Coffee Party USA - A Political Storm Is Brewing!

The Coffee Party Movement is an accidental movement created from an innocent Facebook Post from Annabel Park. Annabel was expressing her anger and frustration with Washington Politics. Annabel posted a simple paragraph in a response to the growing Tea Party Movement - "let's start a coffee party . . . smoothie party. red bull party. anything but tea. geez. ooh how about cappuccino party? that would really piss 'em off bec it sounds elitist . . . let's get together and drink cappuccino and have real political dialogue with substance and compassion." 


Wow! words are powerful things. The founding fathers of the United States knew this, and yielded the pen in a far more powerful way then any sort of weapon of mass destruction. Annabel Park's simple 44 word Facebook post along with the power of the internet soon created a tsunami of responses from like minded individuals. Resulting in "The Coffee Party USA". http://coffeepartyusa.com/ .


Annabel Park has produced a simple 5 minute YouTube video describing how the movement was founded, it can be found right on the Coffee Party USA's website, I would encourage everyone to check it out for your self. 


So what dues the Coffee Party Movement believe in exactly? well according to Coffee Party USA's  Mission Statement "The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them."


This sounds well and good. I did some more reading. I read the "About US" page on the site and it contained some more interesting information:


We are diverse — ethnically, geographically, politically, in age and in experience.  
We are 100% grassroots.  No lobbyists here.  No pundits.  And no hyper-partisan strategists calling the shots in this movement. We are a spontaneous and collective expression of our desire to forge a culture of civic engagement that is solution-oriented, not blame-oriented.  
We demand a government that responds to the needs of the majority of its citizens as expressed by our votes and by our voices; NOT corporate interests as expressed by misleading advertisements and campaign contributions.
We want a society in which democracy is treated as sacrosanct and ordinary citizens participate out of a sense of civic duty, civic pride, and a desire to contribute to society.  The Coffee Party is a call to action. Our Founding Fathers and Mothers gave us an enduring gift — Democracy — and we must use it to meet the challenges that we face as a nation.

Sounds good right? Seriously who wouldn't agree with these basic premises of Government? Of course, I immediately signed up as a member. My user name is "Tom" on the Coffee Party USA website.

Do I agree with the basic premise that the Coffee Party Movement is a direct  response to The Tea Party Movement? No, absolutely not. The Coffee Party Movement is far bigger and infinitely more significant then the The Tea Party. 

The Tea Party Movement is not by any means a grass roots movement. Weather the Tea Party realizes it or not, they are not a spontaneous grass roots movement, they are fueled and funded by powerful "Conservative" business, media and political interests who are in direct opposition to President Obama's political agenda. 

The Tea Party believers were duped into believing in an America that never existed and never will. They are the ultra right wing fringe that has always existed. Seriously have you seen the horrific signs from the Tea Party Protests, or heard the speeches given at the Tea Party convention? (I have already written about this in previous blog entries so I'm not going to repeat myself here) If it weren't for Fox News, this fringe movement would have already faded back into the woodwork by now. The Republican Party is currently trying to co-opt these right wing-nuts, it will ultimately be to their detriment and eventual downfall, and frankly, I think they deserve it.

The Tea Party certainly doe's not represent my personal views or the views of the vast majority of Americans. Historically, you can't control the fringe elements of society, and if you try..well as the old saying goes "if you play with fire you will get burned".

Getting back to the "Coffee Party Movement". The ideals professed are nothing more then the "idealistic" principals of the Democratic Party and most of Americans as a whole. The Democratic party is the big tent party consisting of young, old, Conservatives, Moderates (or Centrists), and yes, even Progressive/Liberals like myself. The modern Democratic party also embraces all cultures, religions, genders, ethnicity, sexual orientations and everything in between We don't have a purity test or try to purge moderates or Progressive/Liberals from the party. That is the exact reason why the Democrats have to debate and compromise on EVERYTHING within the caucus just to get anything done. Is this a liability? NO!, This is the core strength of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party represents the entire cross section of American Society. Is the Democratic party fully successful in it's ideals or potential? certainly not....Enter the Coffee Party Movement.

The Coffee Party Movement is the natural and necessary evolution of American politics in a time of ultra extreme partisan politics, corporate takeover of the American Dream and fringe elements hijacking the Republican Party. When Barack Obama was campaigning for the Democratic nomination he had a slogan "We are the ones we have been waiting for!" I believe that this single phrase is some of the most powerful words ever uttered in modern political history. "We are the ones we've been waiting for" could very well be the foundation of the Coffee Party Movement or the Tea Party for that matter. However, there is one big difference, and this is revealed in the Coffee Party USA's "Mission Statement" and "About Us" sections. 

The Coffee Party USA advocates; respectful political dialogue free of corporate influence, the belief that government is not our enemy, but rather the collective will of the people, the support of leaders who promote positive change, and to hold accountable those who obstruct them. 

Words are only powerful tools if, and only if, they resonate with the majority of people hearing or reading them, otherwise they fall on deaf ears or are ignored because they do not mesh with our own particular belief system. The "Coffee Party USA" resonates strongly with the majority of Democratic leaning Americans and will in my opinion spread like wild fire. Mark my words, in 2012 the Coffee Party USA will be a powerful voice in American politics.

WOW!! isn't this the exact reason that 53% of all Americans who voted for Barack Obama in 2008 actually voted for him? and what happened? President Obama has been stymied in every turn by powerful interests who consistently try to obstruct  the change that he advocated during the election. Has not President Obama tried time and time again to carry out his promises to the American People? I think so. If we had a strong Coffee Party USA a year ago this entire conversation would be a moot point wouldn't it?

I sincerely believe that the "Coffee Party USA" could be a strong voice in the 2010 mid term elections, and depending on how it plays out could be a could be a major player in the 2012 General Elections. The voice of reason always prevails over the absurd and small minded.

So, just who are these people who have signed up with the Coffee Party USA? From my reading and responding to posts on the on-line forums,  these people are you and me. (well maybe not if you are a conservative Republican or Tea Party activist) but certainly ANYONE who would consider themselves an Independent or Democratic leaning individual. 

Another thing the "Coffee Party USA"  forum post's indicate is that there are "Centrist" leaning individuals as well as "Progressive/Liberal" leaning people like myself, there are "Conservative" Democrats, and yes, even some of the fringe Democratic elements advocating eliminating the fed/IRS and the two party system, there are individuals advocating supporting a party platform and some advocating against it, some advocate supporting only one or two issues and some advocating more.  Some are obviously young and some are obviously older. 

So what is the common thread uniting these diverse political beliefs? What could possibly bring tens of thousands of individuals together under the one umbrella of the "Coffee Party USA"? Isn't it obvious? 

We all believe in compromise, we believe in Government, we believe in non-obstructionism, we believe in respectful political dialog, and we certainly believe in civic minded engagement resulting in the advancement and betterment of American society. We believe in politics that are pure and free from the influence of corporate lobbiests and special interest groups. Is this an idealistic point of view? or is this what the founding fathers meant when they referenced "We the People, in order to form a more perfect union"? We the People, these are extremely powerful words. Is this type of thinking idealistic? It's only idealistic if we don't act on it, if we act it, becomes a power that can't be ignored.

Will the Coffee Party USA succeed and become a major voice in American Politics? only time will tell. I for one certainly believe it will. That's why I am a proud member, and I hope you will all join me as well. History will judge us not by our words, but by our deeds and actions that resulted in positive change.

As far as the Coffee Party movement goes I will have another cup, and another,and another...

Regards,

Tom