the release of several surveys, including one by the New York Times and CBS News. These polls were designed to offer some insight into the demographics and the motivation of Tea Partiers. Since those who consider themselves supporters of the movement comprise about 18 percent of the nation’s population, it seems worthwhile to study the group’s concerns and intentions in order to gauge the impact the group might have on politics and policy.

Let me just say first that I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea to take a relatively small sample of people, conduct a survey and publish the results as a definitive identity of the group. Less effective still is to take that definition and apply it to every single participant at the level of the individual. Just as the polling data compiled and the conclusions imposed on the anti-war protesters in the United States during George W. Bush’s reign did not define me as a member (and facilitator) of a group called Peaceful Gatherings, I don’t believe that every Tea Partier is a cookie cutter impression that matches the Times/CBS News poll’s determinations. I wouldn’t want to flatly apply a stereotype to any group and expect any given member of that group to live up (or stoop) to that stereotype. Instead, I would prefer to look at the actions and words of individuals and perhaps make judgments about why they might seek to associate themselves with that particular group. There is a value to that when it comes to understanding the popularity and impact of the Tea Parties.

The findings of the Times/CBS News poll were not exactly surprising to those either on the right or on the left. A conservative group, they primarily vote Republican. The vast majority disapprove of Barack Obama’s performance (84% of the movement compared with 33% nationwide). The majority have an unfavorable view of the government as a whole, with 96% disapproving of Congress’s performance. They are also largely better off financially than the general population, which may explain why the majority don’t approve of health care reform or want the government to spend money on job creation. Half of those polled criticize the administration for its focus on helping the poor.

While over 80 percent are optimistic about their own economic situation the vast majority are pessimistic about the economy as a whole. This is an interesting disparity and may be difficult to understand. It certainly makes the intensity of the anger expressed about the way government is handling the problems of the financial industry and the economy harder to comprehend.

It is also interesting to see the apparent disregard for the plight of the poor. Much has been made lately of the fact that nearly half of Americans pay no taxes. Lost in this debate is the reason for that fact. The growing wealth gap has accounted for the increasing number of poor who do not earn enough to pay income taxes. Those who talk of turning back the nation to the 1950s (an era for which many claim nostalgia) should bear in mind that the salary of the average corporate CEO in the 50s represented a 20:1 ratio with the average laborer. The current ratio of compensation is nearly 1,000:1. This out-of-control wealth gap is the cause for the situation of which many Tea Partiers complain. Organizer Jeff McQueen told an interviewer, he is part of the “50 percent stuck paying for the other 50 percent.” He expressed his dissatisfaction with the way that the country had changed since the 50s and 60s. It is interesting that his rage seemed to be leveled at the current administration since the state of the economy has been evolving through a disproportionate favoring of corporate America over the common citizen for decades.

While I don’t think the fact that nine in 10 Tea Partiers are white means that they are racists, I think the fact that many (over a quarter) believe that the administration favors blacks over whites implies a racial element is at play. That 25 percent of respondents would vocalize a concern that there is a racial imbalance in a time when political correctness makes most wary of declaring racial bias is telling. I firmly believe that there is a component of racism in the “Birther” movement. And Birthers have aligned themselves with the movement, with 30 percent of Tea Partiers convinced that Obama was not born in this country.

I think that the rage that is evident among the movement is based not on the fact that a black man has been elected president but on the fact that there is a liberal in the White House. However, nearly every time I acknowledge that Tea Partiers are angry about the 2008 election I get accused of calling someone a racist. In reality, my comment is based on the individuals I know who have voiced their support of the movement because they see the country shifting to the left and are angry about that.

A friend of mine has become very active in the Tea Parties and has even achieved a leadership position in the region. He has always expressed his conservative views. However, since the election in 2008 he has become incensed about liberalism and how he sees it as a negative impact on the direction of the country. While I hesitate to paint people with a broad brush, the views expressed by my friend echo many of the views of those who speak out at Tea Party events or express their views through chants or signs. I see the commonality of attitudes as a result of conservative media personalities and punditry. While many organizations that help to mobilize the Tea Partiers publicly discourage followers from expressing partisan politics, the talking points disseminated from their websites tend to echo the Republican base.

The growing popularity of the Tea Party movement and its impact on the political landscape may be exaggerated but that it will be felt in November is undeniable. That its motivation and instigation appears to be driven by anger and rage is troubling.