In just a few weeks, the movement to counter the Tea Party Movement has grown from an idea of a few progressive friends sitting around talking to 28,000 members and chapters in major cities across the country.
If you haven't heard about the Coffee Party Movement, its premise is that government is not the enemy of the people, but rather the collective will of the people, and that our elected representatives should serve us and not lobbyists.
Here's the link to the Facebook page that started it all.
http://www.facebook.com/...
What I find fascinating is that I have friends from all over the political spectrum and one by one they're finding the Coffee Party--and joining the Coffee Party Movment--on Facebook.
Some of this movement's founding principles is that they demand civility and reason in all public discourse.
Think about it --if reason prevailed, how much wingnuttery would end?
For too long, those with deep pockets have used their resources to say that government is bad.
Why do they think that governement is bad?
- They're greedy and it takes their taxes.
- They're greedy and government makes them honor their civic responsibilities, such as to not pollute, to respect and employ diverse people.
- They're greedy and government makes them not offshore all business operations to countries that exploit their populations.
- They're greedy and they don't want to fund parks, schools, trains, etc.
Institutions aren't just greedy about money. Religous zealots are greedy for power and suppressing those that are different from them, and they have joined forces with the private sector to exploit the average Joe.
Unfortunately, the very people that government is poised to help the most have been convinced via the greed barons of industry and religion that government is bad, inept and interferes with their lives. And government is poised to take one of the two nickels out of their pockets and give it to someone worse off than them. Most people don't realize that 95% of people actually got a tax cut under Obama.
The Coffee Party movement in less than a month has five times the supporters of Organizing for America--the relic of the Obama '08 campaign that Plouffe never got off the ground because he was writing/promoting his book.
I don't think Tim Kaine is going to save us in '10, but I think the Coffee Party Movement can. What if this movement had existed in August when the town hall shouters were all the rage? (pun intended)
Supposedly, there are 110,000 Tea Party supporters in the assorted chapters across the country. If we can get to 28,000 in less than a month, where will be by November?
Also, the Coffee Party Movement is made up of some of the most creative and inventive people you'll find--not just astro turfers that Dick Armey hires to come scream and disrupt public meetings.
Have you seen the bumper stickers and t-shirt that say,
Tea Parties are for little girls with imaginary friends?
Here's how to join, if you don't use Facebook:
http://coffeepartyusa.com/...