Read This Now - Tea Party Nonesense Is Overblown

Could we get back to reporting on stuff that actually matters instead of hearing over and over again about a bunch of misinformed, angry, outspoken, individuals who really aren't representative of any large chunk of the electorate?

Oh wait, given our mainstream media why am I even bothering to ask this question?

At least E.J. Dionne managed to make this point in a major outlet, the WaPo's op-ed page...

The Tea Party is nothing new. It represents a relatively small minority of Americans on the right end of politics, and it will not determine the outcome of the 2010 elections.

In fact, both major parties stand to lose if they accept the laughable notion that this media-created protest movement is the voice of true populism. Democrats will spend their time chasing votes they will never win. Republicans will turn their party into an angry and narrow redoubt with no hope of building a durable majority.

The news media's incessant focus on the Tea Party is creating a badly distorted picture of what most Americans think and is warping our policy debates. The New York Times and CBS News thus performed a public service last week with a careful study of just who is in the Tea Party movement.

He goes on, so be sure to check out the whole piece. It's also worth clicking through the link Dionne offers to the survey story.

Then again, who reads the WaPo op-eds these days...

(via TPL)