Study of Tea Party Activists Reveals Movement's Level of Momentum

/PRNewswire -- An extensive new study of the Tea Party movement released today finds that the activists involved grew in number and enthusiasm in recent months. The Sam Adams Alliance report, The Next Wave: A Surf Report, also found that among new activists, a smaller number identify themselves as Republicans, with 50 percent choosing a different label for their political affiliation. The results of the full report can be found at www.activistinsightsreport.com.

The Next Wave report, announced at the American Legislative Exchange Council's annual conference, is the first of three reports studying Tea Party activists that will be released by Sam Adams Alliance before the November elections. Among newcomers to the movement, which the study identifies as "Next Wave" activists, 74 percent said the movement is "gaining active supporters," and 66 percent indicated that the movement is "more enthusiastic" than it was before the passage of health care reform.

"We found that Tea Party activists, above all, view themselves as both "restoring? and "forward- thinking,' which is an interesting tension as they continue to make their mark on the political landscape," said Anne Sorock, the study's research director. "They must find a way to preserve the best of what their America means while making their movement relevant to today's challenges."

The report also reveals that both Next Wave and Early Adopters are dropping their affiliation with the Republican label. Among the Next Wave activists polled, there was a near 30-point drop in their affiliation with the Republican party since becoming involved in the Tea Party movement.

Sam Adams Alliance's research shows that 47 percent changed their political affiliation to

"Independent/Unaffiliated," 20 percent changed to "Other," 20 percent to "Tea Party," and 13

percent to "Libertarian."

The report also revealed that 63.6 percent of Next Wave activists were recruited by friends, compared to only 37.5 percent of Early Adopters, who were more likely to be recruited by media personalities.

Other findings of the study include:

-- 89 percent of Tea Party activists have been recruiting new people into
the movement.
-- 44 percent of Next Wave activists said they were uninvolved or rarely
involved with politics prior to their Tea Party involvement.
-- 22 percent of Next Wave Activists identified as Independents, 10
percent as "Tea
-- Party."
-- Prior to becoming active in the movement, 74 percent of Next Wave
activists identified as Republican, 20 percent as Independent.
-- Sarah Palin was the leading choice for the 2012 presidential elections
with 23 percent, though 19 other choices were mentioned.
-- Tea Partiers have a more favorable view of the state-level Republican
party (38.7 percent unfavorable/very unfavorable) than the national
(49.2 percent unfavorable/very unfavorable)


For the full report findings, survey questions, methodology, and a preview video visit www.activistinsightsreport.com, or www.samadamsalliance.org.

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Libertarians call on Democrats to end their 'war on dissent'

Libertarian National Committee Communications Director Donny Ferguson released the following statement Wednesday, after Democratic National Committee Communications Director Brad Woodhouse released a statement Tuesday accusing private citizens opposed to the proposed government takeover of health care of being part of a paid, organized conspiracy against the president:

“Whether it’s having the Franking Commission censor congressional opponents’ outgoing mail, sliming private citizens who question their agenda or urging their followers to report critics directly to the White House, desperate Democrats have only one way of dealing with Americans’ overwhelming opposition to their radical agenda -- using the power of government to silence dissent.

“After years of paying ACORN radicals to show up at events and having union members take paid vacations to go protest, I can see how Democrats are now incapable of recognizing free speech when they see it. They appear to have conceded the fact their government takeover of health care sends costs skyrocketing, innovation plummeting and waiting lists growing. Unable to sell Americans on the virtues of government control, Democrats have now resorted to trying to silence them.

“Among them is Congressman Lloyd Doggett, who claimed citizens spontaneously and freely expressing mainstream opinions he didn’t agree with were conspiring with Libertarians to stop government-run medicine. Libertarians didn’t organize this expression of free speech, they’re just joined by millions of other mainstream Americans in opposing this dangerous plan for government-run, rationed care.

“The Democrat war on dissent reached a peak this week when the White House posted a blog entry urging the president’s followers to find people who criticize the president, even “in casual conversation,” and forward the information to flag@whitehouse.gov. That is a brazen attempt to bully people into silence by leading them to believe any statements critical of the president will land them on the new version of the ‘White House enemies list.’”

“Libertarians find it ironic a community organizer is now using the government to try and to stop people from organizing their communities. Instead of using official edicts to smear, slander and intimidate everyday Americans into silence, Democrats should listen to the majority of Americans and drop their plans for a radical government takeover of their health care.

“Libertarians call on President Obama to issue a public apology to the millions of independent-thinking Americans his administration has slimed, to call off his plans to compile the flag@whitehouse.gov enemies list and to end the Democrats’ use of government power to silence dissent.”

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New National Poll Finds Strong, Bipartisan Demand for Transparency in Economic Recovery Package

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An overwhelming majority of voters want full and open reporting on how Recovery Act funds are spent at federal and state levels, according to a nationwide survey conducted last week on behalf of the Coalition for an Accountable Recovery. Further, roughly eight in ten voters say that making the U.S. government more accountable and more open to average citizens should be a high priority for the new administration; four out of ten said it is "one of the most important priorities."

The demand for greater transparency in the recovery package reaches across partisan, geographic and demographic divides. Republicans, independents, and Democrats alike strongly support the inclusion of tracking and reporting requirements to ensure federal money is effectively spent and has a positive impact on the economy:

-- Three-quarters of voters (76%) believe that "creating a national website where citizens can see what companies and government agencies are getting the funds, for what purposes, and the number and quality of jobs being created or saved" would have an important impact on the package, including 39% who believe its impact would be extremely important.

Support for state transparency websites to monitor recovery funds received almost equally high marks, again from Republicans, independents and Democrats:

-- Fully 76% of American voters said creating state level websites to track funds was "important," and 34% said it was "very important."

"Whether or not we agree with the stimulus bill's priorities, officials at the federal and state levels must assure taxpayers that their hard-earned money will be used in a responsible manner," said National Taxpayers Union Government Affairs Manager Andrew Moylan. "The best way to do this is to make information on stimulus spending transparent and easily available to the public in a searchable online format."

However, although state governments will have to report to the federal government, the current bill does not demand that states create public websites to show their own citizens how they are spending the money, despite the fact that state governments will be responsible for dispensing over half the funds. Underscoring the breadth of support for this reform, 70% of Republicans, 74% of independents, and 80% of Democrats believe it would have an important impact on the recovery package.

Greg LeRoy, Executive Director of Good Jobs First, remarked, "Transparency is not just necessary policy; it's good politics. No one wants well-intended stimulus funding to become tainted by corruption and waste at the state and local levels. Getting lots of taxpayer eyeballs on the money is President Obama's best bet for keeping governors and mayors from frittering away his Recovery Plan."

The survey was conducted between January 13th and January 20th, 2008 by Lake Research Partners, in collaboration with Topos Partnership. It reached 900 adults, 18 years of age or older, in the United States who are registered and voted in the 2008 General Election.

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