The Coffee Party USA refers to a current political movement launched in 2010 as an alternative to the Tea Party Movement. The person behind the coffee party is known as Annabel Park. Co-founder Annabel Park initiated the group as a result of an appeal made by those who opposed the Tea Party Movement. The Coffee Party’s first national day was held on March 13, 2010. This article will discuss everything you need to know about Coffee Party USA. Read on!
What is the Coffee Party USA?
The Coffee Party USA refers to a political movement that was initiated as an alternative to the Tea Party. The organization was formed on January 26, 2010, by political activist and documentary filmmaker Annabel Park on the networking site Facebook.
History of the Coffee Party USA
Annabel Park posted a rant on her page after she became increasingly frustrated with the obstructionism and incivility in political discourse and the narrative given by the media that the Tea Party represented America.
After she posted the rant on her Facebook page, she received numerous positive responses from friends, something that prompted her to launch a “join the Coffee Party Movement” page.
In six weeks, the group quickly grew to over 155,000 fans through social networking and word of mouth. Newsweek noticed the growth of the fan page that had over 200,000 followers by April 2010 plus every status update on the page was receiving almost a million views.
When Annabel Park compared the Tea Party and the Coffee Party movement she noticed that there was a difference in the democratic process emphasis, respectful and civil engagement with each other as well as with the elected officials. In addition, too many Americans were afraid to participate in the democratic process and found the process so alienating since it was dominated by people with extreme tactics and opinions.
Not to mention, it becomes difficult for people to speak up when others are screaming in the room. So you’ll find that in the end, people may want the same things but the journey to getting them becomes so different.
Therefore, the Coffee Party decided to outline three initial steps that would promote participatory democracy after collecting input from national gatherings. The first step involved was to create a public space for civil and open dialogue. The second step involved was collective deliberation which would involve considering facts and values before arriving at a decision. Last but not least, the third step involved working towards the implementation of the decision.
The first Coffee Party annual convention was held between September 24 to 26, 2010 at the Galt House Hotel, in Louisville, Kentucky. However, the Coffee Party isn’t aligned with any party. Thus it’s not part of a democratic movement.
Conclusion
The Coffee Party USA was developed by Annabel Park on January 26, 2010. The party was initiated as an alternative to the Tea Party. It resulted in an appeal among those who opposed the Tea Party.
