Coffee Party Boise

Someone on Facebook invited me to join a group called Coffee Party USA. I looked at the web site and was immediately intrigued. Any opportunity to foster civil discourse is appealing to me and that’s the purpose of the group. www.coffeeparty.com. I have been so mad, frightened, and sad about the name-calling, yelling, press-seeking, and misinformation-spewing being used by extremists, that the notion there was a place to meet others and have reasoned debate on the issues was something I just had to check out.



The Coffee Party is about getting the silent majority to participate in the political process and to foster cooperation in government. It started just 8 weeks ago and already there have been groups formed in at least 44 states (Idaho has one but isn’t listed on the national site.) Meetings have been held in coffee shops across the nation on two occasions already. 376 people have joined the Coffee Party Boise group on Facebook.


I attended the meeting on Saturday, March 27th, held at the Hyjinx Comedy Club. So many people indicated they would attend, it wasn’t possible to meet at a coffee shop. Over 40 people showed up and we divided into smaller groups based on the issue most important to each of us. My group had nine members and it was one of the most invigorating two hours I’ve had in a long time. The goal at the end of the two hour meeting was for each group to have a position on an issue to share with their congressional delegates during the two week recess.


Although we varied in age, background and even political affiliation, the dialogue was energetic, and thought-provoking. People felt safe to express themselves even though their view may have been in opposition to others around the table. And because of this, I began thinking about some things differently, in addition to learning a lot.

Our group didn’t come up with a specific issue to discuss with our senators and representatives; however, we did agree to let them know we don’t like the way things are being done in Congress. And that we expect bipartisan behavior and debate on the issues, not merely sticking to the party talking points and refusing to listen to the thoughts on the other side. We feel that the lack of progress on things that deeply affect the citizens of Idaho is directly attributable to the unwillingness of members of Congress to discuss the issues with people other than those who believe as they do.


It’s too early to tell if the Coffee Party movement will be able to make an impact, but it’s certainly worth participating in a process that aims to bring civility and reason back to the democratic process.