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Illinoisans to Tea Party: Meh

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Illinois

* More from that poll by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute…

The poll also showed that while Illinoisans remain tax averse, it appears the appeal of the Tea Party movement has waned somewhat since the Simon Poll first asked about it.

• In 2010, four in ten respondents (41.2 percent) agreed or strongly agreed with the Tea Party, compared with just 20.7 percent in 2014. However, disagreement didn’t jump as much as agreement fell; 36.4 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed with the Tea Party in 2010, compared with 38.4 percent today.

The difference, so to speak, is indifference. One in five (19.4 percent) expressed no opinion of the Tea Party in 2010, while almost twice as many (36.9 percent) had no opinion in 2014.

• Similarly, while a third of respondents (33.1 percent) in 2010 said they would be more likely to vote for a Tea Party candidate, that number fell to about one in five (20.7 percent) in 2014.

Indifference is right. That crowd had little voice in this year’s election.

I think it’ll be fascinating watching various conservative groups react to Bruce Rauner’s administration. He not only has the money to fend off any and all attacks from his right flank, but that mountain of cash can be really intimidating.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:24 am

Comments

The primal scream that you hear is Joe Walsh.

Comment by Upon Further Review Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:29 am
What is the Tea Party in Illinois, anyway?

Don’t like taxes? How revolutionary. What else you got?

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:29 am
The Tea Party insurgency is in its last throes.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:32 am
@UFR

Joe Walsh is living the life of illusion….

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:38 am
Tea Party shrinking.

“Don’t care at all” party growing.

Not especially good for us.

Comment by walker Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:39 am
I believe it became apparent over time that the rise and fall of the tea party had more to do with the occupant of the White House than it did with taxes.

Comment by pundent Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:40 am
It was always a movement, never a party.

Parties stay, movements…move.

Sometimes they move away from relevance. This is one of those times for the Tea Party in Illinois.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:50 am
The tea party allowed a few to destroy its brand completely. Completely fizzled now.

Comment by too obvious Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:50 am
The Tea Party through Illinois Policy Institute was helping Rauner through the primary. Perhaps Rauner payment to IPI had something to do with it.

Comment by admin Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:53 am
too obvious,
Agree completely. They had a great movement, but the minute they allowed social issues to creep into their agenda, they were successfully neutered.

Comment by Downstate Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:55 am
Believing the Paul Simon poll about the Tea Party is like believing the Tea Party poll about Paul Simon.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 10:57 am
VMan not liking a poll result is like a poll result not liking VMan.

Makes just as much sense as your comment, VMan.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:00 am
@VMan

And your reasons for dismissing a poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute are?

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:12 am
The good news is that Gang of Grifters couldn’t organize a three-car parade. From teetering on the edge, they are now completely irrelevant given Rauner’s $.

Comment by LincolnLounger Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:15 am
The Tea Party started as a spontaneous effort against Obamacare that was co-opted by extremists who demand purity of essence.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:16 am
Nobody remembers kirk Dillard? Money won’t matter in the primary if Rauner starts pushing a social agenda, the conservatives still are a majority in the primary. Conservative money guys and some leaders went with the pension issue over social issues and for good reason. Rauner is going to need the base to stand with him when he tries to go after the governmental unions and Madigan.

Comment by Votecounter Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:29 am
The Tea Party is alive and well in Illinois…

Comment by Black Ivy Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:34 am
My recall is the Tea Party started with a simple fiscal message: we can only have the government we can afford. That was an attractive message to ensure our debts do not get passed to the next generation. Now I view them as extremists. Too bad.

Comment by Original Rambler Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:38 am
Sadly I live in an area where the Tea Party Republican types are the only choice most of the time. They are in extreme victim mode these days.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:38 am
The Tea Party is evolving into the “Arnold Palmer” party. Half sweet Lemonade is making the message a little easier to swallow. They’ve had some growing pains but they’re adjusting to new paradigms. The core ideas are still there, and still well regarded. They just needed some sweetening. It’s happening.

Comment by A guy... Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 11:57 am
Guy, what are the core ideas, and if they’re so sweet now, why does the poll show they’ve lost half their support?

New paradigms. — I bet that means something, lol.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 12:18 pm
Oh you Slinger…
Smaller government. Lower taxes. Balanced budgets. Stuff like that.

They lost half their support because they didn’t do a great job getting their message across clearly when they were demonized by the group that opposes those ideas…you know, the guys who are entrenched in government now.

For you to be dumb, you have to play dumb. Not becoming. Snap out of it. Have an Arnold Palmer.

Comment by A guy... Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 12:26 pm
==They lost half their support because they didn’t do a great job getting their message across clearly ==

I would argue they lost support because kooks like Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz and Michelle Bachman started using that label to describe themselves. They let their core message be overshadowed by personalities and kooky messages from yahoo’s like these people.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 1:02 pm
It was never a homogeneous movement so it is not surprising the term is waning.

Comment by liberty Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 1:08 pm
Same Paul Simon Institute that says Illinois favors term limits 60-15%.

Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 1:37 pm
A Guy

“They lost half their support because they didn’t do a great job getting their message across clearly when they were demonized by the group that opposes those ideas…you know, the guys who are entrenched in government now.”

Is that really why the Tea Party movement is fading? Or is it that the most vocal Tea Party members came off as angry white men, opposed to everything they didn’t receive and proposing no realistic solutions to anything? And, let’s not forget the crackpots warmly embraced by the Tea Party. Remember the 2012 Senate candidates in Missouri & Indiana? Both safe GOP seats. Both lost because of the Tea Party. The Tea Party has damaged the GOP brand in Illinois and accross the country. While the GOP did well in the last election, the brand is still looked on unfavorably by a very large number of Americans. The Tea Party, with simplistic answers to complex problems, if there was any solution at all, harmed the GOP brand significantly. Many moderate GOP voters, such as myself, walked away from the GOP. The demise of the Tea Party is good for the GOP, and even better for the ILGOP. Maybe less extremism will win voters back. But there also has to be more than opposition to everything. There needs to be a GOP alternative plan.

Comment by AFSCME Steward Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 3:25 pm
I see how the small body of ultraconservatives has ground government to a halt. Not much of major importance or popularity can pass in the US House–for example, the bipartisan immigration bill.

I would recommend that President Obama issues an executive order and not wait around any longer for the Tea Party types to come around on immigration reform.

I hope that in Illinois, enough of this obstructionism can be curtailed so that we can pass tax increases and avert more fiscal damage. If Rauner is the power who can push back against right wing obstruction, it will benefit us all.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 3:30 pm
A Steward, It’s because of each and every one of those things. And more. If the Tea Party chased you out, let me be the first to invite you back in to promote GOP ideals and good policy. Every ship gets anchored now and then. I’m an open door kind of guy. Come back.

Comment by A guy... Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 3:40 pm
I predict that many of our Republican friends will find that tax hikes really aren’t so unreasonable as they thought when Quinn was the governor. The days of just voting NO are over. We will shortly see bipartisan votes to do the heavy lifting that we know is sure to come.

Comment by anon Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 4:30 pm
I think they’re still there and they’ll be back next cycle. Thinking they’re waning or gone is a dangerous assumption. They threw their support behind Rauner early and sat down until it was time to vote.

Comment by Toure's Latte Thursday, Nov 13, 14 @ 5:34 pm
There is no Tea Party. There never was a real Tea Party; it was just a brand name for the Koch Brothers/Americans for Prosperity. They created it, they owned it, they publicized it. If there ever was one, it’s gone. When was the last time anyone saw or heard of a Tea Party event?

Comment by democratmatt Friday, Nov 14, 14 @ 12:18 am