When business and politics don’t mix

It didn’t take long before I got an email suggesting NOT to shop at the following businesses because of their support of the Tea Party.

It’s this kind of partisan BS that is killing our country. However I can tell you that my company has lost business because I choose to take a political stand. From the DDN article (and the e-mail)

The local merchant then gives 5 percent of the sale revenue to the local Tea party chapter to help fund rallies.

Participating businesses:

  • Anderson Mechanical Associates, LLC
  • B & K Heating, Inc.
  • Beef O’Brady’s Family Sports Pub
  • Cool Solutions Heating & Air Conditioning
  • D.A.R.E. Automotive Specialists,Inc.
  • Essex & Associates, Inc.
  • Essex HR & Associates
  • Evans BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen
  • Flash Quick Copy, Inc.
  • G.L. Dart General Contracting/A-1 Roofing
  • Gamber Family Dental
  • Graphic Impact
  • HouseMaster Home Inspections and Radon Testing
  • Marketing Consultants
  • McAfee Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
  • O’Learys Pub & Grub
  • Reiber Cleaners, Inc.
  • Rich Roofing
  • Right at Home-Dayton
  • Ryan B. Walker CPA Inc.
  • Safeguard Print & Promo
  • Screen Works, Inc.
  • Tea Party Payroll, LLC
  • The Accounting & Business Coach
  • The Bronze Salon Tanning

via List of businesses participating in Tea Party discounts.

As a marketing consultant I can tell you that almost all cause marketing can have unexpected consequences. Recently even Target, which has made a major effort to be “Gay friendly” got caught for a donation to an anti-gay marriage candidate in Minnesota.

The sad part of the email blast to me- is that all of these are small local business people. This is a drop in the bucket of our local political machine.

Never mind that the big companies, with their political action committees, do much more harm to the political system. NCR used to be a cash trough for a certain Congressman, and if you look at the “non-profit” hospital groups’ executive teams, you are looking at more political donation juice than all of these independent businesses will generate.

Boycotts are nice, but if we want real change, what we need is campaign finance reform- eliminate all political donations- and we might start to see the results we want.

And btw- the comments on the DDN seem to indicate that this isn’t such a hot idea either.

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