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| Starbucks Chief Calls for Political Donation Boycott | |||
| 2011-08-17 | |||
[An Nahar] Starbucks coffee chain chief Howard Schultz has brewed up a plan to force polarized U.S. politicians to compromise on a way to reduce the swollen U.S. deficit: Dry up their campaign donations.
"Our country is better than this," he said in the appeal, accusing politicians of having squandered "our collective confidence in each other, in the future, and in our ability to solve problems together." Schultz looked ahead to the next phase of the bitter battling over the debt, with a December 23 deadline for the U.S. Congress to approve at least 1.2 trillion dollars over ten years in deficit-cutting measures. "We aim to push our elected leaders to face the nation's long-term fiscal challenges with civility, honesty, and a willingness to sacrifice their own re-election," he said. Schultz said Americans want to see their representatives reach a deal "long before the deadline arrives" and consider "all options" from cuts to cherished social safety net programs to increases in taxes. "That is why we today pledge to withhold any further campaign contributions to the President and all members of Congress until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger long-term fiscal footing," he said.
"Our companies are going to hire. We are going to accelerate growth, employment, and investment in jobs," he said. "Confidence is contagious. The best thing we can do now is to spread it." "We don't pretend that our two pledges are quick fixes. We just believe that in this moment of great uncertainty, the government needs discipline, the people need jobs -- and leaders need to lead," said Schultz.
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| Posted by:Fred |
| #20 Good to hear, SteveS. It's getting hard to tell.... |
| Posted by: Barbara 2011-08-17 23:07 |
| #19 Well, of COURSE he wants a donation boycott, now that many of Obama's donors are likely to shift more heavily to the Right than to the Left .... |
| Posted by: lotp 2011-08-17 21:15 |
| #18 I read an article by a British columnist who thought they had done a good job addressing their spending problems, until witnessing how the House Pubs were doing/did this summer, and felt how little they had done. Also, talking heads mentioned something about a balanced budget ammendment, likely to innoculate themselves from being forced to pick the EU tab. Both of which are fiscal responsibility, which the TEA Party advocates. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-08-17 19:05 |
| #17 since I can't for the life of me imagine how the Tea Party's influence reaches across the Atlantic. SteveS, I've read that there are independently self-organized TEA (taxed enough already) party groups in England, and somewhere in Europe -- Germany, perhaps? google it, no doubt the answer will pop up. We always have been a subversive influence; there are those who claim the French Revolution was a response to the success of the American one...but of course they put their own stamp on it. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-08-17 18:47 |
| #16 That was me, Barbara. Just channeling some Democratic Party talking-point spouting media weasel I heard on the news yesterday. I figure the sark tags are implicit here at the 'Burg. Maybe they are in the news media too, since I can't for the life of me imagine how the Tea Party's influence reaches across the Atlantic. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2011-08-17 17:40 |
| #15 Nope. Not me. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I wouldn't name a sock-puppet 'SteveS' LOLs |
| Posted by: Shakey Steve 2011-08-17 17:37 |
| #14 You left off your sarc tag, SteveS. Or is that you, Shakey? |
| Posted by: Barbara 2011-08-17 17:24 |
| #13 If they're looking for that, shouldn't they be donating to the TEA party folks Indeed. With their ability to cause economic disruption not only at home, but throughout Europe too, the Tea Party is the most powerful force on the planet and a danger to all carbon-based life. The only hope is to try and buy them off. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2011-08-17 15:54 |
| #12 He said "footing" not "looting"... |
| Posted by: Shakey Steve 2011-08-17 14:52 |
| #11 "that sets our nation on stronger long-term fiscal footing" If they're looking for that, shouldn't they be donating to the TEA party folks, or at least to the Repubilicans? |
| Posted by: JonC 2011-08-17 13:30 |
| #10 If I go back and look, will I find that Mr. "All those politicians are rotten" was donating predominantly to democrats? Oh, look, an already filled out link to Open Secrets... Patty Murray, John Edwards, Barack Obama, Max Baucus, and some other democrats. No republicans. While there are a lot of republicans I _don't_ like, I can at least find some I do, which is more than I can say for the democrats. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-08-17 12:35 |
| #9 The only trouble with the Lysistrata analogy is that politicians and donors are more akin to siamese twins than spouses. |
| Posted by: Spot 2011-08-17 12:12 |
| #8 "Our companies are going to hire. We are going to accelerate growth, employment, and investment in jobs," he said. "Confidence is contagious. The best thing we can do now is to spread it." What am I missing? Spread "confidence" by ending private participation in the process and donations? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-08-17 11:48 |
| #7 "Our companies are going to hire. We are going to accelerate growth, employment, and investment in jobs," he said. "Confidence is contagious. The best thing we can do now is to spread it." "of course the tax breaks and favorable treatment gained through political influence will help..." |
| Posted by: Pappy 2011-08-17 11:40 |
| #6 "Think of it as a variation on the Lysistrata tactic." TW for Snarkess of the Day |
| Posted by: Chaque Sproing8625 2011-08-17 11:37 |
| #5 I would think he was serious about reform, if he wasn't a complete lefty. Sorry Junior, you don't pass the smell test. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2011-08-17 10:29 |
| #4 This rings as hollow as Warren Buffett's bloviation the other day, which pleasantly enough, was greeted with a tidal wave of cynicism by the peanut gallery. People are wising up to such bulldada. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-08-17 09:05 |
| #3 ..the government needs discipline.. Haven't seen either fiscal restraint or restraint from regulatory self empowerment in decades by either party, what has changed to altered that behavior now? /rhet question |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-08-17 08:58 |
| #2 What he says is truth. If only he others would follow these words. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2011-08-17 07:33 |
| #1 Opensecrets.org: Howard Schultz Starbucks CEO Quite the political campaign donor slut. |
| Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 2011-08-17 02:45 |