We hear it in virtually every speech, debate, and vote: “The 2010 election was a mandate to ___________” (fill in the blank).
Well, in fact it was not. There was not a public outcry or carte blanche given to members of the Tea Party to legislate the fiscal, social or taxation issues they now so vigorously pursue. The 2010 election was not a landslide for the Republican Party in terms of eligible American voters, nor did an overwhelming number support the Tea Party. Additionally, the election certainly did not revolve around the many issues the conservatives now claim they were “mandated” to deliver. Moreover, subsequent events have pretty much erased whatever “mandate” now is being claimed.
Starting with the raw numbers in that election, only 41 percent of all eligible voters even turned out for the midterm election. Given that about one half (or close to it) were Democratic votes, that leaves only about 20 percent of the American public who overtly supported the Republicans. And only a portion of those GOP votes were for the Tea Party’s hard-right positions. Hardly a “mandate”!
Additionally, while it is true the GOP won a substantial number of new House seats (Democrats retained control of the Senate), many of the most vociferous hard-core Tea Party candidates lost. Three of the most prominent were Joe Miller, beaten by Lisa Murkowski as a write-in candidate in Alaska; Sharron Angle, who lost to Harry Reid in Nevada; and Christine O’Donnell, who lost in Delaware.
Many close races
Even the most ardent and beloved Tea Party candidates had close (or not overwhelming) races. The darling of the party — Rep. Michele Bachmann — won in Minnesota with 53 percent of the vote; this after it was reported in the local press: “Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann was re-elected in Minnesota’s 6th congressional district, ending the nation’s most expensive U.S. House race. Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite, won a third term after raising more than $11 million and spending at least $8.8 million.”
In fact, Bachmann never had large victory margins. In 2008 she won with only 46 percent of the vote (in a three-way race) in a conservative district that McCain won with 53 percent of the vote. She garnered just 50 percent of the vote in 2006.
Of even greater importance, the 2010 race was definitely not about the social and fiscal issues so dear to the heart of the Tea Party folks. For those who have election amnesia, it was about jobs! Job, jobs, jobs — and the economy. That was the central issue to that election, and the Tea Party benefited from public discontent on the progress of the economy and growth of new jobs. They also benefited from Democratic malaise, low turnout, and highly efficient organization — not from a powerful endorsement of their extreme positions. However, after they won, and later unfolded their true and larger agenda, for the most part their proposed programs now have been rejected by the public.
The Paul Ryan plan, Social Security cuts …
The Paul Ryan plan to dissolve Medicare was so vehemently rejected that the GOP could not run away from it fast enough. Cuts in Social Security are equally disdained (though not some tweaking to strengthen its longevity). Two conservatives in Wisconsin were recalled on Tuesday. In fact, on most of the extreme social issues the Tea Party stands for, the American public has little or no interest in pursuing, embracing, or adopting hard-right wing programs.
A June 2011 CBS/New York Times poll proves the point. The economy is still the primary concern of Americans, with 53 percent listing it as No. 1. Regarding the just-resolved debt/deficit clamor, only 7 percent rated it a critical issue; and big government (the centerpiece of the Tea Party program) rates only 2 percent as a major concern. Concerning the aforementioned Social Security issue, the poll indicates that while 33 percent would not want to raise Social Security taxes, 56 percent would take a tax increase to “keep benefits where they are.” As for performance on the economy, the hard-right House has produced no jobs bills at all this session, opting instead to tilt at windmills engineering new and fruitless legislation regarding their social programs.
82 percent disapprove of Congress
Also in current polling, a whopping 82 percent of Americans now disapprove of Congress (including a 72 percent disapproval of the Republican House). Given that and waning support for the Tea Party itself, you must ask, is there really a “mandate” for the changes the hard right proposes? The answer has to be “no”!
Mandates are ephemeral and usually a transitory phenomenon. I have lived to see 13 presidents: seven Democratic and six Republican. The American public is loath to vest any political party with too great power, or too long a tenure. And rightfully so. For the Tea Party to claim such endorsement or enduring mandate is purely a myth, and the events of 2012 may yet tell a different story.
Myles Spicer of Minnetonka has spent his business career as a professional writer and owned several successful ad agencies over the past 45 years.
Well said, Myles. Stay on message.
From New CNN Poll
Democratic Party: Favorable 47%, Unfavorable 47%
Republican Party: Favorable 33%, Unfavorable 59%
Nicely presented argument. Kudos.
Jeff Wilfahrt, Rosemount, MN
Spin, propaganda, public relations, marketing, advertising, call it what you may. According to your tag line, you might be familiar with the ins and outs of it.
How dare the Tea Party, paint the events of the past year in a light favorable to their agenda. They spin it one way, and you try your best to reverse the spin, with whatever is at hand, like CBS/New York Times and CNN polls. Great stuff.