Panic In DC As Starbucks' Schultz Calls For CEO Boycott Of Campaign Donations, Urges Americans To Go On Strike Against Their Politicians
In today's most underreported news of the day, which could potentially have the biggest impact on the future of America, none other than America's CEOs, or at least one of them: Starbucks' Howard Schultz, has mass blasted an email to fellow CEOs asking for a consensual boycott on donating to political campaigns in order to encourage the nation's muppets, elsewhere idiotically called "leaders", to solve America's budget and debt impasse. Bloomberg quotes from the CEO's e-mail to business leaders:"I am asking that all of us forego political contributions until the Congress and the President return to Washington and deliver a fiscally disciplined long-term debt and deficit plan to the American people." Cue panic, terror, homicidal and suicidal screeching, and overall sheer existential angst in D.C., whose critters suddenly face the nightmare scenario of having no corporate bribes, period, until they get to do their job.
Should Schultz' proposal gain traction, this could be the most revolutionary proposal to leadership reform since the advent of the corporatocracy. Yet as optimistic and idealistic as we are, we fail to see how corporations will all join into this mass game theory experiment, where the benefits for defection get exponentially greater as more and more people join and decide to cooperate. Oh well, it was a great idea while it lasted. And as for Schultz' own donation record, here is Politico: Schultz’s most recent donation was the $2,500 maximum to Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) in March. He’s also given thousands in previous cycles to Democrats including President Barack Obama, and one-time Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. He’s also given to Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.)." At least some democrats are certainly sweating it if Schultz decideds to proceed unilaterally with this threat (unless of course it is nothing more than a PR stunt).
From Bloomberg:
Schultz, 58, joined Starbucks about three decades ago and later served as CEO until in 2000. He took the reins again in 2008 amid slumping sales growth after the company expanded too rapidly. The Starbucks leader has spoken on issues such as the high price of coffee, which he says is driven by market speculation.
He also encouraged fellow business leaders in the e-mail to “voice your perspective publicly” and said that “businesses need to do all they can to accelerate job creation.”
Corey duBrowa, a spokesman for Seattle-based Starbucks, said the e-mail was sent last night and dated Aug. 15.
Politico completes:
Schultz said “businesses need to do all they can to accelerate job creation.” And, in his message to employees, he said Starbucks would do just that. The company’s “innovative, global growth and new distribution channels will continue to create full- and part-time jobs, and not just in the U.S., but in the more than 50 countries where we operate,” he wrote.
The idea is, naturally, noble enough:
What Schultz wants to see, he said in that interview, is for Americans to go on strike against their politicians.
“The fundamental problem is that the lens through which Congress approaches issues is reelection. The lifeblood of their reelection campaigns is political contributions,” Schultz said. Whether big donors or small ones, Americans should stop giving and see if it galvanizes Washington to act.
“The debt crisis is really the symbol of a larger problem, which is that our leaders are not leading,” he added. “America’s leaders need to put their feet in the shoes of working Americans…. Instead, all they think about is their own political self-interest.”
Once again, should this idea gain traction, it may prove to be the most (r)evolutionary development in US politics in decades. Which is precisely why we are confident it will never be mentioned again: good luck getting Wall Street firms, for whom 80% of their business model is bribing their DC muppets with pocket change, to pledge their participation in this program.
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there'll be no Frappuccino for you
In late breaking news the EPA has announced that high levels of pesticides have been discovered in Starbucks coffee. A cease and desist order has been issued to the company to stop selling coffee at all of their stores until a full investigation can be completed.
And further...
The US Congress has announced the formation of a Super Commitee to investigate the connection between Starbucks and the S&P, flash crashes, and insider trading prior to S&Ps downgrade.
And the SEC is investigating accounting irregularities at the firm.
I can see the headlines in a few days: Gulfstream explodes in mid-air with SB CEO aboard.
i doubt it man. Starbucks is zionist controlled corporation. he would not be doing this if it was not part of the script.
Bingo! Starbucks just LOVES Israel.
Fuck the establishment, fuck the ZOG occupied MSM, and fuck the ZOG occupied government.
I'm voting for Ron Paul even if I have to write him in while voting against every incumbent on the ballot.
I'm voting for Ron Paul even if I have to write him in while ...
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More RON ick
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Check out the following website. If this gets up and running in time, it will allow a Presidential candidate like Paul to win even if he gets sidelined by the MSM and the GOP.
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This makes the idea of a write-in President a little less moronic, in fact.
Check out the following website. If this gets up and running in time, it will allow a Presidential candidate like Paul to win even if he gets sidelined by the MSM and the GOP.
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Why wasn't this thought of in 2008?
We wouldn't be in the center of the pickle we are now ...
Are we SMARTER now or WHAT?
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Dear Piggy,
dont you have someone to hand cuff and shoot in the back?
dont you have someone to taze and beat to death with 5 of your Piggy friends?
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Say it with me.. FUCK YOU NAZI PIG!
Somehow I don't think an oligarch witholding funds from congress to help spur austerity is in any danger.
If he'd said "cut pentagon spending" or "let's audit the Fed" that would be a different story.
Exactly
Don't Worry, The Supreme Court has already dictated: We the Sheeple are for and by the Corportations of America.
Good News Alert: Campaign contributions limit has been raised to $5,000 per person. Corporation limit is now 50 Zillion.
In other words, there is no limit for corporations. They own our political system. Shultz is a asshole if he thinks this will work.
Another way of thinking about it. The rich control the USA. We have given up our freedoms with the Patriot Act in the name of being safe. LOL
Where di he talk about austerity? By the looks of who he has donated to in the past he's probably pissed the gubbamint isn't giving him money to subsidize his coffee. Just think of all the jobs he could create if he could sell his coffee for a dime a cup!
When there is talk of budget cuts it usually involves austerity measures.
And lo and behold, it found that a lot of the profit was being skimmed and sent to bank accounts in Israel.
-Chumblez.
Nice to see you Chumba :-)
"Hey, nice coffee place you have here. It'd be a pity if something happened to it!" You're in luck, the governemnt, in the form of its elected elite, sell insurnace at reasonable rates, like $2500 or so!
in other news, the Federal Reserve & TBTF banks offered unlimited credit to any Starbucks' customers + the military industrial complex revealed Osama bin Laden was secretly plotting terrorist attacks with all of Starbucks' competitors... in gratitude for their now complete mononpoly over political contributions.
oh boy, does XOM own any tanks or tow missles ? Corporate military campaigns bitches!
Lil too much Java drinking will affect your optimism neurons
He's actually a pretty good manager and does a lot for his employees. I respect him...
he's still a growth monkey...I love how they replaced the other CEO as sales slumped. I mean news fucking flash...at what point did they think the market for $5 coffees could grow to infinity?
+ infinity
i often feel like slapping both the bloomberg and cnbc commentators when they start talking about growth!!
Dumb Lib.
This guy wants us to pay $8 for a cup of coffee. He can go fornicate himself.
Bit of an exag..most ive paid is 4£
It's still a cheap place to nurse a coffee, get free wifi and let unemployed look productive on laptops.
He pays in dollars which are worth... ummm....
Baltimore metro are tall coffee $1.58 cream and sugar free.
wait for it....
wait for it...
please the shrill nonscience
a single shot americano is less than 2 bucks
a cup of coffee 1.50
the large foam, and sweets and party drinks are not coffee they are the junkies sweet tooth .
and your day job to delivery the cup of coffee to your female boss
hey! hey!! just becuase I look all metro sexy ordering my foofy drinks all the time in there is no reason to kick me while I hang out with hawt chicks is it?
and have you ever started any thing in business bigger than a lemon aid stand
dont see any one with guns making any one buy a cup..
never happen
Yeah, I can imagine all the other crony capitalists saying... "Shultz, you go first hawhawha".
hmm... sounds like the zionist banker cabal has kicked the austerity push into high gear in the U.S. now.
I'm all for sound money and a balanced budget, BUT we must first REPUDIATE the debt. Our national debt is odious. Sovereign countries do not need to borrow their money from private corporations. Any move towards austerity before repudiation is a travesty on the people - in the support of our current debt. Mr. Shultz must have some Treasuries he wants paid back...
+100
@traderjoe
Now we're talkin!
Yea, to make sure all businesses are protected, the wealthy don't get a tax increase, the normal folks get taxed more and their SS benefits cut and cut all things for the middle class but keep the wealthy flowing.
Uhh... the politicians have never listened to the people, but golly gee they may just listen the the very few corporation owners, who are their masters after all.
Aw, this almost makes me want to to out and buy an overpriced cup of overroasted coffee today.
Overroasted is right! They could decrease costs, increase sales, and help address the energy issue if they'd turn the flamethrowers down a notch or two.
There are usually two roasts offered--if you go with what they used to call "mild," you can actually get a decent cup of coffee.
(The blend I used to prefer was called "Yukon." Medium roast, not burnt to charcoal.)
bullish for Ron Paul's campaign.
Jimmy Roger's endorses Ron Paul for President
That was the very first thing I thought of. Ron isn't a corporate whore for the rent seekers, like the other parasites running for President. This move would put him into the driving seat. However I am sure the CEOs will realise that they need to back one of these candidates, as Ron Paul's vision of free market isn't compatible with their corporatism.
News where I am did it again the other night - they talked all about who came it first and third, and forth in the straw poll. Not one mention of who came in second. Then at the very end, they switched to another reporter who as quickly as he could mentioned Ron Paul and was off the air in a flash. It was absolutely amazing. Never before have I seen something like that. Have no idea what it means yet - but it was interesting nonetheless. Almost could see the invisible hand that night.
Welcome to 2007-2008 again. Snowball fights with Hannity were about the only way to get any press in 2007.
who runs the MSM?
Female Negro Zionists?!?
CHECK UNDER THE BED!
CHECK UNDER THE BED!
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Michael sez:
Check under the FED!
All I find is dust bunnies ...
.
Ron Paul to the Corporate Whore Media is like a cross to Dracula
Zionists are threatened by the Ron Paul ascendancy because Ron Paul advocates an end to foreign aid. And everyone knows what country is the greatest beneficiary of US foreign aid.
super lib Al Hunt of Bloomberg even gave a nod to RP today saying that he will play a role in the republican leadership and policy debate
it is amazing that he would even utter Paul's name
We've tried everything up until now...except the one thing pols understand: bribery.
As we all know too, it is difficult to out bribe the banksters.
These plutocrats sure are shrewd motherf**kers.
They know things are about to blow sky high and now it's time to start covering their asses with publicity stunts like this.
WHOISJOHNGALT.. NUFF SAID..
http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=emp&emp_or_occ=Sta...
I'm sure they'll miss his 9 thousand (star)bucks
now Howie about the $3,000,000++ you've paid to lobbyists since 2005 any thoughts on cutting them off
prick\
http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firmsum.php?id=D000037780&year=2011
The politicians are not worried. They still have insider trading to fall back on.
It's an easy fix, abolish the federal reserve and arrest these criminals!
Would rather see a call for a 10 million unhappy subject march on the capitol with unloaded weapons. No porta potties please, give them a taste of thier own medicine.
An empty firearm is actually about the most dangerous thing I can imagine carrying. Can get you shot and you can't even return fire.
Pass the ammo please.
"It tastes boint!"
- Jackie Mason
WOW!! I SUDDENLY LIKE STARBUCKS EVEN MORE!!
Yea, packing heat while drinking a two dollar coffee.
NICE!
He got his, fuck everyone else.
After seeing what Italy did to Ronald ..... Schultz has taken positive steps to save Euro Starbucks
don't hold your breath for Italian decapitated mermaid statues though- coffee snobbery in Italy means that Starbucks has minimal market presence there...
Going on strike against my politicians would mean no longer paying my taxes. Maybe Starbucks should not withhold any payroll taxes from their employees. There's a thought.
Or stop collecting sales taxes. I'd go there every day if they did that.
Well at least someone is trying something.
Wonder how long before he has problems with the government.
You heard about the bean tariff being imposed to help fight the budget gap?
goodbye Coffee Licence... welcome moonshine coffee...
Not for nothing, but.....
Rather than have the masses pay ungodly sums in increased taxes over the next presidential cycle, wouldn't it be far cheaper and easier if we just created our own political lobbying organizations and competed directly? I mean, every other aspect of our society has thrown in the towel.... We force food on schoolchildren because some people refuse to raise/parent their offspring, police will second that notion, I'm sure. Health-cares mandated, because we're just too stupid to take care of ourselves.
Rather than expect the corrupited political types to do the job they're being paid to, we should all work w/in the system that exists! Put up 1000 bucks, a pittance compared to your 2012 tax-bill increase... and we could have a huge warchest to bribe Washington with.
The system is broken, and since nobody has the cahone's to replace it, we should probably try to work w/ in it, as fighting against it to the current level's done nothing but exacerbate the problem!
You would only be marginalised as <insert invective> or co-opted ourtright. See: Tea party.
The Tea Party was that and it was co-opted in near record time and now has Michelle Bachmann (shiver) as the figurehead. Give me a break! The US needs real leaders, people with spirit and hard-won experience, not these country club jackwagons who don't like getting their hands dirty.
Heh, heh, heh, he said head, heh, heh, heh
I don't think you're paying close enough attention to the reality that is polarized politics. The more money you pump in, the more it motivates "the other side" to compete.
Guess what? That other side has a printing press.
You will never, ever win by playing within their system.
I'm sure Shultzy sent some of those cool Starbuck's free drink coupons in his email list with a promise of free lifetime coupons if you actually respond. In email marketing, a 1% response rate is very good, I'm sure free coffee will send it soaring to 2%. Why the hell does Starbucks contribute anything? Coffee lobby? Really?
Try a little prisoner's dilemma with respect to this plan and see how that works. He who cheats first cheats best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm81LSKJC2k
Behold, the birth of the coffee-party.
Nice!
ORI
to bad Banks will invest in these campaigns never the less....
the returns on investment X1000 are just to high to pass over...