There is an opportunity for all of us to act locally and find out which businesses supported Bush and which supported Kerry and shop and purchase accordingly.

Could there be added to the site local forums for posting businesses' political information, including campaign contributions and lobbying activity?

Personally, I think that's a good idea. The thing is, I don't know of any businesses that supported Kerry where I live, but several that supported Bush. A good friend who was an entrepreneur once said that it was a bad idea for a business to get too political, because you're gonna lose half of your customers doing that. I've already started boycotting these businesses that proudly displayed their Bush signs. Maybe they don't know what they're missing, but here's how this works. I knew a campaign worker who was insulted by a restaurant owner because the guy was wearing his Kerry gear; that person told me, and soon, it was spread throughout our county to avoid that particular restaurant. (I told everybody I knew at a Democratic Women's meeting about it). They are losing a lot of business, and with our economy, it isn't smart to alienate half of your customers. Many, many businesses have gone under during the past four years, so it doesn't help jump from the frying pan into the fire.

A lot of the lobbying and campaign information is public record. I'm hoping that it is likely that some members of this new forum will have easy access to this information and will post it.

I would like to see links, perhaps by state, where this information could be easily accessed.

I already do that to a point, but I would like a more comprehensive list of who to avoid.

So basically, the object here is to put people out of work and adversely affect the economy? How is that going to help our country as a whole? I thought part of the Kerry platform was to create more jobs... not endanger them.

Actually the object is to support the busineses that support the values and beliefs that we support and believe. If that means putting some people out of business, while those that support the issues that we support flourish - needing to hire more employees etc., so be it.

Once again hurting the economy and making things worse for all of us. It also creates further divisiveness and serves only to drive our country closer to open rebellion. So much for being against conflict and war.

I'm doing the same. I'd like to see a Topic with subdivisions for States, then Counties under that, ala the State-by-State action forums in the old Kerry board. A good starting point would be to post (at the root topic) the list of major corporate donors (pro and con) that was posted on the Kerry forum.

I live in a repub county, but have learned of some cool places, mostly from wearing a Kerry button. I've also learned of a number of places to avoid. I've given up going to my favorite apple cider mill, because they are neocons. I'd gladly post these as a starting point if we had a structure in place.

This is EXACTLY what we should do: reward our allies, punish our enemies.

Republican policies are geared to supporting the globalization economy which destroys jobs locally...the WalMart effect. Check out this article and try to visualize a local currency to bolster your local economy !

http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/currencypiece.html

See what Kerry's people could have been pointing us to yet what the big oil companies are trying to keep us dependent upon... Big Oil and the globalization economy go hand in hand along with dependence upon Middle East oil, war and war profiteering... the same old racket !

At this point I'm boycotting so many businesses I can't buy anything

The only people I'm still happy with is the local Indian Restaurant.

Does Amazon support Republicans? I sure hope not...please say no?

Has anyone ever tried to go buy kids back to school supplies and clothes made in the US? I can't seem to do it...let me know if you can.

I'm beginning to buy things from abroad, from the country of my choosing rather than go to a store nearby and get the same product from a country I don't want to buy anything from. It's working for most stuff, but not as much as I would like.

I don't think it will be divisive...because it will just make business less likely to give disproportiately to candidates. That's okay because that just leaves the deciding factor up to the people. This is capitalism right? Vote with your money, and they will vote with their money...what else can we do?

Those businesses that benefit from an increase in business will hire more people. There will be no net loss. The benefit is that businesses will start to learn that corporations, like organised religion, should stay the heck out of governement!!!

I'm already boycotting some local businesses, as well as Walmart, Target, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. I'm sure there were many others on the Sinclair sponsors list, but I'm not into the nitpicking of products. I'm pretty picky about things that I actually use, and I'm hyperutilitarian. Most of the time, I shop at thrift stores for stuff, out of habit now rather than necessity (all those years of graduate school, sheesh )!:lol: The point is, the economy is suffering already, and I don't see why I shouldn't at least withhold my support of the jerkwads. Money talks, bush*t walks, like Walking Eagle! Seriously, I'm in punishment mode right now. It's one of the few options I have that's nonviolent, and since making them poor is what hurts them the most, that's the way I want to go!

nevermind, freudian slip:)

This is an idea that occurred to me on Wednesday. I think it's a brilliant one.

I live in Cleveland, Ohio. Maybe I'll start a thread on the Ohio forum.

I refuse to support this rotten regime and its militaristic policies. I want to spend what little money I have on businesses that believe what I believe.

Be sure and get involved with the Democratic Party at your local level, many of the members here are the small business owners in your communities and it is a great way to get to know them and support them.

http://www.opensecrets.org/

You can look up who contributed what, to whom.
Search by zipcode for local contributors.

this is a funny thread, for me, cause a few weeks ago i wanted to start a thread about b-c supporters frequenting *democratic* and *progressive* businesses such as the organic supermarkets 'bread and circus' and 'whole foods.' when these businesses first started they were mostly frequented by progressive, organic people like myself. however, now that organic has become hip and is, alas, a status symbol (which it shoudl NOT BE), my organic supermarkets are teeming with b-c people. i could always recognize them since they would turn away in disgust when i'd show up in my kerry gear. one even accosted me in my whole foods!
for them, organic food is not about sustaining the planet but about status and fashion. it annoys me to no end. i also asked my local organic farmer at the farmer's market if he could think of any republican organic farmers here in georgia and he really couldn't. so much for environmental politics!

thanks for allowing me to vent!

Hey I'm no Bush supporter, however penalizing a business because the owner (or execs) contributed to Bush does affect innocent employees and other vendors reliant on those businesses. Perhaps turning attention to those companies that still do business in repressive regimes like Sudan, Saudi Arabia, etc along with those that have domiciled their corporate charters in Bermuda/offshore to avoid federal taxes (i.e. Accenture, Tyco, etc) is a way to get your point across better in an area that all Americans can agree with collectively. Just a thought?

I do believe that continuing to get McCain and Feingold to keep the push on (along with Nader now that he can focus on what he is best at) campaign finance reform is another alternative

You made me laugh... I know what you mean. The problem I find about outsourcing boycotts is that it isn't just big business that purchases products made from outsourced jobs...it is practically everyone. Blame Wal-Mart, but you find the exact same products everywhere else too.

"At this point I'm boycotting so many businesses I can't buy anything "

You have a good point!

all

I think the idea of an alternative 'local currency' as the E F Schumacher Society website shows is a great idea. This was done during experiments by the (MA) Springfield Union newspaper and it works to keep local money local and providing capital for more local jobs. A local currency then competes with the globalized currency and most of the time the local currency wins !

http://www.schumachersociety.org/frameset_...currencies.html

I love your "from" line: "Occupied Ohio". It concisely conjures up the vision of a brutally divided America, stemming from the Republican drive for power.

Have they constructed checkpoints yet? I hope they live up to their Geneva Convention responsibilities as an occupier better than they have handled their obligations towards POWs, civilians in war zones and the American laws that forbid torture.

In order for me to boycott local businesses in my county, I would have to sell my horses, buy sheep, buy a spinning wheel, re-learn how to knit, start and tend a garden and learn how to slaughter the sheep. All in a few weeks.

My county's campaign contributions were 97% Republican. Not that the misers really did much: $32,349 out of $33,914. This was contributions over $200 and reported to the FEC. That $32K probably came from 4 or 5 families.

However, I do NOT support the local WalMart. And that funny feeling telling me to not put out yard signs was a good warning. No guts, no glory, but maybe I'll be able to make it til I start collecting SS, if it's still around in another year or so.

I'm still boycotting French products.

Bob

I have made sure not to support Republican owned businesses, or those who support the b-c team. In my town, there are few, but those few don't even bother to employ many people so there will be no job loss when those businesses lose.

Those of us who have businesses and are democrats give more opportunities to our employees. At least that is what I have noticed with the neighboring shops.

I think the arguments against supporting Democratic owned businesses are off base. It will not "harm" the economy, all you will be doing is shifting the revenue from R companies to D companies. In fact it will help shift the power (i.e. money) from R to D control which could only be a good thing for Democrats. Suppliers and employees go where the demand is.

I own a business and the more money I have available the more I contribute. If you can help make a D company more profitable you are going to help increase the funding for the party as well as for the many social programs they support.


M

What about companies that support ClearChannel and Fox? We need to boycott their sponsors!

I've NEVER shopped at WalMart. I don't like the way they treat their poor employees. If boycotting WalMart is a way to hit Republicans in the pocket books, I'm for it, right now. They'll never listen and never feel they HAVE to listen if they never feel any impact on their precious bottom line. We have the right to shop or not shop wherever we damn well please.

Actually, I DO buy French products, if and when I want them. The need simply does not arise very often. Before you bash France too hard, remember, they supported us after 9/11. A fair portion of both world wars in the 20th century were fought on French soil, and they know far more about the effects of war and occupation first hand than we do. And besides.... it would annoy George Bush, which is something I intend to keep right on doing for the next four awful years.

Melissa

I have boycotted a restaurant since Clinton first ran for President because they displayed an anti-Clinton flyer. I have boycotted another restaurant after they changed FRENCH fries to freedom fries. The French didn't want us to fight a war without due cause. It is ridiculous to fault them for DOING THE RIGHT THING!

I am a small business owner who has proudly been supporting John Kerry and John Edwards. I have no political signs on my building but do have a bumper sticker on my car. I really do not want to take this off, but know that my business might be suffering as a result. On the other hand, the other Kerry supporters I have met through being a Kerry volunteer, have indicated when the time arises for them, they will chose my company to work with.

I would like for someone to start a website indicating which businesses are Democrat or Progressive friendly. I would gladly list my company on it.