Good Morning, America: The Coffee Party Is Brewing

The whole Tea Party thing bothers me, as does any angry mob that operates under half-formed assumptions with an undertone of racism. The old adage, “Empty barrels make the most noise,” certainly applies here. Do any of the Tea Partiers actually study the issues against which they rebel, or are they merely reacting to the half-thought-out comments of politicians who see the movement as a way to block legislative progress? What about those of us who watch the news, read newspapers and listen to more than one point of view before we make up our minds? Wake up and smell the coffee, America; a new movement is brewing. The Coffee Party is on the rise.

There’s Nothing Wrong with the Basic Principles.

Please don’t get me wrong. I take no exception to a political movement founded on solid principles, even if I fundamentally disagree with those principles. It’s when these principles are founded on racism masked as fear of change cloaked in patriotism that I see red. The American independence movement itself began as a reaction to the taxation policies of the English government, so what’s wrong with a 21st Century movement that embraces governmental fiscal responsibility and low taxes? Nothing, on the face of it. But when those principles are co-opted by a group of narrow-minded reactionaries with their own agenda to promote, that’s another thing entirely. The extremists who have infiltrated the Tea Party are not interested in honest discourse or compromise. They aim to figuratively back the country up against a wall and execute anyone who disagrees with their extremist vision. What happened to good, old-fashioned compromise?

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.

The Coffee Party is a rapidly growing movement of individuals who want compromise and cooperation from their government, not obstruction. It pledges to support legislators who put their energy toward solutions and call out those who use their power to block progress. Members encourage citizens to engage in political discourse and work together toward achieving solutions to the nation’s problems. Chapters have been forming virtually overnight since the movement’s inception and, if the meteoric rise of its Facebook fan base is any indication (20,000 members in the space of one month, and growing), there will soon be a Coffee Party chapter in every area of the country.

Mission Statement.

Not everyone agrees with the Tea Party’s claim that it represents the “real” America. Enter the Coffee Party and its mission to give voice to Americans who want to see their elected officials come together to solve the nation’s problems, not fight each other over who’s right and who’s wrong. Its members welcome ethnic and philosophic diversity without anxiety over the country’s changing demographics.

Coffee Partiers seek to provide middle- and working-class Americans with a voice of their own to balance the noisy right-wing rhetoric that has dominated the media since Barack Obama took office. As of this writing, social networking media have served as a virtual Speaker’s Corner for their call to action, and it’s working (see Facebook reference above).

The Challenge.

The Coffee Party’s next task is to organize into a large enough body to actually have an influence on national political discourse, while keeping to its initial promise to include all points of view under its umbrella. The last thing America needs is another one-side voice adding more noise to the 24-hour news cycle. If the Coffee Party captures the attention of the millions of political independents and Democrats with its grassroots philosophy and stays true to its mission to provide a voice of reason to the national conversation, it may find success as a counterbalance to the right wing’s stranglehold on political discourse.

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