citizens

As the Senate paralyzed itself yet again this week, refusing to allow an up and down vote for a crucial extension of unemployment compensation, Harry Boyte's op-ed in the Pioneer Press this week calling for a new view of government takes on heightened relevance.

The expert-knows-best culture has spread across Minnesota in recent years, weakening civic life. Local businesses have been replaced with giant box stores. Schools have redefined students as consumers. The local YMCA traded community problem-solving efforts for racket ball courts.

But there are signs of discontent with this state of affairs, and the time may be ripe for change. Research by the think tank Demos has found that the liberal customer-service framework does not work, especially with swing and independent voters. When people are treated as consumers, they are likely to become angry shoppers, not citizens concerned with the commonwealth.

Demos also found that an alternative framework of government as a meeting ground to solve problems generates far more positive sentiments.

Such findings suggest rebirth in the Minnesota tradition of citizen partnership with government. Minnesota Democratic leaders as well as Republicans like Anderson and Quie, once understood the importance of such partnership, and saw it rooted in locally owned businesses, VFW halls, farmer cooperatives, union locals, schools and many other settings.

Whether it's in Minnesota or across the country, as long as we sit on the sidelines attributing expertise to many of those in office, who continue to screw things up, we already lose. Boyte notes correctly that Lincoln's "for the people" quote in the Gettysburg Address included "of the people" and "by the people" as well.

In order to build bridges to our government and our elected officials, our generation must figuratively and literally go to where they are. We must root one end of the bridge in their territory by engaging them in conversations, repeatedly contacting their office on important votes.

We must also remember that politics is never a private matter. Ignore the bit you learned about politics being one of those taboo issues not to be touched in polite company. Following this advice ignores the reality that everything in our society is political. We must not be willing to reach out to our peers, just as we reach out to our public officials, demanding their attention on important, public issues.

It is only through these partnerships that we can begin to solve the myriad problems facing us.

One of the more refreshing events over the past couple weeks has been the formation of a new party, perhaps a movement, in the United States. A big welcome to the Coffee Party, an interesting reaction to the media's recent focus on the Tea Party's rise in 2009.

Annabel Park, the founder of the The Coffee Party started the organization out of frustration about the nature of our political discourse these days. The health care debate is a perfect example of the kind of gridlock that frustrated Annabel and restricts us from pursuing the common good. In her description of the party, Annabel is sure to state the organization's aversion to pundits, advisers, and lobbyists, explaining that the recent surge in popularity is simply a spontaneous event created by Americans tired of solutions being left unsolved.

One way the Coffee Party is moving forward is in the planning of "Coffee Parties," a caffeine-fueled play on meetups organized throughout the nation. As of now, the Coffee Party has encouraged its followers to hold their parties on Saturday, March 13 to sustain its rising national momentum. You can check for a party already planned for your area or plan one yourself here.

I am looking forward to seeing how the Coffee Party might be able to sustain this momentum and restore some sane, level-headed discussion to our politics. Most of all, I am curious as to how young people feel about this organization. Might it entice them to get involved despite their frustration? Is it a non-factor?

As of now (Saturday morning) there are nearly 100,000 "fans" of this effort on Facebook. The number is steadily rising.