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I wanted to tell you about a group that's started on Facebook a couple of weeks ago.
I kinda lost it and started ranting on my Facebook page
about frustration I felt listening to news coverage that made it seem
like the Tea Party was representative of America.
I completely disagree with this.
And I started writing comments about it on my Facebook page and then there was a flurry
of instant feedback from other people who agreed with me
and similarly felt pent up and frustrated.
The group is called the Coffee Party Movement
and obviously we're referencing the Tea Party, that we're an alternative
to the Tea Party, and we want
to see cooperation among people in Congress and in government.
And we want to see people who are representing us move toward solutions
to the problems instead of strategically obstructing any form of progress.
Many people believe this is an effective electoral strategy to win Republican seats
in 2010, and we object to obstructionism, and extreme political tactics that are, I think,
fear-based, not reality-based, and in many ways just deliberate misinformation.
So we're organizing.
We want people to understand that we are voters and are gonna come out to vote.
We're gonna participate in the process.
We're gonna make sure we hold people accountable
for obstructing progress in government.
We need everyone engaged in the political process.
That is the only way our government can function
as an expression of our collective will.
And we need people in this country and in the media to understand that this is America.
We believe that we're representing ordinary Americans,
and we believe that we're in the majority.
We really have a collection of people who value diversity, are diverse,
and we're completely comfortable with the changing demographics of our country.
I think thats it's human for people to be nervous about changes in their neighborhoods
and in demographics of this country.
But it's not something that should be encouraged,
and it certainly should not be an opportunity for political gain.
And I think really the politicians who are exploiting that fear and anxiety
for political gain, they're really the worst.
We're not saying that we have all the solutions.
But we need cooperation in order to solve problems.
You know if you have people that are out to obstruct even dialog,
then we can't have a functioning government.
And I think it might be that we have solutions that are more
in line with fiscal conservatism.
But we do know that none of those things can be even considered at this point
because we're so divided, and our process has broken down.
So that's why we're organizing.
Because the process has broken down.
Do you want to see cooperation?
Or do you want to see obstructionism in Congress?
Do you believe that the government can help us address these enormous problems
that we're facing?
You know? If you don't believe that the government has any role
that yea you should join the Tea Party.
But there are many of us who believe that we have
to have the government addressing these things, representing our interests.
People in Congress, they're paid by us.
We hire them, okay?
They work for us, right?
They don't work for corporations or a sliver of our demographic.
They are supposed to represent us.
That's their job.
And we need to start acting like bosses.
We need to start acting like boards of directors.
And we need them to get to work, instead of fighting.
And we need people to get out of the way.
This is really an open invitation for people to participate,
believing that the government should function for our interests.