Is The Tea Party Movement A Minority Movement?

by Melissa Clouthier | September 22, 2009 2:10 pm

Is the Tea Party movement a minority movement? I discuss the question in my latest AIP column:

This Tea Party movement isn’t a youthful rebellion. It isn’t a response of an obvious minority to injustice such as the women’s movement or civil rights movement. The Teaparty represents what used to be the silent majority: the people busy working, building families and businesses, and going about their lives.

My question: Are these people still the silent majority? Is the Tea Party movement, not the silent majority at all, but the new minority?

Before the election, it occurred to me that if enough working Americans accepted a check from the Federal or State government or worked in state-run organizations like public schools or received welfare assistance or were on social security and medicaid and medicare, then it would be nigh to impossible to ever elect a small-government conservative ever again.

Is there no such thing as the “silent majority” now? Have the silent majority become the vocal minority?