Green Tea Party claims Washington is broken, seeks to hire new chairperson.
Entrepreneur who is helping fund political group plans to headquarter The Green Tea Party near Washington, D.C.
As the 2012 presidential campaign heats up and Republicans jockey to take on Barack Obama next year, entrepreneur Mike Mann said America’s two-party political system is corrupt and needs an overhaul. Mann is seeking to hire a chairman to lead The Green Tea Party, a third party focused on increasing grassroots political involvement through the use of technology.
“The ultimate goal is to rectify the corruption, inefficiency and overspending in Washington D.C.,” Mann said.
Obama has failed to fix the struggling economy, he said, adding that no current presidential candidate is capable of pulling the nation from its economic morass.
“Politicians in both parties are corrupt,” Mann said. “It’s disgusting. They scratch each others’ backs to stay in power while dipping their hands into the pockets of the American taxpayer.”
Since neither Democrats nor Republicans receive high marks from the public, the current political climate is receptive to a third party, said Mann, founder of Grassroots.org and Changetheworld.org.
“Americans distrust politicians in general, and with little being accomplished by Congress or the president, it’s a natural response,” he said.
But political observers said that distrust may not be enough for a third party to gain the momentum needed to influence an election.
“Polls show that Americans right now are more frustrated, and angrier at government than they ever have been, but still I don’t anticipate any major changes here in Utah,” said Taylor Morgan, political programs manager for the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. “Americans are fickle, politically … We never like the incumbent and we like to blame Congress as an abstract organization without ever making changes on our level.”
Instead of working to strengthen the liberal Green Party or conservative Libertarian Party, some have chosen to support Democrats and Republicans in recent political races, he said.
“For whatever reason, these individuals have decided third parties are not an effective way to influence the process,” Morgan explained.
Mike Mann
According to Mann, The Green Tea Party “will be built upon a foundation of transparency, trust and accountability.”
A job description for the chairperson position is available at proHR.com. Learn more about the political organization by visiting GreenTeaParty.com.
“We believe that all Americans have the right to adequate health care, an excellent education and strong environmental regulation in balance with a free market economy,” Mann said. “The corruption will be greatly diminished by integrating representative government and the Internet with the intention of creating an interactive democracy that allows for direct engagement by citizens.”
Josh Brecheisen is a member of the selection committee recruiting applicants to serve as chairperson of The Green Tea Party National Committee. Nobody had applied for the job this week even though the position includes a competitive compensation package.
“It’s a big deal to take on a new party,” Brecheisen said. “Somebody needs to rise up as a voice of the people and take a leadership role.”
Much of the work will involve fundraising and organizing a political platform, he explained.
Mann was raised near Washington D.C., and is advertising the chairman position in the Washington area. Breicheisen said he expects Green Tea Party headquarters to be located near the nation’s capital.
“Anybody who wants to be in the political sphere will look toward Washington D.C. for job opportunities,” Brecheisen said.
