Shocking: Tea Partiers Mostly Rich, White, Christian Guys

[Joanne98]

Much like all the founding fathers and most of the Republican party, a whole lot of the Tea Partiers are rich, white, Christian men. According to a new CNN poll (via TPM), a majority of respondents who had donated to a Tea Party group or participated in a Tea Party event were male, white, and identified as Protestant/Other Christian groups.


Also, most went to college. 40 percent are college grads, compared to just 28 percent of total poll respondents, and 34 percent have some college. They make a ton more money than the other people interviewed for the study: 34 percent make over $75,000, while 32 make between $50,000 and $75,000. That’s way more than half pulling in over $50,000. So real, genuine Americans seem to be doing pretty well for themselves

None of this should be especially surprising. Most poor people scraping by in terrible, lowpaying jobs — or with no jobs — probably don’t have the time to don three-cornered hats and scream about communism.

But there has been an MSM tendency to trumpet the movement as an eruption of populist rage by those crushed in the financial crisis. “Populism” liberals just don’t grasp, of course, because they’re all elitist and stuff. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to reconsider our use of the word “elite” so it at least slightly correlates with things like money and privilage.

Some other surprises (column one is Tea Partiers, column two is all respondents):

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http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/02/17/surprise-tea-partiers-mostly-rich-white-christian-guys/

This shouldn't be surprising at all. In the beginning we felt they were spoiled brats. That seems to be true. Spoiled and selfishness.

[mediaman007]

1. I'll bet that 75% of them are Promise Keepers!

[NC_Nurse]

2. Most of them seem to be in the older demographics too. Every time I see them,

interviewed, most of them are ON Medicare and SS benefits. Even though they hate socialism and stuff....

[NNN0LHI]

3. And they are all related

[damyank913]

4. Are you implying that their family trees have no branches?

That explains a lot...

[One_Life_To_Give]

5. Spoiled??

66% make more than half of households does not equal spoiled.

No matter how wrong they are on issues. They are still valid average, desirable Human beings.

White like most of our population. Also Christian like the overwhelming majority in this country. Not surprisingly more rural.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. spoiled = better off than average, but claiming to be oppressed

No, they are not 'desirable'. A highly subjective description, but their unjustified whining makes them undesirable.

[Don Caballero]

6. And they are all racists

I hope we get some meaningful Hate Crimes legislation through in the next few years. That will really shut these teabagging fools up.

[OHdem10]

8. While hate crimes legislation might be a good thing. Laws do

not shut people up. Most will never be caught.

[Don Caballero]

10. If they do pass and an enforcement branch of the Federal Government

is put in place they will be caught. Resources could be siphoned off from other branches and put into this effort to quell hate speech.

[One_Life_To_Give]

18. Mathew Shephard Act already Passed

Although in matters of Race Federal Law has been on the books since 1994.

[Mari333]

7. ah, wanting to return to the 50's

when men were men and women were women and black people knew their place and gay people got beaten up and were invisible.

a need to control others, perhaps? miss the faux power?

no thanks, been there, done that.

thats why the 60s happened.

[NoSheep]

9. Damn I wish the 60's would happen again (the good parts, anyway)

People are too comfortable now to exercise dissent against the status quo in large numbers. ...partly due, I think, to an inability to function in this society "on the cheap" like we used to do and also partly due to the negative aspects of the internet (seemingly infinite number of mind numbing distractions)

[Mari333]

11. I think a draft would wake people up

right now its sort of a back door draft...making sure there are NO jobs ensures a lot of recruitment for cannon fodder.

[NoSheep]

14. Wow. I never thought of it that way but you're right. The "third worlding" of the working class.

[fascisthunter]

12. The Leave it to Beaver Club

[madamesilverspurs]

15. Spoiled, selfish and bizarrely informed.

One of the loudest of our local tea partiers is white, blue haired and absolutely convinced that soylent green is real and Obama intends to make cookies out of her. Seriously.

---

[igfoth]

16. Better Name for the Teabaggers

Nathan Bedford Forrest Historical Society

Because deep down the Teabaggers all would rather be in their white sheets.

[grytpype]

17. Old, white, southern, evangelical racists.

[Cirque du So-What]

19. Well, that's certainly chauvinistic

Got a hard-on for southerners, I see. Can't do anything about that, but I certainly point out that your statement is bigoted toward people who live in the south. As they say, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and New York state is most definitely a glass house in this instance.

Ever hear of the Know Nothings? They got their start in New York and spread throughout the northeast, yet nobody makes blanket insults against people who live in that region of the country because of the Know Nothings - nor should they. In the same way, it's incorrect to make blanket assertions against the south due to the KKK. Funny thing is, the photo you posted was of a NATIONAL klan rally held during a time when it had fans nationwide - just like the teabaggers of today. Hell, some of the klansmen in that photo may have hailed from New York state.

Be advised that I'm not going to back down against regional bigotry on DU. If you're so inclined, post your rebuttal and we'll carry it out to its logical conclusion.

[Zoeisright]

20. [phone]

Yep, right on.