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Mad As Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System
Today’s raucous revolt against Washington and Wall Street is a classic populist uprising. Now two respected political pollsters show what it means for the future of American politics.
The riotous tea parties and town hall meetings of last summer seemingly took everyone by surprise. They shouldn’t have. Populist movements have always arisen in times of economic hardship. Here, Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen explore the heart of the uprising that has thrown American politics into turmoil.
In the past, populist movements have taken root either on the right or on the left. Today’s revolt has two a left wing that wants universal health care and a right wing that wants to reduce the power of governmental influence in our lives. Both are hostile to the Washington political class, Wall Street, and the mainstream media - all of which they consider out of touch with the concerns of “real” Americans. The difference is that left-wing populists are effectively represented by Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, while right-wing populists are chiefly represented by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh - a potentially more powerful political force.
Many have failed to comprehend the new populism, dismissing it as marginal and extreme. But it is reshaping American politics, whether politicians and elite journalists like it or not. The Tea Party movement is not a flash in the pan. Nor is it a movement of racist rednecks and ignorant boobs, as some have crudely suggested. It is an authentic grassroots movement of concerned American citizens demanding to be heard by an out-of-touch political establishment. Their concerns are real, their issues legitimate. The new populism is here to stay, and it has already changed our politics for the better.
Mad As Hell is an authoritative guide to the new populism, featuring proprietary polling data, political analysis, results from online focus groups, and more. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American electoral politics.
The riotous tea parties and town hall meetings of last summer seemingly took everyone by surprise. They shouldn’t have. Populist movements have always arisen in times of economic hardship. Here, Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen explore the heart of the uprising that has thrown American politics into turmoil.
In the past, populist movements have taken root either on the right or on the left. Today’s revolt has two a left wing that wants universal health care and a right wing that wants to reduce the power of governmental influence in our lives. Both are hostile to the Washington political class, Wall Street, and the mainstream media - all of which they consider out of touch with the concerns of “real” Americans. The difference is that left-wing populists are effectively represented by Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, while right-wing populists are chiefly represented by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh - a potentially more powerful political force.
Many have failed to comprehend the new populism, dismissing it as marginal and extreme. But it is reshaping American politics, whether politicians and elite journalists like it or not. The Tea Party movement is not a flash in the pan. Nor is it a movement of racist rednecks and ignorant boobs, as some have crudely suggested. It is an authentic grassroots movement of concerned American citizens demanding to be heard by an out-of-touch political establishment. Their concerns are real, their issues legitimate. The new populism is here to stay, and it has already changed our politics for the better.
Mad As Hell is an authoritative guide to the new populism, featuring proprietary polling data, political analysis, results from online focus groups, and more. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American electoral politics.
Audible Audio
Published October 29, 2010
About the author
Scott Rasmussen
9 books1 followerScott Rasmussen is founder and president of Rasmussen Reports. He is a political analyst, author, speaker and, since 1994, an independent public opinion pollster.
Scott founded Rasmussen Reports, LLC in 2003 as a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. Rasmussen Reports provides in-depth data, news coverage and commentary on political, business, economic and lifestyle topics at RasmussenReports.com, America’s most visited public opinion polling site.
Scott speaks regularly at events and with the media, translating poll numbers into meaningful analysis and commentary about current events, underlying trends and the questions that Americans are curious about. He is a frequent guest on Fox News, CNBC, BBC and other major media outlets. He also has appeared on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central.
Scott is the author of Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System and In Search of Self-Governance and has had several columns published in the Wall Street Journal. Additionally, his work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Investor's Business Daily, The Christian Science Monitor and other major publications.
Scott did his first radio commercial at the age of seven and considers a career highlight the opportunity to work closely with hockey legend Gordie Howe. Scott and his father also founded the cable sports network ESPN. They sold their interest in 1984.
Scott founded Rasmussen Reports, LLC in 2003 as a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion polling information. Rasmussen Reports provides in-depth data, news coverage and commentary on political, business, economic and lifestyle topics at RasmussenReports.com, America’s most visited public opinion polling site.
Scott speaks regularly at events and with the media, translating poll numbers into meaningful analysis and commentary about current events, underlying trends and the questions that Americans are curious about. He is a frequent guest on Fox News, CNBC, BBC and other major media outlets. He also has appeared on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central.
Scott is the author of Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System and In Search of Self-Governance and has had several columns published in the Wall Street Journal. Additionally, his work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Investor's Business Daily, The Christian Science Monitor and other major publications.
Scott did his first radio commercial at the age of seven and considers a career highlight the opportunity to work closely with hockey legend Gordie Howe. Scott and his father also founded the cable sports network ESPN. They sold their interest in 1984.
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