The Good News - May 2010 Palm Beach Issue

By Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana THE GOOD NEWS America’s Tea Party movement has been dubbed many things since it materialized in the early months of 2009. On the positive side, The Economist describes the movement as “America’s most vibrant political... More

By Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana THE GOOD NEWS America’s Tea Party movement has been dubbed many things since it materialized in the early months of 2009. On the positive side, The Economist describes the movement as “America’s most vibrant political force. ” In contrast, recently a Newsweek journalist said the movement was “dominated by conspiracist kooks. ” And then you have those who might be taking the movement completely out of context, by stereotyping Tea Party members and other supporters as “racists. ” Whatever one feels about this newfound populist movement, the reality is that its members and rallies are growing in number. People are beginning to take notice. Tea Party supporters and beliefs According to an April 2010 New York Times/CBS poll, 18 percent of Americans currently identify themselves as Tea Party supporters. The poll, said to be “the first reliable look at the tea party movement and its supporters” by the Los Angeles Times, Less