Coffee Party

The Coffee Party is a self-described independent grassroots political movement whose rapid growth illustrates the effectiveness of Internet-based social networking in mobilizing people. While not dismissing the idea, several journalists have been unable to resist using headlines such as "Espresso yourself." There was more serious speculation if a grass-roots approach with less anger than the Tea Party Movement could gain popular traction, in a highly polarized environment. Ironically, the organizing manuals for the major political parties have long spoken of "holding coffees" at the local level, rather than "holding teas."

The Coffee Party was formed by Annabel Park, a former strategy analyst for the New York Times, as a progressive alternative to the conservative Tea Party Movement. The Coffee Party movement grew out of a rant by Park, delivered in a status update over the social networking website Facebook, over the Tea Party's obstructionist tactics and vitriol.

let's start a coffee party...smoothie party. red bull party. anything but tea. geez. ooh how about cappuccino party? that would really piss 'em off bec [sic] it sounds elitist...let's get together and drink cappuccino and have real political dialogue with substance and compassion.

Park's frustration apparently tapped into a widely shared sentiment: Since its founding in late January 2010, its Facebook group has exploded in popularity, drawing more than 60,000 fans and attracting national media attention from The New York Times, the Washington Post, and MSNBC.

Perhaps due to its spontaneous origin, the movement currently has no real policy platform. Its focus is instead on process: The group seeks to reform, rather than reduce, federal government, with an emphasis on constructive civic engagement to blunt the political power exercised by corporate interests and lobbyists.