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

[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.