The coordinated leftist attempt to destroy the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) over ALEC’s support for voter ID and “stand your ground” laws reached a new low today when Walmart, the biggest retailer in America, suspended its membership in the group. Liberal groups like Media Matters for America and its close associate, the Van Jones-run Color of Change, working in coordination with friends of the Obama Administration, launched secondary boycotts against members in ALEC this year; several major ALEC sponsors have already dropped out, prompting ALEC to announce in April that it was no longer going to focus on “public safety and elections,” and would instead direct its energies toward the economy.
“Previously, we expressed our concerns about ALEC’s decision to weigh in on issues that stray from its core mission ‘to advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets,'” explained Walmart Vice President Maggie Sans. “We feel that the divide between these activities and our purpose as a business has become too wide. To that end, we are suspending our membership in ALEC.” Sans was the secretary of ALEC’s private enterprise board.
Walmart follows in the footsteps of Coca-Cola, Kaplan, Procter & Gamble, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Pepsi, Kraft, and Wendy’s, among others, in pulling membership from ALEC.
Most sponsors are typically risk-averse, and when threatened with a boycott, they pull funding rather than risk revenue stream. Noting this, the Obama administration has worked in coordination with its allies in the non-profit world to target political opponents ranging from Rush Limbaugh to Glenn Beck. ALEC is their latest target.
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