The past week has simply been amazing for
BuyBlue.org and we owe a very large portion of that to Kossaks.
Many of you are familiar with what BuyBlue.org is about and how it started right here in Daily Kos, but for those of you that aren't I'd encourage you to check us out.
This week we have been fortunate enough to get write-ups in http://www.memepool.com , http://www.motherjones.com , http://www.linkfilter.net as well as numerous sites throughout the blogosphere. However, today marks a momentous occasion, because we got front page coverage in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and of course Daily Kos got a mention as well. You can see what the actual front page looks like here - Frontpage 12/11/2004 edition. (these archives only stay online for one week so please download the pdf if you'd like to)
Also - be on the lookout for an article in the Dallas Morning News early next week.
More below the fold...
I think all of you may get a kick out of the article itself because the Vice President of Wal-Mart is basically calling us out with his response.
Wal-Mart Vice President Ray Bracy confirmed that the chain makes 80 percent of its political contributions to Republicans, as noted on the site. The donations help Wal-Mart make its case for free enterprise to the U.S. government, he says.
"We have seen certain groups suggest that people not shop at Wal-Mart," Bracy says, "and that doesn't keep customers away."
I'd read that as Mr. Bracy basically stating that we can't make a difference, even if we try. I think we owe it to ourselves to prove him wrong. We'll see who is right when the officers at Wal-Mart have to answer for their sales numbers after the Christmas shopping season.
I'd encourage all of you to do everything in your power to get the word out about BuyBlue.org and specifically to target Wal-Mart this holiday season. Don't buy a single thing from them if you occasionally shop there and please do make an effort to convince everyone you know to do the same.
If you are inclined to do more we are still very much in need of volunteers for virtually any task you can think of from programming to research to marketing and getting the word out. We could also of course use your financial support. Check our website for further details.
Let's show Wal-Mart and the other businesses on the "red" side of the list that we mean business.
Update [2004-12-11 22:35:34 by terminal3]:Comments like this make our efforts worthwhile and show everyone this can and will work.
However, Cathie Kaminski of Brunswick says that knowing what party retailers support makes all the difference after what she called a devastating election.
"I guess shopping in J.C. Penney stops for me," she said, standing in the children's section of the store with Christmas list in hand. "I'm the mother of a vet, the mother of a teacher and the mother of a child with MS," she said. "So I have to support the candidates who have my family's best interests in mind."