We've been told again and again that the real motivation of the Tea Party is a multi-partisan movement to bring the debt and government under control. I've never believed this, partly because these people were never to be found under Bush. It was primarily a laundering device to disappear the Bush years, re-brand the GOP as a wholly different entity and thereby avoid the long wilderness that the catastrophes of the first decade of this century might have led them into.
Now we have some large data sets to review the reality. And the reality is that the Tea Party is the Christianist right-wing of the GOP.
Early on, Tea Partiers were often described as nonpartisan political neophytes. Actually, the Tea Party’s supporters today were highly partisan Republicans long before the Tea Party was born, and were more likely than others to have contacted government officials. In fact, past Republican affiliation is the single strongest predictor of Tea Party support today… And while the public image of the Tea Party focuses on a desire to shrink government, concern over big government is hardly the only or even the most important predictor of Tea Party support among voters.
So what is? Religious fundamentalism, fueled by racial and cultural panic:
They are overwhelmingly white, but even compared to other white Republicans, they had a low regard for immigrants and blacks long before Barack Obama was president, and they still do.
… Next to being a Republican, the strongest predictor of being a Tea Party supporter today was a desire, back in 2006, to see religion play a prominent role in politics. And Tea Partiers continue to hold these views: they seek “deeply religious” elected officials, approve of religious leaders’ engaging in politics and want religion brought into political debates. The Tea Party’s generals may say their overriding concern is a smaller government, but not their rank and file, who are more concerned about putting God in government.
So Bachmann is not such a fluke, is she? Or a flake, for that matter. And Perry was smart to launch his campaign with a no-Catholics-please evangelical prayer rally (to balance his otherwise corporate cronyism appeal to some business interests). And Romney really can't compete. The only one who could at this point? Palin. For the same reasons as Perry and Bachmann. And she's very very tight with Perry.
(Photo: Cody Walsh, 18, (C) stands with arms raised in a crowd of attendees as they dance and sing during the opening musical act of the non-denominational prayer and fasting event, entitled 'The Response' at Reliant Stadium August 6, 2011 in Houston, Texas. Thousands attended the event organized by Gov. Rick Perry in order to pray for God to help save 'a nation in crisis' referring to America. By Brandon Thibodeaux/Getty Images.)
The Dish 