Saturday, February 27, 2010

What'll it be, tea or coffee?

A year after the Tea Party movement poured into the political arena, a counter group is now brewing.

The Coffee Party is a grassroots, non-party-affiliated organization that claims to be "solution-oriented, not blame-oriented." Here's its 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.

Sounds good but vague; it's not clear what the organization's about, what it stands for or what it intends to do. How do citizens "participate in the democratic process"? What's considered a positive solution? And what issues are important? A poll on the home page of the group's Web site indicates that members consider health care "the most urgent issue."

As a comparison, here's the mission of the South Florida Tea Party:

We are a grassroots, collaborative volunteer organization made up of everyday American citizens from all across South Florida, united by our shared core values. As an organization dedicated to America's founding principles of Fiscal Responsibility, Limited Government, and Free Markets, we recognize the strength of grassroots organization powered by activism and civic responsibility at a local level. The Tea Party mission is to unite like-minded individuals, educate and inform others based on our secure value, and to secure public policy consistent with those values.

So, what do you think: Does the Coffee Party movement have what it takes to last at least a year? Will it have an impact on politics?

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

 
Header PS Brush by pinkonhead.com