Front page news, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, that Starbucks is making a move on Washington, D.C., guided largely by their lobbyist, Kris Friend-of-Bill Engskov. "Cautiously, Starbucks Puts Lobbying on Menu."

Just add another stick to the fire, Starbucks.

On the very same day, Tuesday, before I'd seen the article, I wrote here about Starbucks' record on political contributions -- 100% Democrat!

DRINK DUNKIN' DONUTS COFFEE!

So along comes the Journal to offer confirmation and add fuel to my anti-Starbucks drive. (Come join in the Great Coffee Switch of 2005!) As it turns out, Engskov (the lobbyist) joined Starbucks in 2002 after serving as "a personal aide to President Clinton."

Now I'm not one for guilt-by-personal-association, but the Journal does go on to report that they are all Communists.

Kidding. What the Journal actually said was that the Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz has "given money almost exclusively to Democrats." And then reported on a Schultz lobbying trip to DC where he:

. . .spoke before the Democratic Caucus's regular policy luncheon. When he finished explaining his health-care program, senators were buzzing about having a successful corporate model they could use to showcase their policy.

But hey, maybe I shouldn't be too quick to judge: The whole point of the article was the "Starbucks footnote" that Engskov managed to get inserted in the 2004 tax bill which netted Starbucks, oh, a few million dollars. Actually sounds pretty red-state to me. . .

Nah, go buy Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Addendum: Michael has written to tell me that he is still unconvinced (his original comments here) about the efficacy of my Coffee Switch Campaign. I'm headed to Cedarville University tomorrow to talk about sex trafficking, so I'll respond to his comments when I get back. I'll probably also throw in something about sex trafficking for good measure.

Posted by Charmaine at 01:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Scrawled in big letters on the family calendar: Boycott Starbucks! Boycott Revlon! in the Dreamer's handwriting, right next to where I had clipped the graph showing corporate political donations. (Starbucks 100% Democrats; Revlon 68% Democrats) She gets it!

In response to my earlier post saying "No more Starbucks for this girl," Michael of Dallas wrote to ask:

So, as for coffee, where do you recommend buying? Fact is, Starbucks is doggone good . . .

I know, I know, it kills me to give up Starbucks, too. My husband is the serious coffee addict in our family and the big bags of Starbucks that they sell at Sam's got me such marital bonding points. . .Sigh.

Plus, I am as susceptible as the next '80's yuppy to the BOBO seduction of Starbucks . . .so, what's a girl to do??

Thank you for asking! The answer: Dunkin' Donuts -- 88% Republican!

BUY DUNKIN' DONUTS COFFEE!

Think of it as the stylishly retro answer to the faux pretensions of Starbucks -- no more of that super grah-nd-ey, whoop-de-doopdy, frappa-whatever. Just say large coffee!

And, mega-bonus -- Dunkin' Donuts also has. . .donuts, people! What could be more American?!

DONUTS ARE YUM!

For more of Michael's counter-argument . . . see the extended entry. . .

Continue reading "I'm Buyin' Dunkin' . . ." »

Posted by Charmaine at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

As reported by Brenda Goodman in one of my favorite lefty business mags, Fast Company, there's a new source for color-coding your shopping and coordinating your voting and your spending habits.

Check out www.choosetheblue.com and www.buyblue.org: they've compiled the data on how corporate PAC's and corporate leadership contributed in the last election cycle.

There's bad news for conservative coffee drinkers: Starbucks, 100% Dem!! And what's this betrayal from Bed, Bath and Beyond??

Sorry buyblue guys, you heard it here first: this cuts both ways.

No more Starbucks for this girl!

Is this what's behind the left-wing war on Wal-Mart? Hey, two sides can play this game. If Wal-Mart or Sam's don't got it, we don't need it -- (with apologies to Garrison Keillor).

(For more on political color, see here: conservatives are the new progressives. . .)

Update 18 June 2005: Patterico's Pontifications reviews the high cost of coffee: See-Dub: A Little Lattetudinarianism, Please

Update: Sean at The American Mind reminds us that coffee cost is de minimus. See Coffee is a Drop in the Bucket.

Update: Daniel W. Drezner questions assumptions in coffee cost in Which editor at the Washington Post owes Blaine Harden money?

Update July 13: AttaBoy points to a lefty humorous site where Starbucks is loved and WalMart hated.

Posted by Charmaine at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (5)