Bad News for Harry Reid: Tea Party Favored Over Congress

Katie Pavlich | April 05, 2011 4:12 PM

Harry Reid can't stop talking about the tea party. One minute he's saying the movement is irrelevant, the next he is saying Congress cannot give them what they want in government spending cuts. Clearly, the influence of the tea party is on Reid's mind and clearly the movement is still very relevant.

A new Rasmussen report shows 48 percent of Americans hold views closer to those of the tea party and than those of Congress, with 49 percent saying the "tea party movement is good for the country" and 45 percent saying the "average tea party member has a better understanding of the problems America faces today than the average member of Congress does," showing little change from attitudes towards the tea party since just under a year ago.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters say when it comes to the major issues facing the country, their views are closer to the average Tea Party member as opposed to the average member of Congress. Just 22% say their views are closest to those of the average congressman.