1 On 1 With Scott Rasmussen

Greetings Friends, "Only 21% believe elected officials care about the best interests of the people. As a new congress returns to Washington people are saying we don't like either political party." That is what well known and highly regarded political pollster Scott Rasmussen of RasmussenReports.com told me on Friday in a 1 on 1 interview.

Before I begin with the highlights from the interview let me say that our prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and to the victims and their families of yesterday's senseless tragedy. I have received several email and it clear that they have (as they should) the support of people across America. Scott Rasmussen has a new book titled, "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System". He joined me on my radio show to discuss the book and provide an insightful perspective of what it is that is on the minds of voters as we enter 2011. Please Note: As an AmatoForLiberty newsletter subscriber you are the first to receive the highlighted excerpts from the interview, prior to it being published elsewhere.

Rasmussen On The TEA Party Outlook for 2011

"The TEA Party will have a huge impact on the political system. Not as a s third party alternative to the two party system but instead it is more likely to reshape the two political parties. I cannot imagine anybody getting the Republican Party presidential nomination who is opposed by the TEA Party. Anybody who thinks the TEA Party is anything but a genuine grassroots movement is missing the point. The left genuinely misses the point. Some people (on the left) do not get that Americans are skeptical of government". "People believe fiscal conservatives should be in charge".

On the Frustration That Has Led Up To the Founding Of the TEA Party:

"A slow burn has been bothering Americans for quite some time. The last time government spending went down from one year to the next in America, Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office. In his first term! A frustration (towards government) has been growing over the past decade." Yours Truly addressing the TEA Party crowd in April of '09.

On Voters View of America & Capitalism

"Nine out of ten voters are more pessimistic about their future than they are optimistic. That is unheard of. There is a sense that things have changed in America. People believe the rules of the game have changed. If you are well enough connected the government will bail you out". "While polls indicate that about one third of voters have a favorable view of socialism ,we find that people overwhelmingly prefer free markets (by a 8:1 ratio). People have come to believe that capitalism in America has nothing to do with free markets. It is crony capitalism. The notion that free markets and capitalism are the same thing is just not believed in America today". In three straight election cycles (Clinton, Bush, Obama) the party in power has been voted out. Never before in American history has that happened. People are saying we don't like either political party

You can hear my entire 1 on 1 interview with political pollster Scott Rasmussen HERE.

Up Next:

HIDDEN GAS TAX- Hardly anyone noticed during the quiet of the Christmas holiday period but republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas raised the prospect that EPA efforts to cut pollution at oil refineries would amount to an indirect tax on gasoline, forcing fuel makers to pass the cost of new compliance onto already burdened Americans. We will report on this story in the next AmatoForLiberty.

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