GOP,  Tea Party

Poll Watch: Americans Believe GOP Should Heart the Tea Party

Indeed, that is what the latest Gallup poll says.

About 7 in 10 national adults, including 88% of Republicans, say it is important that Republican leaders in Congress take the Tea Party movement’s positions and objectives into account as they address the nation’s problems. Among Republicans, 53% rate this “very important.”

However, the popularity of the Tea Party movement itself has remained the same as the GOP popularity has increased. See the poll graph below:

So, what does this all mean?

The GOP with the federal debt ceiling vote coming up will have to strike a delicate balance of Tea Party precepts and party politics.

While media commentators duel over whether Bachmann’s response to the State of the Union address deserved prime-time coverage, the Republican Party has its own dilemma: how much deference to show Tea Party activists and their generally conservative proposals in crafting public policy. Almost all Republicans say it is at least somewhat important for GOP congressional leaders to take the Tea Party’s views into account, with about half saying it is very important. More broadly, the Tea Party has neither lost nor gained strength since the midterm elections. It remains popular with about 3 in 10 Americans who call themselves supporters of the movement, and it continues to generate as much opposition as support overall.

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