Glenn Beck's braindead ramblings have brought on the full wrath of the netroots. The response has been heartening, as the list of advertisers that have pulled their support from Beck now includes:
Campbell Soup, Chrysler, General Motors, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, Lawyers.com, Mens Wearhouse Nestle, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, Sargento Cheese and Walmart.
(h/t MRA NY for the list)
We are winning this fight, its a no-brainer and we are on the right side of this. These companies have been placed under a great deal of pressure to change, they have met the netroot's stick. I think it is important though that we now reward those companies who did the right thing by bringing out the carrot.
These companies need to get positive reinforcement as much as negative pressure. I urge you to contact the companies that have taken a stand against hate and tell them how much you appreciate their actions, let them know that they will have a loyal customer and advocate.
Why is this important? Because we want need them to know that this is not a short-term position that they can take and then abandon. They need to know that the netroots will keep an eye on their actions. They need to come to understand that we are not just belly-aching, or trying to score some cheap political points. They need to realize that this isn't an issue that will go away, that we will always stand against the purveyors of hate and violence. They need to also understand that if they stand with us, we will reward them for their good deeds.
Sometimes its easy to send the angry email because the outrage you feel compels you to do something. It often gets overlooked that it is equally important to send the thank you email for the job well done.
At the end of the day we have done an amazing job. Keep up the pressure, and for every company that you whack with the stick, be sure that if they respond, you feed them some carrot.