On Center Street

by BRENDA STEWART

An odd calm has taken over the city after the frenzy of the primary election. And, for the most part, everyone seems relatively happy with the results. No big surprises, really. Except for my hero, Earle, getting shut out of the lieutenant governors’ race (although I was heartened that Hays County was smart enough to endorse him). And very cool to see Bell-Metereau rise to the top of the Board of Education contenders. The current group is a time bomb and we’ve got to get some sane folks on board or our children are doomed (not to mention that we are the laughing stock of the nation in this regard).

I hear that those cranky Tea Partiers are taking some credit for influencing both sides of elections all over the country. Their rallying cry of “Throw the bums out”, regardless of their record, has resonated with a lot of marginalized folks looking for the drama of a political blood-bath. Unfortunately their rhetoric has alienated a lot of voters who genuinely feel disenfranchised and are seeking a rational alternative.

To them, I offer the Coffee Party. I am not kidding. So far this group is simply a seedling organization made up of “activists” who emphasize civic participation over alienation. Their slogan “Meet me in the middle” is a concept which I think we could all benefit from, as is their goal to “support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.” As of Friday, there were 115,000 fans of this grassroots network on Facebook, up 30,000 people from last week. Heads up. Sanity is sneaking up on us.

Well, maybe. As I was wrapping up my research on the Coffee Party I stumbled across The Cocoa Party.  The Cocoas claim that they are “100% weedroots…a spontaneous and collective expression of our desire to forge a culture of ludicrous propaganda that is entirely blame-oriented.”  And, not to  be outdone by all the cranky adults, there’s my personal favorite, The Juicebox Party. A voice for the 6-and-under crowd.  Their slogan?  “We’re too young to vote but we still run your life.” Maybe I was wrong about the sanity thing.

brenda@haysfreepress.com