Conservatives lost a great battle to the Left last week. While they patted themselves on the back for a short-term win against Hilary Rosen and co-opting the Democrats’ “War on Women,” they were too distracted running victory laps to defend one of their strongest and most effective weapons in the war to preserve liberty and promote the free market.
The debacle started when conservative non-profit the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) became inexplicably roped into the Trayvon Martin narrative.
ALEC, which works to promote the principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty, drafted model legislation in 2005 for the “Stand your Ground” law (also know as the “Castle Doctrine”) that was passed in Florida. The legislation was intended to help victims defend themselves from attackers.
However, George Zimmerman, Martin’s killer, invoked “Stand Your Ground” in his defense–even though the vast majority of legal experts aren’t sure if or how it would apply.
Cue liberal outrage.
The Left and Mainstream Media (MSM) attacked ALEC relentlessly over their role in the creation of the law, leading many of the organization’s major donors to estrange themselves.
Van Jones, hinted to MSNBC’s Ed Schultz that his group, Color of Change, had manufactured an astroturf campaign against the ALEC for supporting the “Stand Your Ground Law” in Florida. Guess what? It worked.
The most recent departures from ALEC include Kraft, Intuit (TurboTax), Wendy’s, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Liberal groups are even pressuring drug manufacturers and insurance companies to cut ties as well.
The worst part of the ordeal wasn’t the caving of major corporations to progressive elites, but rather that many conservative opinion leaders stood by and did nothing. Michelle Malkin, Bill O’Reilly and Laura Ingraham, among others proudly stood up for their conservative principles, but there was no central rallying cry or call to action by the conservative movement.
The Right became enamored by their media victory over Rosen, and chose not to spoil the party by engaging the Left in the real war on conservatives.
It’s episodes like these that concern us about the future of the movement. If we want to effectively bring change to the direction of our country, we have to protect the conservative vehicles of change. The Left has always been better at organizing boycotts and staging protests. And they keep using those tactics because they work.
It’s time for conservatives to put our money where our mouths are. Stop patronizing corporations that buckle to the incessant whining of liberals and start making a conscious effort to shop with companies that support the same principles you do.
Start shopping at places owned ran by conservatives, such as Whole Foods – yes, the same Whole Foods your liberal friends brag about. CEO John Mackey supports free markets and opposes Obamacare (which of course lead the educated Left to despise the popular grocery store). Although the food is often more expensive at Whole Foods, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing your money is going toward a good cause, and you’ll be eating healthier.
At the end of the day, we need to make it clear to businesses that allow the Left to pressure them to drop their support for conservative organizations that they will lose our support entirely. Those that support us will be rewarded.
Below is a list of companies and organizations that have left ALEC. Don’t spend money on their products or services. Period.
Coca-Cola
PepsiCo
Kraft
Intuit
Wendy’s
Mars, Inc.
Arizona Public Service
Reed Elsevier
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
American Traffic Solutions
McDonald’s
13 Comments
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Marc T Grove
This is a BIG issue, we can not let the Left silence us and if some in business dont want to respect free speech then we need to speak with our wallets. Great job as always Red Alert
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You’re absolutely right about this.. they’re cutting us off at the knees. We need to be proactive and not just react either. Alec caving today is a bad sign for this election…
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The left has been successfully on the offensive promoting the Balkanization of economic associations. It’s a war they must be engaged on so these businesses know that the right leaning consumer will not accept seditious communists subversives like Van Jones dictating who businesses are to associate with.
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Billy
It is really simple; those sponsors want to leave because of left wing pressure, then we need to put out the word that if those sponsors want to leave because of left wing pressure, then conservatives should leave their establishments and not buy their products again. If conservatives were to use social media to the effect the left wing does, then we can control the debate because we outnumber the left 2 to 1. We need to make tough decisions like abandoning McDonalds and Coke to send a message. As much as I like those companies, I am willing to give them up for the sake of my country.
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Mark Smith
Let’s just be glad ALEC is more out in the open now, then people can see how its vitally important for corporations to try and influence our govt so we all can be free and equal!
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Billy, if boycotting McDonald’s and Coke is that big a sacrifice for you, then it’s pretty clear your priorities are skewed.
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Corporation Carl
You are all right! We need these corporations to continue to influence our elected officials because the corporations are ultimately held responsible when we reelect different corporations.
And the laws that are passed are absolutely necessary to the free market. If we don’t keep prisoners in jail, how will the free market of the private prison industry continue to thrive? It won’t and that’s an infringement on my freedom if you take away my right to influence law makers to continue to increase my own profits.
Come on everyone, let’s fight the liberals and show them that hijacking state and federal lawmakers to pass legislation helpful to corporations is a God given right and freedom and that without that right, we may as well call this communist Russia. Let’s help continue the ever increasing concentration of wealth at the very top!!!!!! -
Dollar Ed
Wonderful to see the ALEC cockroaches scuttling under the stove now that the lights have been turned on. If what ALEC was doing for the American people was a good thing, why was its role in drafting and promoting legislation that made workplaces more dangerous, that denied American citizens their right to vote, denied workers their right to organize and negotiate safer working conditions, and which promoted armed conflict between citizens hidden from sight? Why did ALEC insist on secrecy? Clearly this organization needs to be abolished.
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Matt Stone
ALEC is being exposed because of its malevolent role in crafting legislation designed solely to benefit its benefactors and reinforce the political security of its supporters by disenfranchising those more likely to support the opposing view. Organization like this are the very enemy to the ideals of democracy and liberty, they operate in secrecy with no accountability to peddle their influence to only enrich themselves. Who does it help to deny citizens the right to vote? Who does it help to deny women, men, and children access to medical care? Who does it help to allow vigilantism by denying proper investigations? It helps those who would benefit from stifling the voices of citizens, by enriching themselves through medical extortion, and those who would kill with impunity.
Freedom and liberty do not mean the right to exploit, oppress, manipulate, and dominate others.
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Annette Graham
What I would like to know is how did this information reach the public? We meet privately with no media allowed and the best security money can buy. Obviously, we have informants leaking information to these left wing groups. Once the specific bills that have been passed are traced back to ALEC authors, it’s really going to hit the fan. We need to ramp up our internal security ASAP. NO MORE LEAKS!
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kfreed
“…how did this information reach the public? We meet privately with no media allowed and the best security money can buy.”
Now that IS a good question.
I have one of my own: if this group is all about freedom and free markets and there isn’t anything wrong with the way ALEC does business with it’s politicians, then why are we meeting in secret? If ALEC drafted legislation is so beneficial to the public, then why isn’t the public allowed to know?
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nwwaterboy
The public can’t know because they would not understand that it is for their own good.
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That is quite a pessimistic opinion of the intelligence of one’s fellow citizens. The far more believable and likely possibility is that people being intelligent beings would see through the euphemistic titles and realize the potential or intended harm that they present, sparking outrage and exposure against the organization and its unethical (if not downright illegal) activities.
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