Sam Adams Project asked, who are the Tea Party activists?

I urge readers to check out this just released report from the Sam Adams Project (SAM) which sought out Tea Party activists in 38 states and asked them about themselves, what motivated them to become activists and what they were hoping to achieve with their newfound sense of empowerment.  Here is what SAM says at its website but the real scoop is in their report!

Most of us have had some experience with the Tea Party movement over the past year. Maybe you attended or organized a rally, watched one on t.v., or saw the media coverage given to these protests. You may have formed an opinion of this group of people through experience, or through the lens of others’ opinions, good or bad.

Recent attention to this movement has again revived, with the election of Scott Brown and growing media attention.

In January, SAM had the opportunity to conduct extensive market research with leaders of the Tea Parties, both through questionnaires and through in-depth one-on-one interviews.

What we found challenges much of the information currently on the market.

Now see what the activists themselves had to say about the Tea Parties: their motivations, their fears, and who they support for president in 2012.

While the extreme Left, like MSNBC, is busy trying to define Tea Partiers, for those of you who are actually real Tea Party activists, I think you will recognize yourselves in this report!

Motivating issues

Always interested in the issues that motivate Tea Party activists, I note on page 19 that those surveyed for this report cited their top four issues before they got deeply involved in the movement as Budget, Economy/jobs, Defense and Immigration.  After becoming active, those surveyed had moved Health Care up by a slight margin to number 4 and Immigration to their 5th most important concern.    I think that is only because we are all seeped in the Health Care debate at the moment.  Just wait until Comprehensive Immigration reform (aka Amnesty) begins moving in Congress.

Also, if you’ve been following the machinations of inside-the-beltway Republicans you will see this interest by grassroots activists in Defense and Immigration (Scott Brown understood that) is in stark contrast to the image insiders are promoting that Tea Partiers’ activism is all about fiscal concerns.  Dick Armey, David Keene and Grover Norquist take heed!  All three of those Washington insiders run like rabbits from national defense issues and at least two of them are on record as supporting Open Borders!

Last I checked the Contract From America being promoted by insiders, including Newt Gingrich, had no plank on immigration or national security.   By the way, I didn’t check it now because there is something screwy about the website for the Contract because my computer freezes and won’t open the site.

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