Eideard

The $15 billion U.S. Census is near completion with a response rate unchanged from a decade ago, defying concerns it might be derailed by anti-government sentiment and widespread violence against census takers.

Conservative figures like television commentator Glenn Beck and Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann had urged Americans to provide only minimal information on the census form.

That sparked fears that Obama administration critics such as supporters of the limited-government Tea Party movement would hinder the once-in-a-decade project.

But now that the counting is nearly done, government officials and political analysts say there is no sign that the political climate had much impact on the census.

The mail-in response rate for the 10-question census was unchanged at 72 percent from 2000, bucking a national trend showing declining participation in surveys of any kind. And despite technical challenges, it is on schedule and under budget.

“This proves that Americans still have common sense,” said political analyst Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “You’re only hurting your own localities when you don’t fill in your form.”

I’m convinced American have some common sense – once in a while.

You have to hope that most people will just raise their eyebrows and lower the volume when they see the looneybird brigade on television.

Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn now say that they will not speak at a convention of “tea party” activists next week in Nashville, as had been announced.

The two have been strong supporters of the tea-party movement, a loose confederation of conservative activists who opposed the federal bailouts of the financial system and auto giants GM and Chrysler, as well as President Obama’s proposed health-care overhaul.

In separate statements, released by their congressional offices, the lawmakers said that appearing at the convention might conflict with House ethics rules. But they also said they are concerned about how money raised from the event will be spent.

Some activists have balked about the convention’s $550 ticket price and the $100,000 fee being paid to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin to give the keynote address, saying the high prices are contrary to the movement’s grass-roots image and preclude many activists from attending…

Bachmann said critics should not view her withdrawal as a “repudiation” of the tea-party movement. “That couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said.

“Covering her ass” is a better description of Bachman’s PR statement.

Meanwhile, the usual problems with narrow, sectarian and populist politics surface: the holier-than-thou syndrome leads to internecine warfare over who’s the Supreme Leader – and the core of most Republican politics, who gets the money and the power?

Click on photo for the answer!