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Posted on 01/23/2003 3:43:22 AM PST by kattracks
(CNSNews.com) - Complaints about DaimlerChrysler continued to grow Wednesday as the company again refused to retract a top executive's comment that conservatives had a "myopic view of the world."
The National Center for Public Policy Research, which has sought an apology since Friday, threatened to take up the matter with conservative members of Congress. Amy Ridenour, president of the conservative group, said DaimlerChrysler, which manufactures Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Mercedes vehicles, might reconsider its position if elected officials broached the topic with the company's lobbyists.
Meanwhile, several people, including some who are shopping for new vehicles, told CNSNews.com they would never again buy a DaimlerChrysler automobile; the small-scale boycotts designed to protest the company's support of the Rev. Jesse Jackson's pet projects and the "myopic" remark by Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Frank Fountain.
Ridenour said the company probably does not view conservatives in a negative light but, based on its handling of this situation, she said it certainly appears that way. For that reason, she said, a boycott might be an effective way for conservatives to show solidarity.
Several consumers contacted by CNSNews.com said they were expressing their dismay with the company by boycotting DaimlerChrysler vehicles, calling the incident enough of an incentive to stop buying the company's products.
Jim Crawford, an antique car enthusiast who runs an energy consulting business in Maryland, said he was planning to buy a new Jeep a few days before reading Fountain's comments. Crawford said he is now considering a Chevrolet instead.
"People have longer memories than these corporate giants understand," Crawford said. "I'm only one consumer, but for every one like me, there are hundreds of thousands of people who won't say a word but will likely copy my buying habits."
Dan Cron, a retired police officer from California, drives a Jeep that is about 10 years old. He was planning to buy another Jeep soon, but not anymore, he said.
"The more I find out about companies like DaimlerChrysler, the better it is for me because that way, I'm not endorsing anti-American and anti-conservative views," he said.
Another Californian, Charles Whiteaker, a retired steel company executive, said he enjoys his 10-year-old Jeep Eagle Vision, but his feelings toward DaimlerChrysler soured once he found out the company helped pay for Jackson's project.
"It doesn't bother me as much that this guy mouths off about conservatives but that all these companies are supporting Jesse Jackson and his shakedown," Whiteaker said. "There's a lot of [automobile] choices out there today, and there are a lot of other companies that don't support organizations like this that I can buy from."
It was at Jackson's Wall Street Project last week that Fountain told CNSNews.com : "Most of [Jackson's] critics are conservatives; they have a rather myopic view of the world."
That comment immediately prompted a reaction from Ridenour, who said she is tired of unfounded criticism of conservatives.
"It's time that we conservatives, who are usually the people getting attacked, stand up and say, 'Either apologize for that slur or prove it's accurate,' " Ridenour said. "If we let people get away with calling us names all the time, we'll never get down to business."
Fountain, who was not available for comment Wednesday, turned down Ridenour's request to apologize.
"I was referring to no specific organization or individual, so I don't feel that there is any apology in order," Fountain said Friday.
When contacted Wednesday, DaimlerChrysler spokeswoman Debra Nelson dismissed the initial report, claiming at one point that Fountain never made his comment about myopic conservatives, which was made during a tape-recorded interview.
Nelson also argued that, "Fountain's comments were taken out of context and were not intended to characterize individuals of any political perspective," she said. Nelson refused to explain the context in which Fountain made the comments.
Fountain originally said that DaimlerChrysler had contributed money "in the six figures" for the Wall Street Project, but Nelson contradicted the executive, calling the figure inaccurate. The total amount the company gave Jackson for this year's event is unknown, but Nelson said it has contributed to his causes in the past.
In 2000, the company gave $50,000 to Jackson's PUSH for Excellence education initiative, according to the Capital Research Center, which tracks corporate philanthropy.
Christopher Morris, editor of the group's publication Patterns of Corporate Philanthropy , said that, based on his review of DaimlerChrysler's donations, there is not a bias toward liberal or conservative causes.
E-mail a news tip to Robert B. Bluey.
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.
So who is buying their new cars? Must be the poor, unemployed and the folks living on skid row? My advice for Freepers is boycott Daimler-Chrysler products. If you plan on buying a new vehicle, take a peek at the new Caddies. If you are driving a new Mercedes, just tough it out.
I'm going to e-mail C-D my opinion and let them know unless there is an apology my 94 Plymouth van is the last product I'll ever own from them. I WAS going looking over the next few months but C-D is off the list unless something changes.
Then again this brings up a situation I'm confronted with on a daily basis when I do radio news. The company executive IS entitled to his opinion. Heck, even if he's a total socialist he should be able to say waht he believes as long as it isn't company policy.
Supposedly when I do news I am not to have my own opinion, but I can tell you I unapologetically stack my newscasts with articles from the right. When I do commentary or editorialize it's from the conservative side as well. That makes LOTS of listeners call in and complain, but as far as I'm concerned I'm entitled to MY opinion as long as it's clear the station remains unbiased.
It's kinda the same with marketing surveys. I'm usually excluded because I work in the meda BUT don't I still use products and shouldn't I be able to voice my opinion about the ones I use?
prisoner6
Am I just dense this morning? Can someone translate this for me?
prisoner6
Chek it out.
...DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group will also sponsor The International Salute to the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. on January 21. Liberatore and DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President of Government Affairs W. Frank Fountain will both participate in this breakfast program.
According to Fountain, "Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an important time to reflect on what it means to be an American. Like Memorial Day and other holidays, the day prompts us to appreciate the freedom and liberty we have in this country, and honor those people, such as Dr. King, who dedicated themselves to ensuring that freedom endures."
Additional DaimlerChrysler company activities on MLK, Jr. Day 2002: Mercedes-Benz USA will sponsor The Salute to Greatness at the King Center in Atlanta.
Mercedes-Benz USI is among the sponsors of the Annual Unity Breakfast in Birmingham, Alabama. The breakfast is one of the largest in the nation with more than 5,000 attendees. The plant also will host Diversity Awareness Week, with a variety of activities celebrating the company's commitment to diversity and inclusiveness.
DaimlerChrysler will donate a 15-passenger Dodge Van to the Antioch Baptist Church in Harlem, New York at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration with Congressman Charles Rangel and DaimlerChrysler Director of Public Policy Dennis Fitzgibbons. The van will be used to shuttle local children to and from the church's daycare program.
DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group is sponsoring the Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES) Fifth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Banquet on Monday, at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Michigan. MOSES is a grass-roots community organization uniting religious congregations on public policy issues such as transportation, education and human development.
The Chrysler Group is again sponsoring activities planned by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King. These include the third annual essay contest: "What the Message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Means to Me" and a scholarship award ceremony, dinner and reception on Wednesday, January 23, at the Heritage Manor in Dearborn, Michigan.
prisoner6
I just clicked on contact Chrysler and typed this up:
I would not direct my thoughts towards a hard working innocent customer care representative.
I would however be most appreciative if someone would provide me with an E-mail address for Frank Fountain.
I have some "gems" of my "myopic view of the world" which I would like to share with this "chap".
Please be assured I bear the hard working rep who has to read this no malice. I wish the best to you and hope that newer and better employment prospects will brighten your door.
As for myself, I will ensure that my family and my children are raised knowing that while Chryslers may look "nifty" that we should never, never buy one under any circumstances.
I'm sure that my wife will be more than content to settle for a new Toyota rather than subsidize an executive who believes our deepest held values are "myopic".
If you could possibly forward my thoughts to this "fellow", I'd appreciate it.
prisoner6
Had I know this, I would not have signed the papers and told them why.
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