Coffee Party brews up rival for Tea Party

We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will.
--Coffee Party mission statement

Coffee Party brews up rival for Tea Party
By Madeleine Morris
BBC News, Washington
14 March 2010

Tea Party demonstration in Glenside, Pennsylvania - 8 March 2010
Tea Party supporters want to cut government spending and influence

A grassroots political grouping that has emerged in recent months in opposition to the conservative Tea Party movement has been holding its first national day of meetings in the United States...

Saturday saw over 350 Coffee Party events held in cafes across the United States and abroad, bringing activists together in person for the first time for a national day of conversation and, of course, espressos and cappuccinos.

"If our children acted like our politicians are acting right now they would be grounded for a very long time," says Ryan Clayton, a Coffee Party spokesperson in Washington DC.

...Unlike their Tea Party counterparts, who want a smaller government with less influence, coffee partiers believe government can provide solutions, and they want politicians to work together in a more civilised way.

"We need to get together as citizens and show them [politicians] that we can sit down and talk about these issues; that we can solve problems and develop solutions; that we may not agree on everything, but that we can agree on a lot," says Mr Clayton.

Founder Annabel Park, who began the Coffee Party on her Facebook page out of anger at the Tea Party and its growing influence, has seen it rapidly gain traction on the internet.

Its Facebook page has picked up over 138,000 fans in less than two months.