Tea Party Better Educated, White, Male And Over 45 According To CBS/Times Poll

Is The New York Times Portraying The Tea Party Accurately?

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The left-leaning New York Times has made some pretty firm conclusions about The Tea Party.

A CBS/Times poll revealed that of the 18% of Americans who identify themselves with the Tea Party movement, most tend to be white, educated, wealthy males above the age of 45.

Surprisingly, The Times didn’t slam such individuals for having more money or more education than members of other political parties, but was sure to note that many in the Tea Party are upset about overblown race issues and are frustrated with the government for reckless spending.

Further explanation of Tea Party members showed that many who identify with the Tea Party movement are primarily concerned with economic issues and are eager to see an overall reduction in the amount of taxes paid to the government.

As the poll also noted, many affiliated with The Tea Party would describe themselves as much more conservative than other members of The Republican party and would tend to describe President Obama as “very liberal.”

In fact, The Times was quick to note that:

While most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.”

The poll revealed that in large part, the Tea Party mirrors many others across the nation in a variety of ways. Many send their children to public schools, filled out their census forms, and a large majority of them would describe their current level of taxation as “fair.”

The poll even shows that while many in The Tea Party are advocates for a smaller and less involved government, they view systems such as Medicare and Social Security as being worth the money they receive in taxpayer funds.

One additional piece of data the poll was able to extrapolate was about the views of The Tea Party on race issues.

The poll noted that many Tea Party members feel that the Obama administration cares more about blacks than it does whites. Twenty-five percent of Tea Partyers feel this is an issue compared to that of only 11% in the general public.

Additionally, the poll notes that the Tea Party is more likely than others to say that race issues play too much of a role in public policy when more weight ought to be given to economic issues.

According to The Times:

Asked what they are angry about, Tea Party supporters offered three main concerns: the recent health care overhaul, government spending and a feeling that their opinions are not represented in Washington.

The poll concluded that while many issues concern those in The Tea Party, their number one concern isn’t lowering taxes, and it isn’t cutting the deficit. Rather, it has everything to do with reducing the size of the government.