Holy crap: Did not see this one coming. According to a new New York Times/CBS News poll, Tea Party supporters are "wealthier and more well-educated than the general public." Also, they mostly do not think Sarah Palin should be president.

The most surprising findings:

  • 47 percent of tea party members do not believe Sarah Palin would be an effective President, compared to 40 percent who do. (Someone should tell Sarah Palin this, probably.)
  • The percentage of tea party members who have graduated college is 8 percent higher than non-Tea party members.
  • The percentage of people earning more than $100,000 is 6 percent higher than non-tea party members

The most unsurprising findings:

  • Tea party members were 24 percent more likely to have a gun in their household than non-tea party members
  • They were 24 percent more likely to say that "too much" has been made of the problems facing black people
  • 84 percent had a "not favorable" view of Obama. (But 7 percent had a "favorable"! Who are these people? Someone find them and study them!)
  • They are mostly white and male

So, there you have it: The tea party is probably better educated, richer and more racist than you. We will now commission our own study, which is into how a group of such well-educated people came to have such terrible spelling. Is it some kind of elaborate ruse? God, we don't know what to believe anymore.