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Cult Watch Title: Tea Party Advocates Who Scorn Socialism Want a Government Job March 26 (Bloomberg) -- Tea Party activists, who are becoming a force in U.S. politics, want the federal government out of their lives except when it comes to creating jobs. More than 90 percent of Tea Party backers interviewed in a new Bloomberg National Poll say the U.S. is verging more toward socialism than capitalism, the federal government is trying to control too many aspects of private life and more decisions should be made at the state level. At the same time, 70 percent of those who sympathize with the Tea Party, which organized protests this week against President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul, want a federal government that fosters job creation. They also look to the government to rein in Wall Street, with almost half saying the government should do something about executive bonuses. Supporters are also conflicted over whether private-enterprise elements should be introduced into government programs like Social Security and Medicare. “The ideas that find nearly universal agreement among Tea Party supporters are rather vague,” says J. Ann Selzer, the pollster who created the survey. “You would think any idea that involves more government action would be anathema, and that is just not the case.” Wrong Track Ninety percent of Tea Party supporters say the country is on the wrong track and almost the same number doubt that Washington can find solutions. Their top concern is money, with more than a third citing government spending and the deficit. More than 80 percent say expansion of the government’s role in the economy is a high threat. “It’s just the fundamental right of people to protest,” says Victor Mondello, a 79-year-old retiree from Andover, Massachusetts. Mondello, an independent, opposes “big government” and the health-care bill. Overall, 26 percent of those polled identified themselves as Tea Party backers, while 53 percent said they weren’t and 21 percent said they weren’t sure. Still, majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree that government spending is out of control and 92 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of independents say the government tries to control too many aspects of private life. Older, White Tea Party supporters are likely to be older, white and male. Forty percent are age 55 and over, compared with 32 percent of all poll respondents; just 22 percent are under the age of 35, 79 percent are white, and 61 percent are men. Many are also Christian fundamentalists, with 44 percent identifying themselves as “born-again,” compared with 33 percent of all respondents. The poll of 1,002 U.S. adults was conducted March 19-22 by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, Iowa. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Tea Party backers and the general public agree that the government cares more about Wall Street than Main Street. They disdain both the Republican and Democratic parties, with 83 percent of the general population and 90 percent of Tea Party supporters saying both parties “behave badly.” Supporters of the Tea Party are more intense in their criticism of taxes and spending: 96 percent say that spending is out of control, versus 69 percent of other respondents; 86 percent of the Tea Party backers say taxes are too high, compared with 57 percent of the other people. ‘Waste and Spending’ “Waste and spending are the issues,” says Daniel Villanueva, a 39-year-old independent who works as a budget analyst for Los Angeles County. While many Tea Party supporters favor Republicans, Villanueva says he voted for Obama, backs abortion rights and uses cloth napkins to conserve paper. The activists say they believe the government is on a path to socialism, although they don’t see all federal programs in that light. Fewer than 10 percent say the Veterans Administration is definitely socialist, 12 percent identify management of national parks and museums, and 36 percent say expanding Medicare for the elderly, Medicaid for the poor and Social Security amount to socialism. Many more, 65 percent, say Social Security is either definitely or sort of socialism. Even so, almost half, 47 percent, want to keep it under government control or aren’t sure about privatization, with 53 percent in favor of privatizing Social Security and Medicare. ‘Ingrained’ Programs “It’s ingrained into the populace and it’s not something that you can dispense with,” says Mondello. Republicans may be more supportive of some forms of “socialism” than Tea Partiers, with 56 percent saying Social Security is definitely or sort of socialism while just 45 percent say the programs should be privatized. Republicans and Tea Party supporters are more united in opposition to a government health-care initiative, with 78 percent of Tea Partiers and 72 percent of Republicans saying it is definitely a form of socialism. “We’ve learned to rely on the government for certain things,” says David Holbrook, a 56-year-old parole officer from Vancouver, Washington, who supports the Tea Party. “We have to rely on them for our roads and our utilities. But at the same time, do we have to rely on them for everything?”
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