Tea Party favorable rating almost as high as Dems & GOP
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks at the Tea Party Express' "Showdown in Searchlight" rally March 27 in Searchlight, Nevada. The rally, held in the hometown of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), serves as the kickoff for a 42-city bus tour that ends in D.C. April 15. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's about time. The American people may have finally had it with both Democrats and Republicans... and might just start seriously considering another option.
A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows for the first time, the two major political parties are viewed unfavorably by most Americans. What's more - the Tea Party movement's favorable rating of 37 percent is nearly as high as the 41 percent for Democrats and 42 percent for Republicans.
This means the anti-tax, anti-big government movement that's only about one year old is ranking almost as high as these political machines that have been around for a couple hundred years.
The same poll shows 28 percent of all adults call themselves supporters of the Tea Party... more than a quarter of Americans is nothing to sneeze at. When it comes to their politics, Tea Party supporters mostly lean Republican and conservative. They're also more likely to be male and less likely to be poor.
But in many other areas, Tea Partiers are representative of the general public - including their age, education, employment status and race. And whether it ultimately comes from the Tea Party or not, it could finally mean some real competition for the 2 major parties, which have long since ceased to give much of a damn about American citizens.
Meanwhile an article in the British Newspaper "The Telegraph" suggests that with Americans so disgusted with their politicians, a real outsider is needed in the White House. They say no one stands out like General David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command.
Petraeus emphatically denies any interest in being president... but then again, so have lots and lots of other future candidates.
Here’s my question to you: What does it mean when the Tea Party movement has a favorable rating almost as high as the Democrats and Republicans?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Future of Catholic Church in light of child sex abuse scandal?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
If the Vatican won't clean it up, there's another way to get the Catholic Church's attention... when it comes to a global sex scandal involving the molestation of tens of thousands of little children at the hands of priests.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/05/art.pope.jpg caption="Pope Benedict XVI is facing growing anger over the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal and allegations that the church hierarchy worked to cover up crimes committed by their priests."]
Take the pope's native Germany for example: When the news broke there and the church opened a hotline meant for victims of abuse, more than 4,000 people called in on the first day alone. The system was overwhelmed and therapists were only able to answer 160 calls.
But more importantly - as the scandal grows, the church in Germany is starting to suffer the fate that maybe it deserves: People are leaving in droves. One recent survey shows a quarter of Catholics in Germany say they've lost faith in the church's leadership.
Meanwhile, Easter Sunday has come and gone with little from the Church - the pope passed up another opportunity to address the scandal in his address. But we did get this: While defending the pope, one top cardinal denounced "petty gossip." That's what he called the accusations of sexual abuse of children by priests... "petty gossip."
If the pope and the rest of the church hierarchy remain silent on this scandal long enough, there may be nobody left in the pews to talk to about it. My guess is when the money that hits the collection plates every Sunday begins to disappear, the church may suddenly decide that it's time to admit, address and confess what they've been only too willing to turn a blind eye to for years and years and years.
Here’s my question to you: In light of the worldwide child sex abuse scandal, what’s the future of the Catholic Church?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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