When business and politics don’t mix

On the macro level, you’re right.  Big money politics is killing America slowly.
On the micro level, I’ll note a widespread sentiment.  Many people who might support the Tea Party are also thinking of avoiding those businesses.  I for one will choose a business based on my perception of quality and service, and when a business starts advancing a political agenda, it’s fair to wonder if they’re taking their eyes off their core mission.
This is not to say that individuals should avoid politics, but rather that no business should make politics a part of their operations–unless they are by nature political, such as campaign consultants, some polling firms, and of course the political parties.  The practice smells like vote-buying.
It also smells of prejudice.  What would be said if they offered a discount to Jews, or hispanics, or neo-Nazis, or card-carrying Communists?
Just set a fair price and leave your politics outside your workplace.  That goes not only for owners/managers, but also for employees–take off your campaign button while you’re on the job.  Bring back professionalism.

The Tea Party is not a party nor a movement, but rather a temper tantrum.

The boycot has been an effective  political tactic in domestic politics going back to the colonial era. The modern labor movement was born during auto worker sit-downs (read: labor boycots) during the 1930s. Ceasar Chavez used  the boycott of California Central Valley fruit and produce to gain basic employment rights for farmworkers during the ’60s.  Martin Luther King…

The boycot is domocracy at its nonviolent (for the most part) best.

No bout adoubt it, the Tea Party phenomena has got the usual suspects in the media and Esrati.com doing the old drop and roll. At first, the media tried to portray these citizen activists as a rally of the American League of People who Married their First Cousins, but this attempt failed. Later, when demographic studies conducted by none other than the New York Times revealed these folks to be more mature, wealthier and better educated than typical Americans, they were caricatured as being racist. But  despite reaching down and deep into their trick bags to discredit the Tea Parties  (including attendance by Democrat party provocateurs carrying the racists signs David Esrati uses to demean the phenomena) attendance at and sympathy for the movement grows. It is a fact of American political life that nothing scares the entrenched and powerful more than a movement that is beyond the control and influence of their media or Hollywood toadies. And in a political culture that constantly bemoans the lack of fire and enthusiasm for political  activism, why would this particular groundswell be villified? Furthermore, why should business, knowing the life success at a typical Tea Party, want to ignore this highly desirable demographic? The Old Bandito’s only surprise about the number of sympathetic merchants is that the list is not longer with a couple of luxury car dealers thrown in. And such activism, when it is donating buckets of money to causes sympathetic to the left (think Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream) are lauded by the media. No dear David, the Tea Party isn’t going away until the reason for the Tea Party’s formation goes away, and that may as soon as an upcoming Tuesday in November…….

Hm.  Bandito, as a card-carrying member of AAA and AARP, I wonder about your knowledge level.
Yes, both organizations do political advocacy.  But note that neither group endorses candidates.  AAA only concerns itself with transportation and travel industry issues, AARP with the interests of its elderly members (gosh, this is the first time I’ve called myself elderly!).  As such, the organizations are no different from, say, the oil industry, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the charter school movement, or PFLAG.
I am able to tell the difference between advocacy and political fund-raising.  Are you?