Emmer, Target, the Boycott

[Nat]

A thread for any/all of the following

Who is Emmer and what exactly does he stand for?
Target's political contributions
Target's response to complaints about donations to Emmer
Target's relationship with the LGBTQ community
Any and all thoughts and feelings about the boycott

[Nat]

I recently wrote Target a letter of complaint regarding their contribution to Tom Emmer's gubernatorial race.

I received this response today:

Dear Nat--------,

Target has long believed that engaging in civic activities is an important and necessary element of operating a national retail business. What's more important than any one candidate's stance on a particular issue is how we nurture thoughtful, long-term growth in the state of Minnesota.

To continue to grow and create jobs and opportunity in our home state, we believe it is imperative to be engaged in public policy and the political process. That is why we are members of organizations like the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Chamber of Commerce and many others. And that is why we decided to contribute to MN Forward.

MN Forward's objective is to elect candidates from both parties who will make job creation and economic growth a top priority. We operate best when working collaboratively with legislators on both sides of the aisle. In fact, if you look at our Federal PAC contributions year to date, you will see that they are very balanced between Republicans and Democrats. For more information please visit www.target.com/company, and view the Civic Activity page.

Target has a large stake in Minnesota's future, which is why it is so important to be able to provide jobs, serve guests, support communities and deliver on our commitment to shareholders. As an international business that is proud to call Minnesota home, it is critical that we have a business environment that allows us to be competitive. Our guests, team members, communities and shareholders depend on Target to remain competitive.

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hanson
Target Executive Offices
www.target.com

[Nat]

Okay first off I'd like to share some of what I've gathered on Emmer.
Here are some other things about Emmer:

Emmer on Waiters:

Emmer toured a St. Paul restaurant and brought up the tip concept as a way to help business owners. He told reporters he supported a tip credit, which allows businesses to apply tips against a worker's hourly wage. Federal law allows states to set a minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped restaurant workers.



Emmer on the Environment:

Emmer held a round table discussion with a half dozen farmers at a Moorhead restaurant. He told them the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Natural Resources should have no regulatory control over farming.

Emmer on Race:

Emmer created a firestorm of controversy by saying on an interview with Minnesota Public Radio that he thought Arizona’s anti-immigrant law SB1070 was “a wonderful first step.” This May, Emmer’s closest allies in the state legislature introduced an SB1070 copycat bill in Minnesota. In past years Emmer has backed bills to refuse prenatal care to pregnant women who are undocumented and to make Minnesota an English-only state.

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Espinosa challenged Tom Emmer to come do a forum in the heart of the Latino immigrant community to explain the anti-immigrant positions he has taken over his years in the state legislature and now as a candidate for governor. Not surprisingly, Emmer refused.

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Emmer on prisoners

ST. PAUL – State Representative Tom Emmer, R-Delano, introduced a bill that would allow a judge to order chemical castration for certain sex offenders deemed most dangerous to society.

“Chemical castration has shown to be the single most ef...fective tool in rehabilitating certain sex offenders by lowering recidivism to near zero,” Rep. Emmer said.

Emmer on Healthcare:

"Anyone who claims that there are people who can’t get care are either ignorant or purposely misleading." [Herald-Journal, 10/20/08]

He has supported "conscience clause" legislation that would allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraception. He also sponsored a constitutional amendment that would have allowed Minnesota to opt out of federal laws.

Emmer on the LGBTQ issues:

"I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman."

Emmer's campaign has previously given money to a ministry that believes Muslim countries that execute gay men and lesbians are more moral than American Christians.

Other quotes by Emmer

‎"Progressive libertarian or not, [the minimum wage] is a true form of socialism." [WCCO, 07/12/2010]

I don't think you can call yourself a freedom-loving American and be a Democrat. [Marshall Independent, 09/24/09]

‎"I like it when it gets cold because we know that it's not cold down there and this is like heaven here when it gets cold, because that's the only place that snow and ice exist in my mind is in heaven."



He's not just bad for gays, so why is the negative publicity toward target and best buy only regarding the gays? He's not just anti-gay, he's anti-Latino and anti-poor-folks and anti-woman.

[Nat]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...+-+Business%29

Target struggles with donation backlash

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Conservative activists said Friday that Target Corp. won't quell the controversy over its corporate donations if the retailer gives in to demands from the left to renounce involvement in political campaigns or to help gay-friendly candidates.

Charlie Weaver, a leader of a political organization supporting a conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota, said the pressure from gays and liberal organizations on Target amounts to "thuggery."

"This is simply an attempt to intimidate companies from doing what the Supreme Court said they're entitled to do, exercise their free speech," said Weaver, treasurer of MN Forward, a campaign group that got $150,000 from Target last month.

A GOP state lawmaker said the controversy, including protests and calls for a boycott by gay leaders, has put Target in a bind.

"They're darned if they do something and they're darned if they don't," said Rep. Marty Seifert, a Republican from Marshall.

Contributors to a conservative Facebook page on the controversy also warned the company of a backlash from the right.

"I will not boycott Target unless they crater to the demand of the gay activists," said one writer. The page grew exponentially on Friday from fewer than 500 fans to more than 9,000 as the controversy moved into its third week.

The conservatives' admonitions come as liberal groups demand that Target balance the earlier donation that helped GOP gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer, an outspoken critic of gay marriage. Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel's issued a statement of apology last week, and gay and liberal organizations have been negotiating with corporate officials for an equal donation or another concession.

Protesters have kept the pressure on by rallying almost daily outside Target's Minneapolis headquarters or its stores since the donation became known.

The flap has revealed new implications of a recent Supreme Court ruling that appeared to benefit corporations by clearing the way for them to spend company funds directly on political campaigns. Target's donation to a business-oriented group supporting Emmer was one of the first big corporate contributions to come to light after the decision.

The retail chain has gone from defending the donation as a business decision to apologizing and saying it would carefully review its future giving.

"Target is receiving criticism and frustration from their customers because they are doing something wrong, and that should serve absolutely as an example for other companies," said Ilyse Hogue, director of political advocacy for the liberal group MoveOn.org, which is pressing Target to formally renounce involvement in elections.

Criticism has also come from local government officials in San Francisco, one of the urban markets where Target plans to open new stores.

The company is in talks with the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights organization. The group is also demanding donations from electronics retailer Best Buy Co., which gave $100,000 to the same group backing Emmer.

Fred Sainz, the group's vice president for communications, said he is optimistic both companies will respond. Target has long cultivated a good relationship with the gay community in Minneapolis, and its gay employees have protested the political donation.

"The repair has to be consistent with the harm that was done," Sainz said.

MN Forward is staffed by former insiders from Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration and has also backed a few Democratic legislators. The group has continued to collect corporate money after the backlash against Target, bringing in $110,000 through Tuesday from businesses including Holiday Cos. gas stations and Graco Inc., a maker of pumps and fluid handling equipment. Weaver said the group's sole focus is job creation, not social issues.

A Target spokeswoman said the company had nothing to add to Steinhafel's statement of apology last week. Emmer has said he views the Target giving as an exercise in free speech and wants to keep his campaign focused on economic issues.

Conservatives are watching to see whether Target bends to the pressure, said Kelly O'Keefe, a brand expert at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.

"They're likely to raise the ire of a different constituency of customers and get themselves in a never-ending cycle of alienating people," he said. "A better thing is for them to swear off any future investment in elections."

[Nat]

Saw this today - from the "our democracy is not for sale" angle

[Nat]

Target Corp. Message to LGBT Community: We Won't Make It Right

After two weeks of good-faith discussions – and two tentative agreements – with Target Corporation, the company has informed HRC that it will take no corrective actions to repair the harm that it caused by contributing $150,000 to an organization supporting a vehemently anti-gay candidate closely associated with a Christian rock band that advocates death and violence to gay people. In response, HRC announced that it will devote $150,000 of its own resources to help elect a pro-equality governor and legislature in Minnesota. The next governor will likely have the opportunity to either sign or veto marriage equality legislation in the North Star State.

As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, corporations are now permitted to give unlimited amounts of shareholder cash to certain political committees. Target has made a conscious decision to place stores in LGBT communities throughout the nation. In fact, two stores are currently under development in the City of San Francisco.

All eyes are now on Best Buy, another Minnesota-based company, that also made a political contribution to MN Forward, the group supporting Tom Emmer, one of the most strident opponents of equality in Minnesota to vie for the governor’s mansion. Best Buy has yet to respond.

HRC President Joe Solmonese released the following statement:

“All fair-minded Americans will now rightly question Target’s commitment to equality. If their initial contribution was a slap in the face, their refusal to make it right is a punch in the gut and that’s not something that we will soon forget. However, with full marriage equality hanging in the balance in Minnesota, regardless of Target, it’s important that we as a community send a message that we will work tirelessly to elect pro-equality candidates.

“Target and Best Buy have – and no doubt will continue to have – model employment policies for LGBT people. We will continue to support those efforts. But before they can regain that exalted status among their consumers, they need to make things right in Minnesota. The nation’s LGBT community has shown these two companies enormous customer loyalty. Now it’s time for that faithfulness to be returned.”

[Nat]

In response, San Francisco officials threatened to block the construction of two new Target stores in the city.

[Diva]

Thank You, Nat, for this thread......information worth having and acting upon!

[Nat]

Okay I just noticed atomic had another thread going almost the whole time as this measly thing. Please redirect to http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/foru...ead.php?t=1819