I have no problem with what Tom Petty wants and I agree that he's a no-talent clown and a jerk. A producer of a product or service should be able to select his customer base for any reason whatsoever. A free, unfettered market allows such liberty to both the consumer (boycotts) and to the purveyors (selection).
But the liberals would scream bloody murder if a business were to "discriminate" against, say, sodomites. Freedom-depriving inventions such as the "Fair" Housing Act fly in the face of liberty. If I were to have rental property, I would no more want to have it occupied by a sodomite than Tom Petty wants his music used by Conservatives.
The problem is that Tom Petty gets praised for his "principles" and I'd get thrown in the slammer for my freedom of choice based upon principle.
Darn you racist, sexist, homophobic, nazi you! /s
Your point is exactly what pisses me off about this.
If Michele Bachmann bought the right to use the song, in the legally agreed to manner and for the legally agreed to rate, then Tom Petty has no business calling her out for it.
He doesn’t own the song!
And his singling her out is discrimination.