Found that list!

[emmagrant01]

Be aware which corporations helped re-elect Bush. Vote with your pocketbook this holiday season. With the holidays upon us, some of us might wish to be mindful of who we patronize relative to their political donations, as reported by the Center for Responsive Politics.



Shopping?

Price Club/Costco donated $225K, of which 99% went to democrats
WalMart/Sam's Wholesale, $467K, 97% to republicans
K-Mart, $524K, 86% to republicans
Home Depot, $298K, 89% to republicans
Target, $226K, 70% to republicans
Circuit City Stores, $261K, 95% to republicans
Rite Aid, $517K, 60% to democrats
Magla Products (Stanley tools, Mr. Clean), $22K, 100% to democrats
3M Co., $281K, 87% to republicans
Hallmark Cards, $319K, 92% to republicans
Amway, $391K, 100% republican
Kohler Co. (plumbing fixtures), $283K, 100% republicans
Warnaco (undergarments), $55K, 73% to democrats
B.F. Goodrich (tires), $215K, 97% to republicans
Proctor & Gamble, $243K, 79% to republicans
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, $153K, 99% to democrats
Estee Lauder, $448K, 95% to democrats
Guess ? Inc., $145K, 98% to democrats
Calvin Klein, $78K, 100% to democrats
Liz Claiborne, Inc., $34K, 97% to democrats
Levi Straus, $26K, 97% to democrats
Olan Mills, $175K, 99% to democrats

Spirits?

Coors, $174K, 92% to republicans; (also Budweiser - sd)
Gallo Winery, $337K, 95% to democrats
Brown-Forman Corp. (Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, Bushmills, Korbel wines - as well as Lennox China, Dansk, Gorham Silver), $644, 80% to republicans
Southern Wine & Spirits, $213K, 73% to democrats
Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons (includes beverage business, plus considerable media interests), $2M+, 67% democrats.

Hungry?

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. (chicken), $366K, 100% republican
Outback Steakhouse, $641K, 95% republican
Sonic Corporation, $83K, 98% democrat
Tricon Global Restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), $133K, 87% republican
Brinker International (Maggiano's, Brinker Cafe, Chili's, On the Border, Macaroni Grill, Crazymel's, Corner Baker, EatZis), $242K, 83% republican
Triarc Companies (Arby's, T.J. Cinnamon's, Pasta Connections),>$112K, 96% democrats
Waffle House, $279K, 100% republican
McDonald's Corp., $197K, 86% republican
Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Smokey Bones, Bahama Breeze), $121K, 89% republican

Traveling?

Hyatt Corporation, $187K, 80% to democrats
Mariott International, $323K, 81% to republicans
Holiday Inns, $38K, 71% to republicans.

Comments

[batagur.livejournal.com]

Amazon.com- republicans

Barnes and Nobles- democrats

Borders Books and Music- democrats

[tehlils.livejournal.com]

But Borders and Amazon are business buddies online. So if you order from Borders.com does that contribute toward Amazon or to Borders? :\

[batagur.livejournal.com]

Boarders may be teamed with Amazon.com but Borders Group is it's own corperation on the NYSE. I suspect that profits make strange political bedfellows.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I'm bummed about Amazon. I buy lots of things there. *sighs* Well, the internet is a big place, so I can find another way!

[phaballa.livejournal.com]

I will preface this by saying that I'm a very very liberal democrat and I actually wish we were socialist. However...

The problem I have with boycotting businesses is that it doesn't really hurt the corporation very much, if at all. Who it does hurt are all the people who work at those corportations and depend on that income to live. Boycotts on a small level like this don't work because corportations can afford to lose money, but their employees can't. It's interesting to see which corps donated to what party, but even so, boycotts just hurt the working poor, not the corporations.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

You're right, but that's what a boycott is. And they do have an impact. The people who boycotted the buses in Alabama in the 60s endangered the jobs of the bus drivers, mechanics, and gas companies, but changed the system. Remember the tuna boycotts of the 80's? People began refusing to buy tuna because of the companies' unsound environmental practices, and yeah -- that hurt fisherman and the people who worked for those companies. But it changed the way those companies did business.

I could go on and on. Boycotts stopped many companies from testing products and animals, had an impact on breaking apartheid in South Africa, and helped labor unions win benefits for workers. Boycotting has always been a huge part of politics in this country. Remember the Boston Tea Party? Boycotting has even forced corporations like Wal-Mart to become more community-friendly.

From this article (http://www.psac.com/bargaining/treasuryboard/Table_3/sweatshop-e.shtml):

"Some politicians, business leaders and academics argue that, if we boycotted goods made by underpaid foreign workers, we would be depriving them of their livelihood, as meagre as it may be. But this claim is as spurious today as it was in Victorian times, when it was advanced to rationalize the use of child labour."

Boycotts on a small level like this don't work because corportations can afford to lose money, but their employees can't.

Well, they can work, if enough people do them. And I'm still spending my money. I'm just choosing Arby's over McDonald's, the Hiatt over the Marriott, and so on. So the people who work for those companies will benefit. Why should I willingly patronize a company that supported the Bush administration when I could choose one that didn't?

[phaballa.livejournal.com]

You shouldn't patronize a company whose policies you don't agree with. I never shop at WalMart because they don't let their workers unionize. But I have 3 arguments about this.
1) If this were a nation-wide, overwhelming boycott, awesome. WalMart would feel it. They'd be hurting. But I can't see Americans getting up in arms over WalMart donating money to the Republican party considering that a slight majority of Americans voted for Bush.
2) Considering that, I think a boycott should be about something more. Some of these corps are pretty evil (WalMart) and that's enough reason. I personally don't think corps should be allowed to donate to political parties at all, but since they can, who are we to tell them which ones to donate to? It's their choice, and boycotting because of that would be hypocritical.
3) You have a choice of where to buy things, but (and I've worked with the homeless closely) a lot of the people who work there *don't*. And they will suffer. Therefor if there's going to be a boycott, I'd want it to be something worth costing the working poor their jobs. Not because we're upset about the election.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Re 1: I wish more people would boycott Wal-Mart. There are plenty of reasons not to shop there, and this is one of a large list as far as I'm concerned! :-P

Re 2: Well, boycotting is defintely a very personal thing. Someone commented on an earlier post that she still boycotts Fruit of the Loom, ever since they laid her husband off years ago. It makes her feel better to not buy their products. The company's not hurting, for sure, but that doesn't mean she should give up her personal vendetta.
It's their choice, and boycotting because of that would be hypocritical.
I disagree. It is their choice, but it's my choice too! It would be hypocritical of me to shop there knowing what they support.

Re 3: This point is assuming that the boycott works at all, though you argue elsewhere that it won't. I do see your point, but if a whole bunch of people choose to spend their money in particular stores because of what the parent companies support, the employees of those companies will benefit. Heck, they might even hire more people, and their stock will go up, and the other company will wonder what they did to lose so many customers. So yeah, that seems pretty unlikely. But my point is that it makes me feel better. Every time I walk into a McDonalds, I will feel like a hypocrite.

I'd want it to be something worth costing the working poor their jobs. Not because we're upset about the election.

But many of the companies who sent a lot of money to the Republican party are out-sourcing jobs overseas -- costing the working poor their jobs! So perhaps choosing a different company to support would actually help the folks you're thinking of get and keep jobs.

[phaballa.livejournal.com]

It's funny that I'm arguing this because I actually agree with you. I mean... I'm a vegetarian because I don't like the way the meat industry treats animals, the environment, etc. So I won't support it by eating meat. And I realize my sacrifice means nothing to the industry, but I have these ideals I can't seem to stop listening to. And I don't shop at WalMart, or the Gap, or anywhere the Gap owns. But I have a very politically savvy roommate who constantly shoots holes in my ideals. It's sort of like...it makes me feel better to boycott and that's why I do it. But as a political statement it means next to nothing. She's also explained to me why outsourcing is good (something about turning from a manufacturing nation into a technology/service nation, but I still think that until we fix the way schools are funded, that argument is a flop).

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

*grins* I really do understand that this is a bit of a pointless gesture, but I guess it makes me feel better, you know?

I would seriously like to be a vegetarian for the very reasons you list, but it would probably cause serious problems in my marriage! :-P

[phaballa.livejournal.com]

Plus, meat tastes good. I miss it a lot. For Christmas my mom bought me cruelty free, environmentally sound bacon. Mmmm. I've been rationing it :P

[azure-k-mello.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine works for this program that goes around to schools teaching kids about the Nike sweatshops. In that speech he tells those kids not to boycott Nike because it hurts the people in the sweatshops so much more than the people in power. He says instead to buy the shoes and then cut off all the insignias on them and to send them back to the company with a note saying how deplorable they thought the company was and that they refuse to advertise for them. And actually he's a coach of some little league team so all the kids got the shoes, cut off all the stuff, made pile of them, took pictures, and then took pictures of it burning and sent that to the company too. It was kinda funny.

[elocinoco.livejournal.com]

And what do you do when you have no choice? The community I live in is small. All of the grocery stores in the area supported Republican candidates. Do I not buy groceries? Do I spend extra money every month and drive an hour to buy food out of town? And the gas stations...there's one Shell station in town. Twenty minutes from where I live, it's not feasible for me to burn more gas and drive to buy it at that service station. I appreciate the fact the feel so strongly about this, and I support your right to do as you like. I think boycotts are effective protests. That said, in some situations, people simply don't have a choice. And neither do the people who work for these "republican" companies. The only thing they see, democrat or republican, is the fact the don't have a paycheck because people boycotted the company. So the sacrifice is worth the gain? I don't know. Is possibly putting someone out of work and on the street a good idea? I see both sides of this coin. *shrugs* We all make choices, and most of the time never think of implications. I just wish people thought about things more.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

This is all about making a choice between two equally convenient options. If you don't have a choice, there's not much you can do about it! I don't think anyone is insisting that no one EVER patronize any of these businesses again. It's more along the lines of, "if you have to choose between A and B, here's a reason to choose A".

With that said, if someone really feels strongly enough about it, they might go as far as you indicate. It would make their life really difficult, but it might make them feel like they were doing something positive. (I mean, isn't that why many people become vegans? It's a bit of a challenge to live your life that way, but many people do it anyway, even in small towns where the grocery stores don't cater to that lifestyle.) I don't know if I would do that, personally. I'm too lazy! :-P I'd find another way to be a positive force for change.

[blythely.livejournal.com]

That icon is so bloody brilliant. :-)

[lauramcewan.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to figure out if my company, J&J, were listed anywhere. I honestly don't know where they'd fall.

[lauramcewan.livejournal.com]

I work for their babycenter.com website. :)

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

The trouble with this list is that it's too simplistic about where the money goes...because there are more republicans in power, more money will go to them, because companies donate to people who are already in a position to get things done. So companies like Amazon, with a fairly even percentage (it's 61% to Republicans) are frequently dealing with issues rather than people. On the other hand, companies like WalMart are just evil, and should be boycotted to destruction. ;)

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure all of that information is public, so you could probably look it up if you wanted to. I simply don't want to patronize companies that give a lot of money to the Republican party if I have another choice. I don't particularly care why they did it. Fawning to people in power is no excuse.

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

You can; I looked it up and there was a website but I've lost the link (also I'm only online for a few minutes more, but if you remind me later I'll dig it out.) It's not really "fawning". Companies give money to certain causes, and if the person heading the committee in charge of that cause or whatever is a Republican, then it shows up as giving money to a republican. Example: a company is against outsourcing jobs because they have a care for ethical business practises. To make their influence heard, they donate money to campaigns, because that is how you get things done in politics. Joe Republican is also against outsourcing, whereas John Republican is for it, so the company gives money to Joe. John is getting so much campaign money from WalMart that Joe needs a lot of help to beat him. See where this goes? I'm not trying to tell you where to spend your money, I just think that looking at business practises is more effective: "I should shop locally at the co-op rather than go to WalMart, because WalMart runs other companies out of business so people lose their jobs, then hires them at minimum wage, and is destroying the American standard of living."

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I just think that looking at business practises is more effective

Oh, you're absolutely right about that. But if I have no other reason to choose company A over company B, picking the one that contributed money to democratic campaigns seems to be reasonable. :-)

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Yayyy! Now I can buy Republican!

*thinks happily of small fortune spent over the years at Amazon*

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

You should definitely put your money where your mouth is! ;-)

[shezan.livejournal.com]

And a sociological comment: at first glance, basic food is Republican, trendy clothes are Democrat...

[coconutswirl.livejournal.com]

Meaning?

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Right now, not much. I don't think you can draw a lot from the current division of votes; but someone like Michael Barone may hae better insights.

[coconutswirl.livejournal.com]

No, no. I meant what does this observation has to do with the discussion upthread? It seemed like a complete change of topic and I wondered if you could explain what appears to me as a complete leap of logic?

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Er... for the sake of conversation? Y'know, listening to what the other is saying, commenting on it, bringing new information about it, etc?

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'd say it's the huge low-price super-retailers who are Republican and the small chains and independent brand names that are Democratic.

*sticks tongue out*

[aidenfire]

Heh, on a similar topic, the first thing I noticed, particularly in the first category, was that a great deal of "trendy", "cool" brands were Democrat, and places like Wal-Mart, and Target, and K-Mart--places where no one really goes to get stylish things--are Republican.

[belleweather.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Now all I have to remember to do is write nasty letters to republican-dontaing corporations letting them know that I won't be shopping there anymore. :) Thank god for mad mail-merging skillz. I knew they would be good for something other than futile attempts to get a job. :)