Majority of Americans Backs Tea Parties

A majority of 51 percent of Americans views the "Tax Day Tea Parties" positively, according to a new Rasmussen survey. Just 33 percent hold "unfavorable opinion of the tea parties."

But check this out:

While half the nation has a favorable opinion of last Wednesday’s events, the nation’s Political Class has a much dimmer view—just 13% of the political elite offered even a somewhat favorable assessment while 81% said the opposite. Among the Political Class, not a single survey respondent said they had a Very Favorable opinion of the events while 60% shared a Very Unfavorable assessment.

One-in-four adults (25%) say they personally know someone who attended a tea party protest. That figure includes just one percent (1%) of those in the Political Class.

I think it's a little soon to gauge the implications of the tea parties, although if the planned tea party events for July 4th demonstrate a sustained level of popular anger at government, it'll be clear that this grassroots movement may have substantial implications going into the 2010 midterm elections. As Chris Cillizza notes this morning, the "battle between growing and shrinking government" is likely to be the main axis of partisan division going into next year.

Michael Van der Galien has some thoughts on the poll's "good news" for Republicans:

While 83% of Republicans and a plurality (49%) of unaffiliated Americans have a favorable view of the tea party protests, only 28% of Democrats say the same.

Republican voters and Independents sympathize with the anger felt and expressed by the protesters. That is great news for the Republican Party because the independent-vote is decisive in elections. If the tea parties result in more independent support for fiscal conservative government and politicians, well, the GOP could stage a grand comeback in 2010.

I think Michael needs to write a follow-up post to his comments here: How can we reconcile that large bloc of independents supporters with the attacks on the tea parties by some "conservatives" as "really deranged stuff."