Don't Do Business with Progressive Appeasers

[lonestar]

Malkin: Don't Do Business with Progressive Appeasers
By Michelle Malkin April 11, 2012 6:50 am

Let's stipulate: Activists on the left are free to exercise their rights of speech and assembly to boycott businesses whose politics they oppose. Conversely, activists on the right are free to exercise the power of their pocketbooks and refrain from supporting businesses that shun their values.

So, what are you waiting for, conservatives? There are coordinated shakedowns taking place right now that involve some of America's most prominent companies who've chosen to surrender to progressive bullying and race-card opportunism. Silence is complicity.

On Tuesday, McDonald's told liberal magazine Mother Jones that the company had "decided to cut ties with ALEC, the corporate-backed group that drafts pro-free-market legislation for state lawmakers around the country." The fast-food conglomerate follows in the feckless footsteps of Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Intuit (maker of Quick and Quicken Books software) and Kraft Foods -- which have all withdrawn support for ALEC after drum-banging from Color of Change.

That's the minority community activist outfit founded by former Obama green jobs czar and radical Occupy Wall Street supporter Van Jones. Since leaving the White House, Jones has been occupied with railing against capitalism while cashing in on book sales from corporate media appearances.

But I digress.

For years, progressives have sought to take down the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a four-decade-old association of state legislators who believe in "the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty." ALEC's veteran policy experts have successfully teamed with public officials and the private sector on crafting model state bills covering everything from education reform and health care to pensions, public safety and civil justice.

Among the group's greatest heresies in the eyes of the left: support for voter ID laws to protect election integrity, immigration enforcement measures and self-defense legislation to strengthen Second Amendment rights.

The idea that private businesses and public servants could work together voluntarily on public policy is too much for Big Labor and Big Government racketeers. Last fall, leftists from People for the American Way, the Center for Media and Democracy, the Arizona AFL-CIO, AFSCME, the American Federation of Teachers, the Arizona Education Association and Progress Now (a militant group backed by billionaire George Soros) ambushed an ALEC meeting in Arizona to intimidate legislators and corporate backers. In February, the Occupy movement turned from demonizing Wall Street bankers to attacking the policy wonks of ALEC as wretched symbols of "profit and greed."

And now ALEC's race-hustling enemies are piggybacking on the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida. They're shamelessly blaming ALEC for the tragedy by claiming the group wrote the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law. But as ALEC points out:

"(The) law was the basis for the American Legislative Exchange Council's model legislation, not the other way around. Moreover, it is unclear whether that law could apply to this case at all. "Stand Your Ground" or the "Castle Doctrine" is designed to protect people who defend themselves from imminent death and great bodily harm. ... In the end, we will always respect people who disagree with us in matters of policy, but it is simply wrong to try to score political points by taking advantage of a great tragedy like Trayvon Martin's death."

Color of Change is ratcheting up pressure on ATT, one of ALEC's corporate board members, to abandon the group or be forever branded as racists with blood on their hands. These campaigns are of a piece with the pressure campaigns against advertisers of conservative talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh. (Not coincidentally, many of the same groups are involved in both.) The Hush Rush mob has succeeded in finagling anti-free speech declarations from the likes of Arby's restaurant chain and Walgreens drugstores -- two companies that have never been sponsors of Limbaugh's show, but which announced last week that they won't advertise in his time slot on local station ad buys. Note: These are bit cancellations of an ad buy; there's no loss of money. It's pure, progressive gesture politics, astro-turfed by Soros-funded groups, to create the fake appearance of an anti-Rush advertising stampede -- and ultimately, to chill conservative dissent.

McDonald's, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Intuit, Kraft, Arby's and Walgreens have shown their true colors: appeasement yellow. It's time for conservatives to stand their ground and stop showing these corporate cowards their money.
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2012/04/11/malkin-dont-do-business-with-progressive-appeasers/?subscriber=1

some food for thought..

I can hear the howls of outrage form our Dumos and progressives winding up now..

[alkemical]

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC

American Legislative Exchange Council

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) describes itself as the largest “membership association of state legislators,” but over 98% of its revenue comes from sources other than legislative dues, primarily from corporations and corporate foundations.[1] After the 2010 congressional midterm elections, ALEC boasted that “among those who won their elections, three of the four former state legislators newly-elected to the U.S. Senate are ALEC Alumni and 27 of the 42 former state legislators newly-elected to the U.S. House are ALEC Alumni.” (A full list of the Congressional freshmen who are ALEC alums can be found here.) [2]


ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) They fund almost all of ALEC's operations. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law. ALEC describes itself as a “unique,” “unparalleled” and “unmatched” organization. It might be right. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out the door. Learn more at ALECexposed.org.

ALEC’s agenda extends into almost all areas of law. Its bills undermine environmental regulations and deny climate change; support school privatization; undercut health care reform; defund unions and limit their political influence; restrain legislatures’ abilities to raise revenue through taxes; mandate strict election laws that disenfranchise voters; increase incarceration to benefit the private prison industry, among many other issues. [3]

[El Jué]

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC

American Legislative Exchange Council

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) describes itself as the largest “membership association of state legislators,” but over 98% of its revenue comes from sources other than legislative dues, primarily from corporations and corporate foundations.[1] After the 2010 congressional midterm elections, ALEC boasted that “among those who won their elections, three of the four former state legislators newly-elected to the U.S. Senate are ALEC Alumni and 27 of the 42 former state legislators newly-elected to the U.S. House are ALEC Alumni.” (A full list of the Congressional freshmen who are ALEC alums can be found here.) [2]


ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board. (ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board.) They fund almost all of ALEC's operations. Participating legislators, overwhelmingly conservative Republicans, then bring those proposals home and introduce them in statehouses across the land as their own brilliant ideas and important public policy innovations—without disclosing that corporations crafted and voted on the bills. ALEC boasts that it has over 1,000 of these bills introduced by legislative members every year, with one in every five of them enacted into law. ALEC describes itself as a “unique,” “unparalleled” and “unmatched” organization. It might be right. It is as if a state legislature had been reconstituted, yet corporations had pushed the people out the door. Learn more at ALECexposed.org.

ALEC’s agenda extends into almost all areas of law. Its bills undermine environmental regulations and deny climate change; support school privatization; undercut health care reform; defund unions and limit their political influence; restrain legislatures’ abilities to raise revenue through taxes; mandate strict election laws that disenfranchise voters; increase incarceration to benefit the private prison industry, among many other issues. [3]

Did you catch the "Take the Money and Run for Office" episode (originally broadcast 3/30/12) of This American Life on NPR? Worth a listen.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/461/take-the-money-and-run-for-office

[alkemical]

Did you catch the "Take the Money and Run for Office" episode (originally broadcast 3/30/12) of This American Life on NPR? Worth a listen.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/461/take-the-money-and-run-for-office

I have not. I'll scope it out. Thanks!

[Rohirrim]

http://lynnrockets.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/michelle_malkin2.gif?w=604

[Requiem]

http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/images/7/2009/09/Michelle_Contradicts.flv.jpg

[BroncoBeavis]

God help this country if we all decide to only do business with people we agree with. :)

[Requiem]

God help this country if we all decide to only do business with people we agree with. :)

I ain't ever doin' business with your kind.

[BroncoBeavis]

I ain't ever doin' business with your kind.

Probably why you get all your stuff from Red China. LOL

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Michelle Malkin? Hilarious!

Lonestar should be getting some kind of kickback for all the help he's giving Obama's re-election campaign.

[lonestar]

Michelle Malkin? Hilarious!

Lonestar should be getting some kind of kickback for all the help he's giving Obama's re-election campaign.

If you think that I believe that any of you ass clowns would vote for anyone besides nobama this year, I have some prime Ocean Front land for sale here in EL Paso..

Anyone in these threads that backs the socialist agenda of your beloved leader well, I would have to question your Patriotism..

I know that there are some folks on here that are not morons, and post commentary for them as food for thought..

Unfortunately for you, it is all over your head..

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

If you think that I believe that any of you ass clowns would vote for anyone besides nobama this year, I have some prime Ocean Front land for sale here in EL Paso..

People like you are doing more to help Obama's re-election campaign than the DNC could ever dream possible.

Anyone in these threads that backs the socialist agenda of your beloved leader well, I would have to question your Patriotism..

:laugh:

A "socialist" who's in bed with Goldman Sachs.

You're a prime example of Fox News' target audience, i.e., uneducated white southerners who don't even understand such basics as the difference between "Socialist" and "Liberal."

I know that there are some folks on here that are not morons, and post commentary for them as food for thought..


...and then there are folks who consider Michelle Malkin a credible source.

Hilarious!

[lonestar]

People like you are doing more to help Obama's re-election campaign than the DNC could ever dream possible.



:laugh:

A "socialist" who's in bed with Goldman Sachs.

You're a prime example of Fox News' target audience, i.e., uneducated white southerners who don't even understand such basics as the difference between "Socialist" and "Liberal."



...and then there are folks who consider Michelle Malkin a credible source.

Hilarious!

Well consider who posted this crap I'm responding to, Well I'd be more inclined to believe her than you..

BTW I'd take her annual income over yours anyday.. Is that the real reason you dis her because your jealous?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

BTW I'd take her annual income over yours anyday.. Is that the real reason you dis her because your jealous?

Really?

You know how much my annual income is?

http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/kreskin.jpeg

[lonestar]

Really?

You know how much my annual income is?

http://onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/kreskin.jpeg

it does not take a mind reader to know spending all your time on a football forum does not leave much time to make money..



I'm pretty confident to say she is kicking your ass monetarily..

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

it does not take a mind reader to know spending all your time on a football forum does not leave much time to make money..


For all you know, I could be independently wealthy and don't have to work.

Thanks for reminding us that logic isn't your strong suit. :wave:

[lonestar]

For all you know, I could be independently wealthy and don't have to work.

Thanks for reminding us that logic isn't your strong suit. :wave:

ah warren buffet is on our forum.. yeah..

ya sure, your independently wealthy..

If anyone believes that I have Ocean Front land for sale down the street..


I find your pathetic posts amusing.. this is the comic section of the forum right?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

ah warren buffet is on our forum.. yeah..

ya sure, your independently wealthy..

If anyone believes that I have Ocean Front land for sale down the street..


I find your pathetic posts amusing.. this is the comic section of the forum right?

There you go thinking you're the Amazing Kreskin again.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

this is the comic section of the forum right?

If it is, then the joke is on you. :wave:

[Rohirrim]

Michelle Malkin is the journalistic equivalent of pink slime. ;D

[Odysseus]

ah warren buffet is on our forum.. yeah..

ya sure, your independently wealthy..

If anyone believes that I have Ocean Front land for sale down the street..


I find your pathetic posts amusing.. this is the comic section of the forum right?

You seriously need a hobby.

[lonestar]

You seriously need a hobby.

I have one, pissing off Dumos on this forum.

Normally I spend very little on here. Primarily in the bronco football area for breaking news.

I just come to politics to jab the animals in the cage with a sharp stick to see what the responses will be.
Hilarious!Hilarious!

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

I have one, pissing off Dumos on this forum.



More like "entertaining" the Demos with the laughably uninformed, willfully ignorant tripe you post.

You're like a poor man's "Hee Haw" with a political twist.

Ha!

[Blart]

You really think you're sending a message by supporting ALEC?

Over the last 4 decades, can you name one piece of legislation ALEC has authored that has personally helped you?

[ghwk]

I have one, pissing off Dumos on this forum.

Normally I spend very little on here. Primarily in the bronco football area for breaking news.

I just come to politics to jab the animals in the cage with a sharp stick to see what the responses will be.
Hilarious!Hilarious!

You post WAY too much for it to be just for fun. You have anger issues, and you lie about it to cover up.

[DenverBrit]

I have one, pissing off Dumos on this forum.

Normally I spend very little on here. Primarily in the bronco football area for breaking news.

I just come to politics to jab the animals in the cage with a sharp stick to see what the responses will be.
Hilarious!Hilarious!

http://icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/files/2008/03/funny-pictures-joy-water-elephant.jpg

[Bob]

God help this country if we all decide to only do business with people we agree with. :)

It gets kinda hard to keep track of after awhile. My sister refuses to shop at Walmart because she feels they are bad for the environment, I shop there because I hear their executives slaughter baby seals for sport -- so everything kinda evens out.

All kidding aside the right to shop at various businesses based on how they are modeled is part of the capitalist system, and is a good thing. I think except for the most extreme cases I choose to buy things based on the products they sell -- not the politics of who runs them. I have to admit, however, that I buy locally when I can afford it -- I guess that is due to politics, and because i want to help out the mom and pops. Also, for me, it will be a few more years before I will buy a Chevy or Dodge due to their taking bailout money. I am sure I am not the only one who will buy a Ford during the next couple years because of "politics." I thought it was interesting that Chevy had an increase in sales of 7.6%, in 2011 while Ford increased its sales by 11%.

[Blart]

I have to admit, however, that I buy locally when I can afford it -- I guess that is due to politics, and because i want to help out the mom and pops.

Good work. This ultimately helps you, if you want to look at it from a Gordon Gekko perspective. Studies show that a large percentage of the money you spend at local shops stays in your community, compared to the money you spend at a bigbox store.

Also, for me, it will be a few more years before I will buy a Chevy or Dodge due to their taking bailout money. I am sure I am not the only one who will buy a Ford during the next couple years because of "politics." I thought it was interesting that Chevy had an increase in sales of 7.6%, in 2011 while Ford increased its sales by 11%.

Ford may not have taken bailout money, but they lobbied for it, and are no stranger to federal assistance.

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/09/ford-motor-co-does-u-turn-on-bailouts/

[El Minion]

It gets kinda hard to keep track of after awhile. My sister refuses to shop at Walmart because she feels they are bad for the environment, I shop there because I hear their executives slaughter baby seals for sport -- so everything kinda evens out.

All kidding aside the right to shop at various businesses based on how they are modeled is part of the capitalist system, and is a good thing. I think except for the most extreme cases I choose to buy things based on the products they sell -- not the politics of who runs them. I have to admit, however, that I buy locally when I can afford it -- I guess that is due to politics, and because i want to help out the mom and pops. Also, for me, it will be a few more years before I will buy a Chevy or Dodge due to their taking bailout money. I am sure I am not the only one who will buy a Ford during the next couple years because of "politics." I thought it was interesting that Chevy had an increase in sales of 7.6%, in 2011 while Ford increased its sales by 11%.

Well to be intellectually consistent, you should then use public transportation since Oil & Gas receive huge amounts of corporate welfare via tax breaks and subsidies. Good thing you are buying local because at food processor Archer Daniels Midland, at least 43 percent of ADM's annual profits are from products heavily subsidized or protected by the American government (http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html).

[Bob]

Well to be intellectually consistent, you should then use public transportation since Oil & Gas receive huge amounts of corporate welfare via tax breaks and subsidies. Good thing you are buying local because at food processor Archer Daniels Midland, at least 43 percent of ADM's annual profits are from products heavily subsidized or protected by the American government (http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html).

If there was a viable alternative I might... but as I don't live in an urban area, that's not an option anyway. I think you might be establishing a false equivalency -- in the case of Ford v. Chevy there is a choice between one company that didn't take the bailouts, and one that did. With fuel I assume that there is not much difference among companies in the level of corporate welfare they receive.

[lonestar]

You post WAY too much for it to be just for fun. You have anger issues, and you lie about it to cover up.

Let me say it again since RIF..

Originally Posted by lonestar View Post
I have one, pissing off Dumos on this forum.

Normally I spend very little on here. Primarily in the bronco football area for breaking news.

I just come to politics to jab the animals in the cage with a sharp stick to see what the responses will be.


I first joined several football forums to get news on the Broncos.. As where I live the local newspaper and tv stations carry nothing about football other than the cowgirls.

Before the age of the internet, we had to rely on local sports to report on the teams..

Even in the beginning of the internet I could rarely get information on what was really happening.. I joined the forums for other folks opinions and any news tha=et seemd to have..

As I did not have all day to "play" on the internet,like many of Y'all seem to do..

Now that I'm retired I seem to have other priorities that doing this..

as for politics none of the other forums had as many morons on it as this one does.. so when things are slow it only seemed appropriate to poke sticks at the ass-clowns..

since the season seems to be starting later today I'll spend very little time replying to any political posts I may post..

Like I said I'll have better things to do than trying to changes Dumos minds about nobama.. Hopefully talk football in my limited time on here..

As for Anger issues to few and far between to worry about but thanks for caring...

[ghwk]

Ha ha more disingenuous BS from the Bonestar. The Internet is wasted on you, and if your only reason to post here is to piss people off with a different viewpoint, who you collectively describe as morons, then I'd say that is pretty much the definition of anger issue. Good thing you retired to a state where a rational thought process isn't valued much.

[ghwk]

LOL, here's my pic of Bonestar. Not sure which one he is but my guess is it's the one on the left. Oh wait, right, my mistake. Hilarious!

[Rohirrim]

Let me say it again since RIF..



I first joined several football forums to get news on the Broncos.. As where I live the local newspaper and tv stations carry nothing about football other than the cowgirls.

Before the age of the internet, we had to rely on local sports to report on the teams..

Even in the beginning of the internet I could rarely get information on what was really happening.. I joined the forums for other folks opinions and any news tha=et seemd to have..

As I did not have all day to "play" on the internet,like many of Y'all seem to do..

Now that I'm retired I seem to have other priorities that doing this..

as for politics none of the other forums had as many morons on it as this one does.. so when things are slow it only seemed appropriate to poke sticks at the ass-clowns..

since the season seems to be starting later today I'll spend very little time replying to any political posts I may post..

Like I said I'll have better things to do than trying to changes Dumos minds about nobama.. Hopefully talk football in my limited time on here..

As for Anger issues to few and far between to worry about but thanks for caring...

Translation: I believe what I believe. I don't question my beliefs. I don't know enough about history or politics to even explain or defend my beliefs. But I'm a total, partisan tool and I like to sit on my ass and watch Fox News and then come in here, regurgitate what I've heard, and insult people who don't agree with my beliefs...

That is, when I'm not waving my shot gun at kids crossing my lawn.

[Blart]

Translation:
I tried to join the discussion with this awesome fox news link, but you guys laughed at me, so ummm, I didn't mean it, I was just trolling.

[lonestar]

hey if you morons don't want to hear the other side, ignore the posts I could give a rats ass..

all your cutesy pumping smoke up each others ass does not bother me at all..

I sleep real good at night..

[ghwk]

Anger anger anger....

[Bob]

Anger anger anger....

It may be better for folks (left or right) to vent on a forum such as this, then in the real world like with the anti capitalist protesters who organize protests titled the "day of rage."

"A New York Police Department spokeswoman today confirmed the group’s claim that approximately 80 people were arrested Saturday, mainly for disorderly conduct and obstructing vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
“One person was arrested for assaulting a police officer,” she said."
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/09/occupy-wall-street-protests-turn-violent-video-shows-police-macing-women/

leftist violence is common now days -- I dont know why this is true, but it is a fact that should concern you.

[ghwk]

Problem is is he would deny how was venting because that would be admitting he's pissd off instead of just trolling as he proclaims to be doing.

You Are just silly by throwing in a quote about leftist violence. Non sequitur.