Amid a climate of bitter partisanship, and following a bruising year-long congressional battle over health care, the newly-formed Coffee Party USA is attempting to counter the grassroots Tea Party movement with an organization committed to what it calls “open and civil” political discourse.
This weekend, the group held a Coffee Summit, encouraging interested parties to come together in local coffee houses across the country and discuss strategies for engaging members of Congress during the April recess.
Speaking to Shannon Bream on America’s News Headquarters, Annabel Park, the group’s founder explained that the basic principle of the group is very simple “it’s all about wanting to see civility in political discourse and seeing cooperation in the government.”
Park formed the group with a simple post on her Facebook page, then quickly realized there were a lot of other people who felt the way she did – that the political discourse had degenerated into shouting from both sides. To date, almost 200,000 people have signed up. She credits the group’s quick growth to the fact that “people want to be a part of the decision-making process.”
Some bill the group as a liberal alternative to the Tea Party, but Park says the group welcomes Americans from all political parties who are frustrated by government gridlock.
As for the Tea Party, Park says she doesn’t feel they are going about it the wrong way, just a different way.
She says the difference is that the Coffee Party “doesn’t want to declare war on the federal government. It wants to make sure the federal government is truly responsive to us.”
For more information on the Coffee Party click here.
Lexi Stemple contributed to this report.