Tea Party Dying Off-- Think Again Obama

45% See Gap Between Governed and Those Who Govern As Comparable to American Revolution

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Rasmussen .com

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters agree with the following statement: The gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and politicians who want to rule over them is now as big as the gap between the American colonies and England during the 18th Century.

Nearly as many (40%), however, disagree with the statement. Sixteen percent (16%) are undecided.

The gap between Mainstream voters and the Political Class on the statement is enormous. Fifty-five percent (55%) of Mainstream voters agree that the gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and politicians who want to rule over them is as big as it was between the colonies and England in the 18th Century. A whopping 95% of Political Calls voters reject that view.

Among those who consider themselves Tea Party members, 84% agree with the statement, while just 52% of non-members disagree.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of Republicans and a plurality (47%) of voters not affiliated with either major party also agree that the gap between Americans and their elected representatives is comparable to the time of the American Revolution. Fifty-six percent (56%) of Democrats disagree with that assessment.

This high level of skepticism among a large number of voters is perhaps not surprising given that 69% are at least somewhat angry with the current policies of the federal government, including 38% who are Very Angry. Just 23% of voters believe the federal government today has the consent of the governed.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 9, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

These findings echo a survey a month ago in which 64% of Likely GOP Primary Voters agreed that the gap between the governed and those who govern them is as big as it was between the American colonies and England over two centuries ago.

Voters over 50 are even more skeptical of their elected leaders than those who are younger. Evangelical Christians agree with the statement about the gap between Americans and politicians more strongly than those of other faiths.

But then 68% of all voters believe that government and big business already work together against the interests of consumers and investors.

Americans still look back unfavorably on the federal government bailout of the financial industry and think the billions in taxpayer money went to those who caused the financial meltdown. A sizable majority feel the federal government has not been aggressive enough in pursuing criminal behavior by top Wall Street executives.

Despite General Motors' seemingly improved financial picture and Chrysler’s hopes to repay the government in the near future, most voters remain convinced that the bailouts of the big automakers were a mistake.

Most voters also continue to call for the repeal of the national health care law, President Obama’s most prominent legislative achievement, as they have every week but one since its passage by Congress in March of last year.

How is this voter unhappiness playing out on the current political stage? Thirty percent (30%) of voters, given a choice between the president and one of the potential Republican candidates, thinks 2012 would be a good year to consider electing a third-party candidate.

In a three-way congressional contest with a Tea Party candidate on the ballot, the Democrat picks up 40% of the vote. The Republican earns 21% support, while nearly as many (18%) favor the Tea Party candidate. Twenty-one percent (21%) remain undecided.

When it comes to the major issues facing the nation, 48% of voters say their views are closer to those of the average Tea Party member than to those of the average member of Congress. Just 22% say their views are closer to those of the average congressman. A plurality (49%) also thinks the Tea Party movement is good for the country.