San Jose Mercury-News, Saturday August 6, 2011, page A4    

Sites Ranking

APRIL 2010:

·         18% viewed the Tea Party as “not favorable”

·         ...but only 4% actually attended a meeting or given money to the Tea Party

·         46% had not heard enough to have an opinion

NOVEMBER 2010 (election day)

·         40% of voter said they were Tea Party supporters

·         Tea Party candidates insisted they “would not raise the debt ceiling under any conditions”

·         ...but most of those polled then said they wanted compromise, not inflexibility

NOW:

·         40% view the Tea Party as “not favorable”

·         21% had not heard enough to have an opinion

·         ...so that’s 61% as “not favorable” or “undecided” toward the Tea Party

·         a majority (> 50%) said debt reduction had to include higher taxes as well as lower spending.

HOWEVER:

·         This is no excuse to rest on our laurels

·         We must work at turning out voters in 2012 for Obama and our Democratic candidates!

from William Barrett -- wbarrett1076@comcast.net,   http://www.wbarrett.us