The GOP Has Not Harnessed The Tea Party- The Tea Has Harnessed The GOP

We hear the expression "Take Our Country Back" often, but in regards to the Tea Party that expression should be "Take Our Party Back"' because that is exactly what they have done for conservative Republicans.

In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, the findings show a pattern emerging:

In the survey, 71% of Republicans described themselves as tea-party supporters, saying they had a favorable image of the movement or hoped tea- party candidates would do well in the Nov. 2 elections.

[....]

The poll found that tea-party supporters make up one-third of the voters most likely to cast ballots in November's midterm elections. This showed the movement "isn't a small little segment, but it is a huge part of what's driving 2010," Mr. Hart said.

(Peter Hart is a Democratic pollster)

The generic congressional figures, according to this poll, are 46 percent for Republicans and 43 percent for Democrats.

The enthusiasm gap is what is being considered the game changer and while African-Americans and Hispanics are a little more involved now than before, the Republicans still hold a large enthusiasm lead with two-thirds of the GOP voters saying they are intensely interested in the election, compared with about half of Democrats.

Seven in 10 adults felt the country remains in recession. And among people who said the recession had a major impact on them and their family, more said they preferred a GOP-controlled Congress to a Democratic-run Congress. One in four adults thought the economy would get worse over the next 12 months. Of that group, two-thirds were people with an affinity for the tea-party movement.

While not all Republicans or conservatives are Tea Party members or supporters, most Tea Party members are either moderately conservative or conservative in nature, no matter their party affiliation.

Further findings in the poll show:

*** 73 percent of respondents disapprove of the job Congress is doing with only 20 percent approving.

*** 59 percent of respondents think the country is on the wrong track with only 32 percent believing the country is heading in the right direction.

The Tea Party has forced the GOP to embrace fiscal responsibility once again and if given control of the House and/or the Senate in the 2010 midterm elections, the Tea Party and those that support and agree with the founding principles of the Tea Party, will hold the GOP accountable for continuing to embrace fiscal responsibility.