Companies who donate heavily to BOTH sides - should we boycott?

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

I noticed when looking up the 100 biggest donors of the 2004 election at opensecrets.org that there are some companies who lots of money in approximately equal amounts to both sides:

http://www.opensecrets.org/overview/topcontribs.asp?cycle=2004

At least one of these "fence-sitters" (Citigroup) is mentioned in the boycott thread as Republican. I guess credit cards and banks are things we should be scaling back on as a rule in favor of credit unions and simply having as little debt as possible. But for other fence-sitters, ones that sell actual products, what do you think we should do?
I know they're out there, if nothing else because I keep finding companies that are listed as Repub-supporting (Pepsi) or progressive (Burger King) here, and then I find opposite info when I look them up on my own.

:shrug: So what do you think?

[Lorien]

1. If they donate 51% to repugs, we boycott.

Though it would be wonderful to get big corporate dollars out of politics completely, that will likely never happen. A corporation who gives equal amounts to both parties should be considered "politically neutral" (IMHO, anyway) and should be neither endorsed nor punished.I believe that in order for this movement to be effective, we mush keep our focus clear and as narrow as possible. Too wide a net may lose the message.

[yurbud]

2. Good point

Write people you intend to focus on so they get nervous at the slightest fluctuation in their sales.

[itzamirakul]

4. Perhaps we should boycott in order to...

get something out of the deal, specifically, more equitable representation on the airwaves and in the print media. We need more voices like Mike Malloy to refute the ignorance spewed by Limbaugh and O'Reilly and their ilk.

Yesterday, the NY Daily News wrote a particularly reprehensible editorial calling internet posters who speculated about the Bush-Kerry Skull and Bones possibility,"wackadoolies" and those who questioned voter fraud as "a little less zany" conspiracy theorists. I found this editorial to be both despicable and insulting to a large segment of their readers and I plan to respond to them regarding my opinion. About the only good thing the Daily News has going for itself is the fact that they offer the best TV Guide mag of all the NY papers in their Sunday edition, something that I can gladly do without.

The NY Times is little better and the NY Post, a Murdoch-owned rag is not even suitable for doggie toilet paper. About the only place to get even a semblance of truth is from the weekly Village Voice, which is a free newspaper, heavily laden with sex ads.

I think we have to use considerable financial pressure to begin to equalize the points of view of the media.

[StrongbadTehAwesome]

6. well...then technically we need to take Citi off the boycott group

and put them on the support group (53/47 tilted toward Dems)...but somehow that doesn't seem like the right approach either.

[Eurobabe]

3. Yes, and a probable outcome might be more equitable

distribution by the company in question (ie gives equally to BOTH parties) to level the playing field.

Well, I can fantasize, can't I???

[K8-EEE]

5. Citigroup Is A Bad Company, In General

Go to the coop america site and look at their corporate report card. Throughout the years I've heard a lot about their investments all over the world, they tend to invest in evildoer schemes in third world countries etc.

When companies invest 50/50, I'll go for that. I sent Target a letter cancelling my Target credit card and telling them I would be back when they fixed their 60/40 to 50/50.

I prefer places that go heavily Dem like Costco, or that don't donate at all; best of all are progessive retailers like American Apparel.

What I did is take my credit card statement and look up stuff; I send a letter to companies I'm boycotting so if my info is wrong or incomplete, they are invited to correct me & if so I will post the correction here.

Financial services, I'm convinced the best thing is to do banking, borrowing, and credit cards through a credit union. I switched everyting over.

7. Boycott both sides

Yes I say boycott any corporation that gives any money to help republicism even if they give to the Dems as well. Why? I have not really done much research into the lobby industry and DC K street lobby crowd, but it seems to me that they are simply playing a type of futures bet on their investment.

A win-win for the corporations and the lobby firms and no benefit for the American people. Especially no benefit to liberals or liberalism.