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Coffee Party USA

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Coffee Party
FormationJanuary 26, 2010
Region served
United States
WebsiteCoffeePartyUSA.com

The Coffee Party USA is a grassroots political movement that was initially formed in January, 2010, as an alternative to the Tea Party movement.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Although the Coffee Party USA describes itself as non-partisan[7], sources have described the political movement variously as liberal[6][8], progressive[9] [10], and pro-government[5][11].

History

Origins and development

The Coffee Party USA was established on January 26, 2010, on the social networking site Facebook. It was founded by documentary filmmakers and Democrat[12][13][14] political activists Annabel Park and Eric Byler.[15][16] in response to Park's frustration with the incivility and obstructionism in political discourse, and the putative media narrative that the Tea Party represented America. Park posted a rant on her Facebook page and received numerous supportive responses from friends, prompting her to start a "Join the Coffee Party Movement" fan page.[17][18] Since then, Newsweek has noted that the Facebook membership had surpassed 200,000 by April 2010, and every status update received about a million views.[19][20][21]

After collecting input from the first round of national gatherings, the Coffee Party outlined three initial steps to promote participatory democracy.[22][23][24]

In March 2011, the organization announced the dissolution of its interim board, and the establishment of a larger Transition Team charged with creating an organizational infrastructure and a permanent Board."[25]

Political positions

The Coffee Party USA officially identifies itself as a 501(c)(4) social benefit organization.[citation needed] The organization's mission states that it is based on the underlying principle that the 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 we face as Americans."[26]

After holding a National Coffee Summit and several votes and polls utilizing internet technology, the Coffee Party determined that the overwhelming concern of its members was money in politics, with "95 percent of members voting for a specific course of action, based on support for the Fair Elections Now Act, the DISCLOSE Act, the Shareholder Protection Act and a constitutional amendment to reverse corporate personhood." As of July, 2011, the Coffee Party's stated advocacy goals included "reinstituting campaign finance laws, reforming the tax code and restoring Wall St. oversight."[27]

Additional areas of concern involved issues of environment, clean energy and immigration reform.[28]

Reception

Coffee Party has been referred to in the media as on the political left; in particular, sources have described it as "a latte-sipping, liberal reaction to the populist conservative Tea Party movement";[29] "left-leaning";[30] a "movement organizing to represent citizens who believe in government solutions for national problems";[31] "a liberal-esque and pro-Obama answer to the conservative tea party movement";[32] goal to "push leaders to enact the progressive change for which 52.9 percent of the country voted in 2008.";[33]

In response, Coffee Party spokesman Camron Moore, a self-identified Republican, said the movement is neither liberal nor conservative, and even Tea Partiers are welcomed to crash their party.[34] The Coffee Party addresses the issue directly, stating "Coffee Party USA is not liberal, centrist, progressive, or conservative."[35]

Events

National Coffee House day

The Coffee Party held its initial National Coffee House day event on March 13, 2010. Some 370 events took place across the US and the world, including Tokyo and Jakarta, with the intent to "encourage our existing and soon-to-form chapters to facilitate informative and civil dialogue about issues that affect all of us, collectively. We will ask them to report back to us on what consensus they reach, and take action from there."[2][15]

National Coffee Summit

On March 27, 2010, approximately 500 Coffee Party meetings took place across the United States. Coffee Party co-founder Annabel Park participated in one of the meetings, which was covered by C-SPAN and was crowded, and she observed that not all of the participants were behaving in a civil manner. Newsweek reported, "They were angry. They hated the Tea Party, and the Republican Party. They wanted to get even. One audience member said America was under the thumb of oligarchs and denounced 'moneyed interests.' A few people hissed when Sarah Palin's name was mentioned. Also on hand were the usual suspects drawn to the C-Span bat signal." Some in the crowd even decided they wanted a new leader for the movement, "not someone that says we can all work together." Park said later, "If they want to fire me, this may not be the group for them. We don't want conflict and confrontation."[36]

Coffee Party Convention

The First Annual Coffee Party Convention was held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky from September 24 to 26, 2010. Some 350 chapter leaders and organizers met to hone their message before heading across the country in an effort to get people involved in what it considers a responsible way.[17][37][38][39][40] Featured events included a "Mock Constitutional Convention" co-chaired by Republican communication strategist for Bush and McCain, Mark McKinnon, and Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig; Across the Political Divide: A Transpartisan Dialogue with Joseph McCormick[disambiguation needed] and a roundtable with journalist Linda Killian of U.S. News and World Report on the question, "What Can We Do for Our Country?" There were also scheduled workshops and panel discussions including members of both major political parties, chairwoman Amy Kremer of the Tea Party Express and co-founder Annabel Park of the Coffee Party.[39][41][42][43]

References

  1. ^ Grab a Coffee Mug, This is no Tea Party Associated Press; September 24, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "'Coffee party' movement: Not far from the 'tea party' message?". The Christian Science Monitor. 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2010-11-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Tacopino, Joe (2010-03-13). "The Coffee Party kicks off movement to take on the Tea Party". New York: NY Daily News. Retrieved 2010-11-02. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Coffee vs. Tea: A political movement is brewing". CNN. 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2010-11-02. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b Condon, Stephanie (2010-03-12). "Is the "Coffee Party" the Next Big Thing?". CBS News. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  6. ^ a b Tom Eblen: Coffee Party prepares for national convention in Louisville Lexington Herald-Leader; August 15, 2010
  7. ^ "About Us". Coffee Party USA.
  8. ^ Spillius, Alex. "US midterms: Coffee Party emerges to take on the Tea Party". The Telegraph.
  9. ^ Smith, Ben. "Schism brews in Coffee Party". Politico.
  10. ^ Zak, Dan. "Coffee Party activists say their civic brew's a tastier choice than Tea Party's". Washington Post.
  11. ^ horn, Heather. "Tea Party vs. Coffee Party". The Atlantic Wire.
  12. ^ "Eric Byler makes video for Jim Webb's Senate campaign". APAPOP.
  13. ^ Tea Party Alternative? Palm Beach Post; March 11, 2010
  14. ^ Killian, Linda (2010-03-15). "Meet the Coffee Party, a Kinder, Gentler, More Liberal Tea Party". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2010-03-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ a b Park, Annabel (February 26, 2010). "Coffee Party movement: Alternative to tea". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  16. ^ 9500 Liberty The Filmmakers.
  17. ^ a b Coffee Party: a Tea Party Alternative to Meet in Louisville Courier-Journal; August 25, 2010.
  18. ^ Zak, Dan (February 25, 2010). "Coffee Party activists say their civic brew's a tastier choice than Tea Party's". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  19. ^ Coffee vs Tea: A political movement is brewing CNN.
  20. ^ The Coffee Party Heats Up Newsweek; May 3, 2010.
  21. ^ Tea Party, Meet Coffee Party Mother Jones April 16, 2010.
  22. ^ Coffee Party movement: Alternative to Tea The Washington Post; February 26, 2010.
  23. ^ Meet the people who are percolating in the Coffee Party CNN; March 13, 2010.
  24. ^ Why I Started Coffee Party USA CNN; March 18, 2010.
  25. ^ The Coffee Party and its discontents; Politico; March 26, 2011
  26. ^ Zernike, Kate (March 3, 2010). "Coffee Party, With a Taste for Civic Participation, Is Added to the Political Menu". New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  27. ^ Coffee Party | Wake Up and Stand Up
  28. ^ The Coffee Party's First Six Months The Denver Post; July 29, 2010.
  29. ^ Spillius, Alex (October 26, 2010). "US midterms: Coffee Party emerges to take on the Tea Party". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  30. ^ ‘Sanity' rally fans want to show other side of America;Atlanta Journal-Constitution; October 29, 2010
  31. ^ Is the "Coffee Party" the Next Big Thing?; CBS News; March 12, 2010
  32. ^ Coffee Party Movement Not Far from the Tea Party Message; Christian Science Monitor; March 13, 2010
  33. ^ Zak, Dan. "Coffee Party activists say their civic brew's a tastier choice than Tea Party's". Washington Post.
  34. ^ Coffee Party says Tea Partiers are welcome to crash their shindig – not so much vice versa; The Daily Caller; March 11, 2010
  35. ^ Is the Coffee Party USA liberal, centrist, progressive or conservative?; Coffee Party USA FAQ; March 16, 2010
  36. ^ The Coffee Party Heats Up Newsweek; April 22, 2010.
  37. ^ "Coffee Party Convention in Louisville, KY in September!". coffeepartyusa.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  38. ^ Grab a Coffee Mug, This is no Tea Party Associated Press; September 24, 2010.
  39. ^ a b Coffee party urges voters to get involved at Louisville convention, The Courier-Journal; September 25, 2010.
  40. ^ Coffee Party USA. Convention Builds Relationships, Momentum for Coffee Party September 28, 2010.
  41. ^ Local Delegate Attends Coffee Party Event St. Augustine Record; September 29, 2010.
  42. ^ First Ever Coffee Party Convention is in Louisville WFPL News; September 22, 2010.
  43. ^ Coffee Party Convention to be Streamed Live Coffee Party USA; September 22, 2010.
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