Or is it just fumes from all the political spin, asks Anayat Durrani These days it seems which way you lean in politics depends on your caffeinated beverage of choice. It began with the conservative Tea Party movement that took shape a year ago amidst rising anger over federal spending and growing distrust of the federal government. But just outside the boisterous rallies blasting the Obama administration, something was brewing. The liberal answer to the Tea Party movement -- the Coffee Party -- was taking form. Whereas the Tea Party movement wants a smaller government with less influence, the Coffee Party believes in the government and the American political system and wants it to work more efficiently. Their slogan is "Wake Up and Stand Up" and their mission statement expresses they "recognise that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will." The movement began on 26 January when documentary filmmaker Annabel Park of Montgomery County, Maryland posted a message on Facebook that began, "Let's start a coffee party -- a Red Bull party -- anything but tea." This led to a rapidly growing Facebook fan page and a website to support the mobilisation of local Coffee Party chapters. Their Coffee Party page on Facebook now has more than 164,000 fans, more than the 112,000 fans on the Tea Party Patriots page. "During the American revolution, after they dumped tea into the water, they declared coffee the national drink and that was the solution. So I associate coffee not only with the solution to problems but also with people working hard... to get our government to represent us," Park told CNN. The pro-government group would like to see an American government void of extreme political tactics and partisan bickering that they say has caused paralysis in the federal government. They say they want to restore civility and fact-based deliberation to the democratic process. Park decided to act after "listening to news coverage that made it seem the Tea Party was representative of America. I completely disagree with this," she says in a video at the Coffee Party website. "We object to obstructionism and extreme political tactics that are, I think, fear-based, not reality-based and in many ways just deliberate misinformation. We need everyone engaged in the political process. That is the only way our government can function, as an expression of our collective will." But this is not the first political video Park has made. She was a key operative in Obama's presidential campaign, making over twenty promotional videos for him. Nonetheless, she insists the Coffee Party is independent of any party and that the two-party system is outdated. Park petulantly says those who don't believe the government has a role, "should join the Tea Party." On 13 March, Coffee Party organisers held more than 350 meetings in 44 states for the Coffee Party National Kick Off. The meetings were held at coffee houses nationwide and participants had to agree to the Coffee Party pledge, which includes a promise to "be respectful of other individual opinions, even if I disagree with them." A statement released the day of the event said, "Today's coffee houses have been a huge success -- both for Coffee Party USA and for democracy. All across the US, Americans from all political sides sat down for civil conversation and, of course, coffee." Park and the Coffee Party are understandably drawing criticism from detractors; some of who are Tea Party members. They criticise the group saying it is not a true grassroots movement, but more of an "astroturf" movement. "This Coffee Party looks like a weak attempt at satire or a manufactured response to a legitimate widespread grassroots movement," Brendan Steinhauser, at FreedomWorks, a conservative nonprofit associated with the Tea Party, told CNN. Though the bipartisanship of both these political "dissenters" may be in question, their distaste for the current state of affairs strikes a chord among many disillusioned Americans. Democratic Senator Mark Warner told US News and World Report, "Neither political party has a monopoly on truth or patriotism." Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, who is leaving Congress at the end of the year, was more forthright, describing the political process as nearly "dysfunctional" when it comes to providing the outcome Americans want. Bayh said Americans from both parties, and all sides, need to stand up "for reform of the process." He thinks the public must insist upon it, adding the "public is ahead of the political class on this." Coffee Party USA expects a larger turnout for its National Coffee Summit on 27-28 March. "We are inviting Americans across all political spectrums to speak up and be part of the Coffee Summit," says Coffee Party USA spokesperson Alan Alborn. The event will bring communities together to meet again at coffee houses and homes to have civil conversations about a wide range of issues. They will also be discussing plans for "Coffee with Congress". "Coffee with Congress" will take place during the 29 March-9 April Congressional recess, when elected officials return to their districts. Local chapter members plant to schedule meetings with theirs Senators and representatives and discuss the issues that matter to them.
