Tea, or Coffee? How About Hot Cocoa?

I guess it was just a matter of time until someone came up with the answer to the so-called Tea Party: The Coffee Party. Conceived by Anabel Park and birthed on Facebook, this new political movement is building up a full head of steam. What do they stand for? Civility, inclusiveness and a desire to see government fulfill promises made during the presidential campaign. Okay, I can get behind that. I do think, though, that "Coffee Klatch" sounds better.

Of course, those same concerns are part and parcel of the Tea Party shtick, in as far as its members also feel government is deaf to ordinary people's needs and is spiraling out of control. They also want lower taxes and "smaller" government (whatever that means). The Coffee Party, besides forming as a knee-jerk reaction to the Tea Party, has a charge that is a little more fluid. According to a new member interviewed by Dan Zak of the Washington Post, this movement is "very grass-roots, there's no official organization and individuals can participate as individuals without having to see eye to eye on everything". Well, that will surely get things done!

To be fair, the Tea Party was unclear about its goals at first, too (actually, they still are). These two groups may have more in common than they think: Both express disgust for a federal government that is ineffective and out of touch with voters. Coffee people used the same methods to organize as did the Tea Party, namely social websites. This is something that the Democrats should take note of, and use to their own advantage. Why did it take 8 years of Republican rule for people to get fed up, versus one year of a Democratic government? The GOP has the marketing down, and the Dems would do well to copy their tactics.

Where will all this lead? Well, change would be nice, finally, but don't count on it. It seems that politics always trump good intentions, so expect to see infighting in both these "parties" fairly soon. Is there no hope? The best thing these two groups could do is find common ground and unite. The corporate/government model is big enough to crush disorganized, warring factions, but might have to take notice of a nationwide voter rebellion. "Hot Cocoa", anyone?

The Republican Marketing Machine

Have you ever wondered why the Democrats always seem to be in a muddle? Even when they are fighting for issues close to the hearts of many Americans, they seem to flub it up. The party best known for representing the working class has become almost useless to us, since everything they try to do seems to get turned around. Even with a majority, they can't bring home the bacon. What is wrong with them?

The primary problem, of course, is the Republican Party. Despite having a congressional majority for thirty years and the White House for eight, they are now managing to blame all the ill-considered and lame-brained decisions that came out of those years on the Democrats. And what are the Dems doing against this onslaught? Well, nothing. They're "negotiating". They're "conceding". The one thing they are not doing is standing up for themselves.

While "negative campaigning" always seems to irk the voting public, there is no doubt that it works. People will believe nearly everything you choose to tell them, as long as you say it often enough. Ridiculous assertions like "death panels" becoming part of Medicare and health reform become gospel truth to the minions incapable of thinking past the end of their noses. That is the strength of the Republican party: They know their audience, and they know how to market themselves. It doesn't hurt, either, that they don't mind being rude and obnoxious, and taking credit where it is not due.

Take the "Tea Party" example. They are using the Internet as a primary tool to get the word out (whatever that is) and organize. Who originally came up with this idea? The Democrats, of course. Howard Dean pioneered this concept and Barack Obama used it to much greater effect. The conservatives don't mind hijacking others' ideas, even if they profess to despise them. And how about that Scott Brown? The Republicans pulled off a real marketing coup with that one. Getting a Republican elected to Ted Kennedy's old seat is like having both sides of your Democratic face slapped. Where were the Democrats while all this maneuvering was going on?

If the Democrats want to regain what they have lost, they need to fight fire with fire. Voters who should know better are letting themselves be swayed by lies, and the party of the people should be stepping up to shout down these unscrupulous pols. The conservatives don't mind copying from the other side whatever strategy works; neither should the Dems. They'd better hurry, though, because they've got a lot of catching up to do.

Sarah Palin for President?

Sarah Palin's speech at the "Tea Party Convention" in Nashville this past weekend certainly received plenty of press. If you hadn't heard about her Presidential aspirations before, now you know. Snippets of her rousing oration have made many a thinking person wince in embarrassment. Sarah Palin for President? What is the world coming to?

I also wonder what the Tea Party was thinking. I understand that they are trying to become a force to be reckoned with, and they are steadfastly moving in that direction (even though direction is not their strong point). So, for their first convention they invite...Sarah Palin? Sure, she knows enough about national politics to fill a thimble, but does anyone, including the GOP, take her seriously?

Sound bites of her speech leave one astounded. Her statement that what this country needs is a "...commander-in-chief, not a law professor at a lectern", despite getting thunderous applause from conventioneers, doesn't make sense. You can't swing a dead cat in the U.S. Congress without hitting someone with a law degree. So, what's her point? That what we need is a former beauty queen? Not only does this comment make her look silly, it doesn't say much for the intelligence level of the average Tea Partyer, either. Thankfully, she had admitted brushing up on issues and events that spread beyond the state of Alaska. Well, good. The hokey, stupidey thing hasn't really done her much good so far.

What does the Republican party think of all this? They seem to be biding their time, keeping their distance. John McCain, who we can all blame for unleashing Palin onto the national political scene, has declined to criticize her publicly. Stand-up guy that he is, he probably never will. It will be interesting to see however, how he and the GOP handle this "Palin thing".

Who is the "Tea Party" Coalition?

More than 200 years after the famous "tea party" revolt, the term is popping up everywhere: Newspapers, magazines and of course, the Internet. A somewhat loose, but evolving movement, the common thread holding it together appears to be voter anger. White, middle-class anger, but real and boisterous. Too many taxes, too much government and the erosion of individual rights seem to be the primary concerns of those who profess to be deeply involved in this coalition. These are not new complaints; what is new is that they are being loudly voiced so early into a new administration. Does anyone really believe that all these issues came about within the last year?

While it is apparent that this movement is gaining ground, it is unclear which party they will eventually align with. Both Democrats and Republicans have been trying to harness this "energy", with the GOP coming out on top. At the recent "Tea Party Convention" in Nashville, Sarah Palin was the featured speaker. So, this must mean that the Partyers are rallying around the Republicans, right?

Well, maybe. An AP article by Liz Sidoti notes that, although the Partyers don't consider themselves a "third party", it has been mostly Independents running for office who have attached themselves to this movement. Additionally, members themselves profess not to really know where this new coalition is going. The McClatchy News Service quotes Rebecca Wales, spokesperson for SmartgirlPolitics.org as saying that it has been difficult to boil down the coalition's message to any one issue, but that, "we're unified in the fact that we do get out. We mobilize quickly and it's powerful when we do." Well, that certainly clears things up.

It is understandable that many of us are upset by the way our tax dollars have been used: Unwinnable wars, bailouts for financial institutions who refuse to follow the rules and turn around and hand out tax money to their friends in the form of bonuses. But blaming a new administration is not going to solve the problem. Top-down changes in government need to occur, and big money and corporate influence need to butt out. Okay, "Tea Party" members--get to work. Any group that can manage that gargantuan task will certainly earn my vote.