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Panic In DC As Starbucks' Schultz Calls For CEO Boycott Of Campaign Donations
Zero Hedge ^ | August 15, 2011 | Tyler Durden

Posted on 08/15/2011 12:11:43 PM PDT by Zakeet

Full title: Panic In DC As Starbucks' Schultz Calls For CEO Boycott Of Campaign Donations, Urges Americans To Go On Strike Against Their Politicians

In today's most underreported news of the day, which could potentially have the biggest impact on the future of America, none other than America's CEOs, or at least one of them: Starbucks' Howard Schultz, has mass blasted an email to fellow CEOs asking for a consensual boycott on donating to political campaigns in order to encourage the nation's muppets, elsewhere idiotically called "leaders", to solve America's budget and debt impasse. Bloomberg quotes from the CEO's e-mail to business leaders:"I am asking that all of us forego political contributions until the Congress and the President return to Washington and deliver a fiscally disciplined long-term debt and deficit plan to the American people." Cue panic, terror, homicidal and suicidal screeching, and overall sheer existential angst in D.C., whose critters suddenly face the nightmare scenario of having no corporate bribes, period, until they get to do their job.

Should Schultz' proposal gain traction, this could be the most revolutionary proposal to leadership reform since the advent of the corporatocracy. Yet as optimistic and idealistic as we are, we fail to see how corporations will all join into this mass game theory experiment, where the benefits for defection get exponentially greater as more and more people join and decide to cooperate. Oh well, it was a great idea while it lasted. And as for Schultz' own donation record, here is Politico: Schultz’s most recent donation was the $2,500 maximum to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) in March. He’s also given thousands in previous cycles to Democrats including President Barack Obama, and one-time Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. He’s also given to Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.)." At least some democrats are certainly sweating it if Schultz decideds to proceed unilaterally with this threat (unless of course it is nothing more than a PR stunt).

[Snip]

Once again, should this idea gain traction, it may prove to be the most (r)evolutionary development in US politics in decades. Which is precisely why we are confident it will never be mentioned again: good luck getting Wall Street firms, for whom 80% of their business model is bribing their DC muppets with pocket change, to pledge their participation in this program.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: 2012campaign; boycottdonations; budget; campaign; ceoboycott; debt; districtofcolumbia; donations; donor; donors; elections; obama2012; spending; starbucks
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Fortunately, we Democraps still own the unions, Main Stream Media, Hollyweird, George Soros, and a gazillion poorly educated minorities!

1 posted on 08/15/2011 12:11:49 PM PDT by Zakeet
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To: Zakeet

buyer’s remorse. like when I once bought a Starbutts.


2 posted on 08/15/2011 12:15:46 PM PDT by WOBBLY BOB (My mind is like a steel trap: rusty and illegal in 37 states.)
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To: Zakeet

Sounds great. But statistics prove that for a few hundred thou in campaign cash they can get shady deals through Congress that are worth billions to them. The Cost/Benefit math is just too strong.


3 posted on 08/15/2011 12:16:10 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Zakeet

Not one of my corporate clients would have had the guts to do this. They all live in fear of gummint (for some pretty good reasons).


4 posted on 08/15/2011 12:16:33 PM PDT by freespirited (Stupid people are ruining America. --Herman Cain)
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46 Days And FR Is Still Short Of Its Goal

We Are In A Fight For Our Republic

Are You In Or Are You Out?

Support Free Republic

5 posted on 08/15/2011 12:19:51 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (America! The wolves are here! What will you do?)
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To: Zakeet

About time for these CEO’s get on board the Tea Party Express.


6 posted on 08/15/2011 12:21:16 PM PDT by black_diamond
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To: Zakeet
This is likely because the Supreme Court OK'ed corporate contributions and old Howie Schultz is afraid the Repubs will benefit most from that ruling.

Howie Schultz is a Dem contributer (70% Dem, 1% Repub) whose contributions have gone mostly to Patty Murray (Chair of the committee BTW) with others to Hillary AND Obama.

He's no good.

7 posted on 08/15/2011 12:21:47 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: freespirited

Whether it’s the carrot or the stick, you are correct. Schultz will be alone on this one.


8 posted on 08/15/2011 12:22:12 PM PDT by Republic of Texas (Socialism Always Fails)
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To: Zakeet

Will Starbucks be the scene of the next flash mob/robbery?


9 posted on 08/15/2011 12:25:54 PM PDT by listenhillary (Look your representatives in the eye and ask if they intend to pay off the debt. They will look away)
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To: freespirited
Here's some ideas for campaign finance reform:

1) only individual US citizens in good standing may donate
2) contributors must furnish picture Id
3) political orgs/candidates must keep records of contributions
4) dollar limit is $2,000 per individual per year

10 posted on 08/15/2011 12:26:15 PM PDT by Max in Utah (A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.)
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To: Zakeet; Buckeye McFrog; freespirited

Good try, but we are so deep in crony capitalism that I don’t see this going anywhere.

You think Immelt of GE would go along with this, or Buffet, or the google guy?

Anyway, all that congress would have to do is call them up to testify on some idiotic thing and the spigots would magically reopen.


11 posted on 08/15/2011 12:26:38 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: Zakeet

Frees up more money for them to hire lobbyists. Experience has shown politicians are pretty much interchangeable.


12 posted on 08/15/2011 12:30:27 PM PDT by DManA
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To: Zakeet
Trying to get other businesses to join him in a boycott? That sounds like a violation of antitrust laws and the Justice Department will be perp-walking him to prison as a warning to other businesses not to follow him. < /I wish it was sarcasm>
13 posted on 08/15/2011 12:31:42 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (The Repubs and Dems are arguing whether to pour 9 or 10 buckets of gasoline on a burning house.)
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To: Max in Utah

That would be true campaign finance reform.


14 posted on 08/15/2011 12:35:37 PM PDT by Chickensoup (In the 20th century 200 million people were killed by their own governments.)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks Zakeet.
Urges Americans To Go On Strike Against Their Politicians
good idea.
Dont Vote: It Just Encourages the Bastards

Dont Vote: It Just Encourages the Bastards

15 posted on 08/15/2011 12:43:42 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Yes, as a matter of fact, it is that time again -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Max in Utah

Obama Turns Blind Eye to Credit Card Donation Fraud
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/obama_illegal_donations/2008/10/21/142761.html
What do Bart Simpson, Family Guy, Daffy Duck, King Kong, O.J. Simpson and Raela Odinga have in common?
All are celebrities; and with the exception of Odinga and O.J. Simpson, they also are fictional characters. And yet, all of them gave money earlier this month to the campaign of Barack Obama, without any apparent effort by the campaign to screen them out as suspect donors.
The Obama fundraising machine may owe its sensational success in part to a relaxation of standard online merchant security practices, which has allowed illegal donations from foreign donors and from unknown individuals using anonymous “gift” cards, industry analysts and a confidential informant tell Newsmax.
**“OBAMA’S FOREIGN DONORS: THE MEDIA AVERTS ITS EYES”**
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/obamas_donor_contributions_sil.html
(He accepts credit cards including Macy’s.)
**Fictitious Donors Found in Obama Finance Records**
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/us/politics/10donate.html?ref=politics

just more laws to be ignored. while the presstitutes look the other way.


16 posted on 08/15/2011 12:44:57 PM PDT by WOBBLY BOB (My mind is like a steel trap: rusty and illegal in 37 states.)
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To: Max in Utah

George Will’s list (paraphrased) from some years ago:

1) No limits.
2) No foreign money.
3) Full (and timely) disclosure.

That is, let any legitimate American source contribute whatever they want to whomever they want, but that information is in the public domain to potentially be used against the recipients.


17 posted on 08/15/2011 12:47:29 PM PDT by kevkrom (This space for rent.)
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To: kevkrom
That is, let any legitimate American source contribute whatever they want to whomever they want, but that information is in the public domain to potentially be used against the recipients.

I believed in that too, right up until the California gay marriage initiative (was it Proposition 8?) where the gays got the names of donors supporting traditional marriage through public records, and used the information to harrass them at home and at work.

18 posted on 08/15/2011 12:55:40 PM PDT by nina0113
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To: WOBBLY BOB

He’s barking up the wrong triple espresso latte mocha grande.

Since DC funnels trillions in taxpayer bucks and tries to regulate just about everything, the surprise is that campaign contributions only total in the low billions.

Reducing the size and scope of the federal government is our only hope.


19 posted on 08/15/2011 12:58:47 PM PDT by swain_forkbeard (Rationality may not be sufficient, but it is necessary.)
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To: WOBBLY BOB

Starbucks allows concealed firearms in their stores even though they were attacked by the anti-gun lobby for it.


20 posted on 08/15/2011 1:10:25 PM PDT by max americana (FUBO NATION 2012 FK BARAK)
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