Bergman on a roll with the Tea Party

• April 15, 2010 6:00pm

Political Science Professor Elizabeth Bergman is becoming the Bay Area expert on the Tea Party. In addition to KTVU, she was also interviewed by CBS5 News for "Pleasanton Mom Behind Major Tea Party Rally."

"It would be prudent for politicians to tap into it," said Bergman. "It's an audience that's able to express a poplar, populist sentiment."

Bergman cautions that the outsider theme of populist movements can have a downside.

"They're independents, and they may be independents of the fringe sort that may be expressing a more radical point of view that could be kind of controversial," said Bergman.