coffeepartyusa

Christian Science Monitor: Can 'Occupy Wall Street' really get money out of politics?

While 'Occupy Wall Street' has avoided specifying demands, money in politics is a clear target. Supporters of campaign-finance reform hope the movement gives their cause momentum.

The 'Occupy Wall Street' movement has been catching flak for its perceived lack of clear goals, but the protests have already put new energy behind one big idea: reforming the role of money in politics.

Advocates of campaign finance reform say the protesters in New York and elsewhere have, in recent weeks, brought the question of corporate influence closer to the front burner of national discourse, adding fresh momentum to their own efforts.

"I can't tell you how thrilled I am," says Annabel Park, founder and president of Coffee Party USA, a group that promotes campaign finance reform with grass-roots support. "It's like a miracle," she says. Even though many Americans worry about the money in politics, "it's hard to get people's attention on this."

Ms. Park says she's seen synergy between her group and Occupy Wall Street, which has spawned a range of nationwide demonstrations since protesters set up camp in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park on Sept. 17. Some Coffee Party followers have joined in Occupy rallies. And Park says she's seen a rise in public support for her own group over the past month.

Even before Occupy Wall Street began, the Coffee Party was planning an "Enough is enough" rally in Washington on Oct. 29. That event could see its ranks grow, as it now becomes part of a larger season of protest in America.

Similarly, an online petition drive called "Get Money Out" launched in late September, with the goal (shared by the Coffee Party) of amending the Constitution so that corporate money can be banned from politics. Dylan Ratigan, who hosts a news show on the MSNBC network, has spearheaded the effort, which has attracted about 190,000 signers as of Thursday.

Much more (non-Coffee-Party-related) at the link in the headline.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/coffeepartyusa/2011/10/13/interviews-of-coffee-party-board-candidates

Tonight between 7:30 and 8:30 PM EDT. Scheduled interviewees are Egberto Willies and Kerry Helmer. Interviewer is the mod of this community.

Listen to my new episode Interviews of Coffee Party Board Candidates at http://tobtr.com/s/2422379. #BlogTalkRadio
Tonight's interviewees are Eric Whinery, Treasurer, Jose Gutierrez, At-Large, and Jeanene Louden, Secretary.
Next interviews will be Thursday 7:30-9:00 PM Eastern Time. Scheduled are Egberto Willies, Craig Dunigan, and Kerry Helmer.

Yes, folks, I am now an internet radio host.

Local politics -- schools, zoning, council elections -- hit us where we live. So why don't more of us actually get involved? Is it apathy? Dave Meslin says no. He identifies 7 barriers that keep us from taking part in our communities, even when we truly care.

This is the YouTube version of a video that has been posted to the main page and by Annabel Park to hers. Watch to see how intentional exclusion keeps participation in local government down. Then think about how to improve participation in local govenment.

The T-shirt designs below were submitted by nonnie9999 at Hysterical Raisins for Coffee Party USA's Yard Sign and T-shirt contest as part of the Coffee Break to Save America campaign.



Right now, Coffee Party USA is voting on the slogans that will be on our lawn signs. If you're on Facebook, vote by surfing here. If you've already voted, thank you!

Here's to slogans that make you laugh, then make you think. Here's to hoping they inspire you to take action, too.

Yes, folks, these are new logos for Coffee Party USA.

The top one is the logo for our Survivor: Trickle-Down Economics video project, which is part of our Coffee Break Campaign to Save America. It's also the current logo on Coffee Party USA's Facebook page. The bottom one was the previous logo on the Facebook page.

Don't worry about the old logo. It's still being used on the website.

Open Call-in Hour w/ Annabel

Time: Sunday March 20, 5:30 P.M. EDT
Length: 1 hour

Description: The Coffee Party reached 350,000 followers on Facebook today, a major milestone. Have coffee with Annabel and the Coffee Party members. Call in to discuss what's on your mind. Check out the latest blog post: Choose Reality Over Ideology. Topics that we may cover: democracy movement raging in America, Coffee Party campaign for tax week, budget crisis, Libya, earthquake in Japan, Founding Membership drive, why people join, looking back on the first year of the Coffee Party and looking forward.

ETA: Call in number: (646) 929-2495 Call in!

Above crossposted to the Coffee Party USA community on Dreamwidth.

Soda doesn’t kill you, but tobacco parties will
This post is a reminder that Coffee Party USA is not merely a moderate to liberal response to the Tea Party; it also aspires to the formation of a left-right populist coalition to challenge the dominance of the corporations and the rich in our political system.

Above crossposted to the Coffee Party USA community on Dreamwidth.

From the Coffee Party Blog: Taxpayers Take Action — April 10 thru 18

Please join the Facebook group Taxpayers Take Action 2011 to participate in planning and strategy for April 10-18 events.

Wow. So, we're still kind of stunned by the flood of donations this week. Despite the website crashes we suffered, we ended up topping $128,000 in our month-long membership drive, with an incredible $75,000 raised since Monday afternoon. Apart from "wow," the primary words on our minds are "thank you." We don't know what else to say.

( More on the membership drive and Taxpayers Take Action 2011 behind the cut plus bonus video of a UK Uncut protest. )

Why I started Coffee Party USA

...There is a profound relationship problem between the government and the people that it serves. Many Americans feel alienated from the corrupted political process, the dysfunction of the government and the seeming polarization of our society.
...
This is a terrible state of affairs because the public's disengagement from politics is the greatest threat to a democracy.

We are proposing to address this threat, to practice democracy at the local level and create a home in the public sphere. What better place than a neighborhood coffee shop to create that home?

There are three steps to this model of participatory democracy.

The first step is creating a public space for open and civil dialogue. The second step is collective deliberation, considering facts and values to arrive at a decision. The third step is working toward implementing the decision.

We will practice all three steps as a community, pledging to be civil to each other...

Annabel posted the link to this editorial on Coffee Party USA's Facebook page last week to remind everyone that the movement is not just about civil discussion of politics. Civil discussion was both a means to an end and only one of the goals. The movement also had to decide what it was about and then take action. The decision was reached last year to tackle Financial Reform and Election Reform, specifically counteracting the massive wealth inequality in the U.S. and the capture of the political system by wealthy interests exemplified by the Citizens United decision. Now it is time to start to take action.

Stay tuned for an announcement from the website about the next event.

Above crossposted to the coffeepartyusa community on Dreamwidth.