'Tea party'? 'Coffee party'? How about the Juicebox Party?
In the wake of the “coffee party" now taking on the “tea party,” proposals are flowing by the gallon for other beverage-based political movements.
Not all of them are family-friendly. But here are a few possible movements brewing in the minds of would-be revolutionaries, highlighting America's fluid political landscape.
The Juicebox Party. Politics for the under-six set. Slogan: “We’re too young to vote, but we still run your life.” (Via Mitch Leff, a Monitor Facebook fan.)
The Mead Party. Michael Holmes of Concord, N.H., another Monitor Facebook fan, writes: "Word is the Neo-Norse are waging a Mead-Party bent on expansion of plundering and pillaging rights. I'm seeing increasing coverage of horned-hat-wearing picketers in front of Denmark's Folketinget."
The Vitamin Water Party. Proposed by a Gawker commenter, who offers this handy platform: “We believe Crystalline Fructose is better than corn syrup, therefore we also believe in Clean Coal. There is no problem in this country or the world that can't be solved with a short, philosophical paragraph containing quirky wit.”
The Gatorade Party. Barnes & Noble blogger Wordsmith says the anti-obesity, healthcare focused Gatorade Party believes “there should be a winner” to every debate. “Therefore, rather than traditional filibuster rules, The Gatorade Party endorses an Eliminator round in the style of American Gladiators, to decide if a bill should reach a vote. The winner, of course, gets a Gatorade shower.” Slogan: “Less talk, more action.”
Finally, here are a couple of real political movements (not to be confused with President Obama's "beer summit" last summer).
The Coffee Party. Meeting in coffeehouses around the country on Saturday, the Coffee Party is the dissatisfied liberal’s answer to the conservative "tea party" movement.
Organizer Annabel Park lays out its rough framework in a short video: "We object to obstructionism and extreme political tactics that are, I think, are fear-based, not reality-based, and in many ways just deliberate misinformation.” Slogan: “Wake up and stand up.”
The Drinking Tea Party. A movement for rebel bloggers and activists in China, who openly blog about attempts by Communist Party operatives to gently intimidate critics by offering low-key warnings over cups of tea. Drinking Tea activists stand behind Charter 08, a bold call for political reform in China that yielded 11 years of jail time for co-author Liu Xiaobo.
