Touting tax day “tea parties” across the country, Fox News national political commentator Andrea Tantaros wrote in an April 9 post on The Fox Forum: “Though many on the far left continue to ignore or downplay the rage claiming that these gatherings are only for conservatives, all evidence is to the contrary.” Tantaros then falsely claimed that "[a] recent FOX News poll found that 47 percent of respondents were willing to participate in a Tax Day Tea Party, along with 29 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents." In fact, the March 31-April 1 Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll found that 36 percent of respondents said they would “be willing to join a symbolic tea party,” not 47 percent as Tantaros claimed. (The poll did not ask if respondents actually planned to attend.)

As Media Matters for America has noted, Fox News has aggressively promoted the tea party protests, characterizing them primarily as a response to the administration's fiscal policies. In numerous instances, Fox News aired segments encouraging viewers to get involved with tea party protests across the country.

From the Fox News poll:

From Tantaros' April 9 Fox Forum post, “Tea Parties Will Bring America's Outrage to a Full Boil”:

Those who discount the frustration and fury across America should so do at their own peril, particularly incumbents who voted for the Obama budget. This time anger is being transformed into action. Each person who participates in a Tax Day Tea Party is being asked to organize a group of friends, family and neighbors. These groups will be asked to develop a consensus around two candidates, a fiscally responsible Democrat and Republican that they can unite behind to support in 2010 to unseat their big spending representative.

Though many on the far left continue to ignore or downplay the rage claiming that these gatherings are only for conservatives, all evidence is to the contrary. A recent FOX News poll found that 47 percent of respondents were willing to participate in a Tax Day Tea Party, along with 29 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents. By April 15th, organizers hope to have a database filled with a quarter of a million names representing a broad spectrum of political affiliations.