[TomGuy]

This should shake up the GOP leadership to the core.

[mmichaels1970]

Wow.

[Steamburg]

The important thing here is that the GOP needs to realize that with a RINOectomy, they are the Tea Party.

[DManA]

If republicans are willing to swallow their pride, and their core ideology and join us we could have a winning coalition. The third party in this country are the Republicans. They are the spoilers.

[x_plus_one]

Our county GOP sponsors tea parties...

[heiss]

GOP should get rid of those so called “bipartisan centrists/moderates” who always seem to find some far-left cause to advance (cap&trade, campaign finance reform etc).

[cripplecreek]

This should shake up the GOP leadership to the core.

You would think so.

[TomGuy]

It gets even worse:

73% of Republican voters believe their leaders in Washington are out of touch with the party base.

[tgusa]

I don’t think anything can shake those fossilized old pharts.

[silverleaf]

this should elect more democrats

divide and conquer is the only way they can win

[Jagdgewehr]

Another 22% are undecided.

22% waiting for the dust to settle between the the "tea party" party and the GOP before chosing sides?

[HGSW0904]

49% of Democrats have no opinion on the Tea Party movement one way or another.

.................goodness. They really are brain-dead.

[ilgipper]

THAT is remarkable. A movement getting almost zero positive coverage in the major press has passed up a 150 year old major party. The GOP needs to wake up and quickly, because the table is set for the GOP to retake the lead nationally over a radical left wing democrat party. Add GOP + Tea Party and there is a significant majority.

[TADSLOS]

Saw it coming a long way off. You reap what you sow, GOP.

[Right Wing Assault]

This should shake up the GOP leadership

You mean the GOP "leadership?"

[sam_paine]

Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%.

And...Rahm and Axelrod and Carville and Obama and Wright and etc etc positively jubilant.

[eak3]

Rush was wailing about this 3rd party movement and saying what a mistake it was. He was almost pleading for conservatives to not abandon the GOP. I have no qualms about abandoning the GOP, I will not throw a half hearted vote for a McCain, I will vote my principles results be damned.

[sam_paine]

So, if I were Obama, or Stalin or Chavez, exactly what better position would I like to be in than a totally fractured and divided opposition?

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

This is good news or bad news, depending on how obtuse the GOP “leadership” decides to be.

It’s good news if the leadership decides to get with the program, since it unites the 23% and the 18%, and will attract a lion’s share of the 22% undecided.

It’s bad news if the leadership continues to play footsie with the Dems and try to run RINOs, against all common sense and against all political indicators. If that happens, then the Tea Parties simply split the vote and give the Dems Congress for another term.

[bw17]

That poll is meaningless without listing “socialist party” as one of the options.

With a “socialist party” option, the Democrat support would fall to the teens, as most people who vote democrats are truly socialists.

[rhombus]

Did they poll the Reform Party too. That really shook up the GOP. ;-)