The Tea Party is worse because they're proud of being stupid. They don't need snooty communist scientists to tell them how to live their lives because they have common sense and God. They've been convinced, somewhere along the line, that scientists, professors, and universities are all part of a conspiracy to control their lives, put down God, expand government, etc, etc. The strategy is actually -blam!-ing genius because pride is a powerful force. All the Republican party had to do was drive the same slogans and buzzwords into their heads until they believed in them so much that any other opinion was seen as a threat to their livelihoods.

I got an implication to that effect.