One central belief of Tom and I is that by and large, when a movement springs up on one end of the political spectrum another corresponding movement will spring up on the other side.
Fascism and Communism are examples. Liberals and Conservatives are another. Democrats and Republicans. Greens and Constitutionals. You get the idea.
Is it therefore any surprise that the Tea Party has a similar opponent forming as we speak, with chapters across the US – including here in Georgia?
This opponent is the Coffee Party.
From its “About Me” page (emphasis theirs):
We demand a government that responds to the needs of the majority of its citizens as expressed by our votes and by our voices; NOT corporate interests as expressed by misleading advertisements and campaign contributions.
Looking at a couple of their writings, two things are noted. The first I disagree with, and the second I agree with just as much as I disagree with the first:
1) They believe massive amounts of government, ie, the Nanny State, is a GOOD thing. This is one of the largest differences between them and the smaller* government Tea Party. (*The Tea Party does not actually believe in smaller government, as they actively endorse foreign interventionism that is costing us BILLIONS of dollars, as expressed at their recent convention. The Tea Party also supports continued Christian theocracy, again as expressed at their recent convention, which also costs us BILLIONS of dollars every year both via the Drug War and other programs and via blocking potential revenue sources, such as legalized -and taxed- drugs, prostitution, and gambling.)
2) They believe Democracy belongs to individuals, not corporations. This one I wholeheartedly agree with them on – much to the chagrin of some of my Libertarian (and libertarian) brethren.
Obviously, I’m not exactly a fan of the nanny state by any stretch of the imagination. Unlike the Tea Party though, at least they’re honest about it. I do absolutely believe that democracy belongs to individuals. While I hate the corporatism that is occurring in America, I honestly don’t know what can be done to stop corporation influence over elections. After all, if you ban it, are you not restricting the free speech and association of the directors of the company?
So there you have it – one group springs up that “draws votes away from” one half of the Big Government Party, and a corresponding group springs up to “draw votes away from” the other half.
This is Democracy at its finest – each group working to spread its message and urge voters to choose them in the ballot booth.
Why does the Big Government Party (both Democrats and Republicans) fear Democracy so much?
[...] I said in this post, I think they’re wrong on their approach to government, but I do like their desire to make [...]