Teabagg'n Again

A year ago I wrote my first post about teabaggers. It was also the first post where I used "LOL," which I hope was forgivable given the absurdity of the carnival-like protests. But I guess I was assuming the teabaggers and their "parties" would have faded into history by now. I assumed these people would have moved on after getting their tax cuts, but I overestimated their logic skills.

However, many of us cynics realized the "tea party express" was a marketing gimmick and money making tool of the Republican establishment, and well -- yeah, we were right:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

But what was not outwardly clear was that teabaggers are, according to a new New York Times/CBS News poll, "wealthier and more well-educated than the general public." In other words, they are elitists looking for wealth-care and not health-care.

Do I believe it? Maybe. It actually fits with the few teabagger types I know: white, married, own a McMansion with an SUV parked out front. They went to college and earned some kind of degree but never cared to be educated outside their narrow vocational focus. They go to tanning salons often, and wouldn't have gotten through college if I didn't help them with their math classes. (Ok, I admit I'm thinking of one friend in particular.)

The poll results also show that their beliefs are very different than non-teabaggers: Only 26% of all responders think Sarah Palin would be an effective President, but 40% of teabaggers do. 27% of all responders have a favorable view of George W. Bush, but 57% of teabaggers like him. Only 18% of all responders have a favorable view of Glenn Beck. Unsurprisingly, 59% of teabaggers like him.

The numbers also show teabaggers have very conservative views on social and economic issues. But here's the funniest statistic: 78% of self-identified tea party supporters have never attended a tea party rally or meeting nor donated to the cause. So really, that 78% is just the same GOP we've always known.

And what about the angry ones attending the rallies with their hilariously misspelled signs? They must be the unemployed and undereducated portion of this sham of a "movement." Which makes sense -- conservative lawyers, bankers, and executives always leave the dirty work to the peasants.