Poll: Tea Party Supporters View Palin, Beck and Bush Favorably

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Polling ,; Tea Party

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

Sarah Palin waves to a crowd as she passes a road map of the Tea Party Express, prior to her address on Boston Common in Boston, Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

(Credit: AP)

It remains unclear whether the Tea Party movement has a leader - or if it wants one, according to a new CBS News/ New York Times poll. But when asked specifically about a few notable figures, Tea Partiers named Fox News personality Glenn Beck and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as favorites.

Two thirds of Tea Partiers said they had a favorable opinion of Palin, according to the poll, conducted April 5 - 12, while 59 percent have a favorable opinion of Beck.

Fifty-seven percent of Tea Partiers also think well of former Republican President George W. Bush, but only 35 percent think well of Sen. John McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential candidate.

The poll showed that GOP Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is not as well-known, even though Paul could be credited for starting the Tea Party trend. Only 28 percent of Tea Partiers said they have a favorable view of him, while 56 percent said they hadn't heard enough about him.

Although they like her, nearly half of Tea Partiers do not think Sarah Palin would have the ability to be an effective president. Republicans overall are more positive in their assessment, with 48 percent saying she would be effective and 42 percent saying she wouldn't. Among Americans as a whole, two in three doubt she has that ability.

Asked to volunteer their most admired political figure generally, no single person stands out among Tea Party supporters. As many as 29 percent offered no one or said they aren't sure. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich leads the list of those mentioned, with 10 percent, followed by Sarah Palin with 9 percent, and former President George W. Bush and Mitt Romney at 5 percent.

More from the Poll:

Tea Party Supporters: Who They Are and What They Believe
Tea Party Activists Small but Passionate Group
"Birther" Myth Persists Among Tea Partiers, All Americans
Most Tea Partiers Believe Too Much Made of Problems Facing Blacks
Most Tea Party Supporters Say Their Taxes Are Fair

Read the Complete Poll on Tea Party Members (PDF)
Read the Complete Poll on What Tea Partiers Believe (PDF)

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,580 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone April 5-12, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

An oversample of people who describe themselves as supporters of the Tea Party movement were interviewed, for a total of 881 interviews. The results were then weighted in proportion to the adult population. The margin of error for the sample of Tea Party supporters is three points. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by americafirst99999 April 3, 2011 11:10 PM EDT: I would encourage people to read the new Rand Paul book "The Tea Party goes to Washington". Rand Paul is a person that I believe can and will make a difference in the way that government is veiwed. Paul takes an approach that is both reasonable and responsible toward not only the liberal supported social issues but also the military and corporate issues put forth by the Republicans.
I don't believe that people such as Sarah Palin, who is only interested in self-promotion, and neoconseratives such as Bush,McCain and Gingrich are the answer to our countries problems. Glenn Beck is not one that I would include as a leader of the movement.However, Beck does serve a political purpose in that he does somewhat counter the far left's views.Neither the far left nor Beck's followers should ever come to power as both would only try to control the entire population in whatever manner they saw fit whether constitutional or not.Beck himself would be opposed to what many of his followers would propose.; Reply to this comment


by momfromVA April 25, 2010 12:07 PM EDT: It seems the original Ron Paul supporters were the real thinkers. The teapartiers that follow Palin and Beck are seem to be spurred on by fear and ignorance of the issues much of the time. I think it is terrific to question government and the status quo, but inflammatory rhetoric is not productive.; Reply to this comment


by RichardAJarvis April 16, 2010 10:18 PM EDT: I am happy to see so many 'tolerant' people here. When you say "they inciter violence," or "spew hatred ans racism," could you be so kind as to proveide evidence? Comparing the Tea Party to Hitler, the Klan, or Nazis would be like equating Gandhi or Dr. King to Stalin or Lenin; it is utterly ridiculus. You can disagree with them, but unless you have proof of their supposed violence or ignorance, people on the opposite spectrum of you will judge you the same.; Reply to this comment


by dontpaycreditcardsDOTcom April 15, 2010 9:58 PM EDT: My issue is that the real Tea Party founders would be foolish to soil themselves with Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh. I don't understand it. They could care less about the Tea Party issues. They are users.; Reply to this comment


by actornaught April 15, 2010 12:17 PM EDT: Yeah, this is where you know this is a just another front for republicans. If they really believed in their stated values, their ONLY recent president that suits them would be Bill Clinton, and they'd be villifying the tax-jacking, big-government, anti-nuke, debt-quadrupling Ronnie Reagan.; Reply to this comment


by U_S_Drug_Addict April 15, 2010 8:15 AM EDT: the dumbing down of america is in full display with these people.; Reply to this comment


by rob1182 April 15, 2010 8:04 AM EDT: As a registered Independent there is so many things to worry about our country is weakening everyday,the debt were taken on is unbelievable and getting worse each and every day,have you stopped to think WHO will be paying for that DEBT you and I, we have an Administration that bows to our enemies and causes problems with our allies, who shows more compassion for the terrorist than for our men and women. A man that lives in our W.H. making bad decisions for this country and what do we know of him NOTHING, he has spent over 2,000.000.00 to keep his life under lock and key why? do you believe he is hiding a parking ticket!!! and yet the Tea party bothers you a group of non volient people erxcersing their right to free speach while we still have that.; Reply to this comment


by from_the_north April 15, 2010 3:04 AM EDT: The tea baggers are dangerous - a mixture of the KKK and Nazis. Failin palin is bad news for our country. All she does is incite racism, spews hate, and tries to stir up anger in the uneducated and mentally challenged who believe her rantings while she sits back and rakes in the $$$.; Reply to this comment


by ibsteve2u April 15, 2010 2:44 AM EDT: After reading the stories and reviewing the PDFs, my impression is that the Tea Party is all about the money.

They don't want any Administration or any Congress to divert wealth to anybody other than themselves, and the slightest hint that someone is receiving something that they aren't turns 'em from mostly white to green with envy.

In short, they're just like the masters of the GOP - and would choose candidates who would behave just like the Republicans do - except without the staggering wealth, which limits their power. Consequently, they will be unable to field any viable candidates, particularly not now that the Supreme Court has uncapped campaign spending and given the corporations the rights of living, breathing Americans.

You see, our corporations (or if you want to be more honest than the Supreme Court's majority, then the major shareholders, executives, and boards of directors of our corporations) are the power the controls the GOP.

So in the end the Tea Party will fall in line and vote Republican.

The fact that the Republican Party does not represent the national interest - that is, the well-being of the American people - has been true for a half century now; since Ike, in fact. It remains true today, and will be true for the for as far as I can see ahead.

If the Tea Party gets what they want OR if they settle for their second choice, it is bad news for our people - and so for America.; Reply to this comment


by BoldChapeau April 15, 2010 1:11 AM EDT: The fact that they view Palin, Bush, and Beck favorably proves just how stupid they are. They would be more aptly named the "American Taliban."; Reply to this comment