Coffee vs. Tea: A political movement is brewing

CNN ^ | March 13, 2010 | Paul Steinhauser

[neverdem]

Washington (CNN) -- The new Coffee Party movement deemed its official kickoff Saturday a "huge success," with dozens of talks held at coast-to-coast coffee shops as members came together to discuss the issues most important to them.

Billed by many as an answer to the conservative Tea Party movement, the Coffee Party was born on Facebook just six weeks ago. While the group has become an instant hit online -- it boasts more than 141,000 Facebook fans as of Saturday -- gauging the success of this weekend's coffee meetups was predicted to be an indicator of the...

--snip--

Coffee Party founder Annabel Park, who worked as a volunteer for Barack Obama's presidential campaign and Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia's 2006 campaign, says the group is not "aligned" with any party and calls the two-party system out of date.

--snip--

Sound familiar? Tea Party activists use much of the same language in describing their year-old protest movement that's steeped in fiscal conservatism and boiling-hot, anti-tax rhetoric.

"It's a response to how they are trying to change our government," Park told CNN, referring to the Tea Party. "It's their methodology that we are against. We may want some of the same things, but their journey is so alienating to us."

So what does the Tea Party movement think of this new sensation?

"This Coffee Party looks like a weak attempt at satire or a manufactured response to a legitimate widespread grassroots movement," says Brendan Steinhauser, director of federal and state campaigns for FreedomWorks, a nonprofit conservative organization that helps train volunteer activists and has provided much of the organizational heft behind the Tea Party movement.

"It's driven from the top down and it's not a grass-roots movement driven from the bottom up," Jim Hoft of the St. Louis Tea Party said.

[highlander_UW]

From what I read the “Coffee Party” is an astroturf production started by members of the democrat party. We'll see if it develops legs, but it appears unlikely.

[americanophile]

I’ll bet this whole phony group thinks this is really about beverages.

[eclecticEel]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - so thank you lefties, I really mean it.

[darkwing104]

Grass roots vs Astroturf...

[dforest]

Why not just call it Communist Party?

[Seven plus One]

This has Axelrod stamped all over it. The textbook example of ‘astroturf’ from its creator himself. Maybe half of CNN’s eleven viewers might buy it. Maybe not.

[Gene Eric]

Bean Baggers

[apillar]

If this is the counter to the tea party, shouldn't they have called themselves the “loyalists”, in this case loyal to Obama/Pelosi, big government, the status quo. And if I remember my history correctly, the tea party crowd wins this battle...

[SmokingJoe]

it's not a grass-roots movement driven from the bottom up,” Jim Hoft of the St. Louis Tea Party said

Pretty much. Driven from the top down by an 0bamabot apparatchik, Annabel Park, and organized and financed by George Soros and Rahm Emmanuel. We will see who the real grassroots, mass movement is come November won't we?

[mamelukesabre]

says the group is not “aligned” with any party and calls the two-party system out of date.
~~~~~~~~~~

If the two party system is so out of date, then why are there *only* coffee and tea parties? Where’s the soda pop party? The hot cocoa party? The vitamin water party?

[death2tyrants]

I saw footage of one of these Coffee Parties on the local news and it was just a couple dozen leftists sipping coffee and discussing global warming. These clowns are as out of touch with reality as the Obama administration and the MSM are.

[MrEdd]

Brendan Steinhauser, director of federal and state campaigns for FreedomWorks, a nonprofit conservative organization that helps train volunteer activists and has provided much of the organizational heft behind the Tea Party movement

No it has not. some, in a few places, but not a significant factor overall.

[Windflier]

"...their journey is so alienating to us."

Have you ever heard a more simpering, pseudo-intellectual, whiney-ass statement as that?

These liberals aren't just out of touch with what Obama's doing to their country, and the righteous anger it's creating all across the nation, they don't even speak the same language as normal Americans.

Yeah -- Coffee Party. I'm sure that millions of thumb-sucking liberals are so wee-wee'd up that they're ready to take to the streets to defend their lord and master, Obama.

[sageb1]

So pathetically dumb.

[FrankR]

"Billed by many as an answer to the conservative Tea Party movement,"

So the 'coffee party" is AGAINST freedom, the rule of law, and the Constitution...makes sense, they're dems.

What is their rallying cry? "More government oppression", "obamacare forever", "Heil obama".

This group is clueless, but I believe they will have their 'roots" in the ACORN/SEIU bunch and just exist to show up at TEA party rallies to cause trouble.

But the TEA party movement is about red, white, and blue...and these colors don't run.

We had to fight tyranny once for our freedom, and we've fought a couple of world wars for freedom, so we shouldn't worry about the "coffee" party at all.

The left thinks this is a game, and that it's all about the "name". The TEA party has a historical foundation, as well as the backing of grass roots America...not a bunch of trouble making union hacks. We have them surrounded, and we want freedom more than they want oppression...so Eagles up, and full speed ahead.

[bitterohiogunclinger]

They chose “coffee” party because they are “Choc full of Nuts”.

[darkwing104]

If the two party system is so out of date, then why are there *only* coffee and tea parties? Where’s the soda pop party? The hot cocoa party? The vitamin water party?

Maybe we should start a Kegger Party...

[PreciousLiberty]

Here’s the major issue - the “Tea Party” movement is about throwing the “tea” in the harbor to protest abuse. The “coffee” movement is about championing the myriad abuses of power that’ve landed us in this sorry spot.

I hope that’s clear. :-)

[Bhoy]

Today, local liberals held their second Coffee Party to push for more socialism.
30 people turned out… Including the people who were already at the restaurant and the tea party infiltrators.

More… Major Kong added this:

UPDATE: North Carolina had 5 people show up.

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/03/fail-st-louis-libs-hold-coffee-party-30-people-show-up/