Pre-Ramble:  As if I didn’t love coffee and parties enough already, it appears that there is a political movement afoot that is named after both — The Coffee Party.

The Coffee Party, floating the slogan, “Wake Up and Stand Up,” pledges to “support positive solutions and hold accountable those who obstruct them.” ( … Are you listening Senator Bunning?) Founder Annabel Park clearly articulates the Coffee Party civic participation model,

“The federal government is not the enemy of the people, but rather it is the expression of our collective will … We must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges we face …”

Established in response to the sniping, hyper-extended pinkies of the conservative Tea Party movement, the Coffee Party — a notion that has been brewing for a long time — appears to be more about process than a particular political agenda. With Sarah Palin at the head of the table wagging her finger at every Democratic tic that she can find in the cross-hairs, the conservative Tea Party seems to be steeped in the unrequited politics of a failed GOP platform, as much as it is about any kind of meaningful change.

Same old grind – Basically, whether we’re sipping coffee, tea or Kool Aid, nothing is going to get done in Washington, on either side of the aisle, until the folks we’ve elected to get stuff done stop bickering and posturing and titting and tatting and start actually getting stuff done.  … Are you listening, Senator Bunning?  Annabel Parks calls it again,

“We’ve got to send a message to people in Washington that you have to learn how to work together … You have to learn how to talk about issues without acting like you’re in [a face-off]. We need to roll up our sleeves, put our heads together and work it out … that’s the American way of doing this.”

The Take-Away: So, grab a cup o’Joe – it’s time to consider a broader concept of democracy. We need a more balanced, bi-partisan approach to our profoundly stuck, elitist and ineffective political scenario … and, We the People are the ones who need to step it up – individually and collectively, to own both the process and the outcome and do what we can to hold our elected public servants accountable for our agenda.

Pre-Ramble:  So, I guess Sarah Palin had a tea party last week.  I wasn’t invited.  As a registered Independent for the last 25 years, I’m not invited to vote in the primaries either.

Well, so, in our perennially polarized political system, the majority is either swinging way over to the right … or they’re swung way over to the left … and the folks in the middle pretty much get knocked out of the way.  The outcome of this ”pendulum politics” is that nothing of substance ever seems to get done.

Just the ticket – If candidates who want to get elected camp out in the middle (you know who you are) because there are so many votes there, why don’t we formalize that group?  Maybe there’s room in the system for a third party?  … Ya think?

The Take-Away:  I have a great idea … rather than just taking our  lumps, let’s set up a couple rows of folding chairs in the center of The Aisle?  ( … Independent Party on the Aisle!!  Woot!! ) … I’m not sure how many we’ll need …  I want one … and we probably need one for Senator Bayh … and a couple of seats for my neighbors …

Let me know if you want a spot and I’ll toss my coat over it until you get there.