Years ago–well, it seems like years ago–when I began to write about the Koch Bros and the dark money Citizens United unleashed upon us and our elections, I did some digging around the Koch’s Neu Wannsee Conference to see what products produced by this cohort we could boycott.
(That sentence was too long but what the hell.)
(“Citizens United”: what an Orwellian name. The “Citizens” who united were corporations. Not us, not us actual voting citizens. But so many people have discussed how SCOTUS elevated corporations to citizenship I’m not going to continue along this well-trodden path. It was simply my thought as I typed “Citizens United.” Oh, except to note those Citizens did, in effect vote: their money bought three U.S. senate seats in Wisconsin, Missouri and Indiana.)
In my distress, I meander.
Back to the subject: boycotting products emitted by the Koch Bros Neu Wannsee Conference members was difficult, as I noted in one of those above-linked posts:
As far as a consumer boycott goes, it’ll be difficult to touch most of these people; they got rich through hedge funds, and other elite financial cabals. (Except for John Schnatter’s Papa John’s. Why is anyone buying anything from this character? The NFL should be rejecting him as a sponsor.] It’d take someone far better versed in finance — and more conspiracy-minded than I am — to figure out how to bring them down.
But but but: boycotting Trump is easy. Because his name is all over his businesses. (Which are not entirely his businesses, since he doesn’t even own the new D.C. hotel he’s been promoting during his campaign, but still. Oh, and the Bank of China holds at least one huge mortgage on one of Trump’s buildings. Et cetera, et cetera and so forth.)
The Trump boycott began during the campaign. And since his income and his entire family’s income derives from that name, it’s easy not to buy Trump. There’s the name. Don’t stay at his hotels, don’t play golf on his courses. Don’t.
Since someone in the Trump family business suspects Trump’s vile campaign might be somewhat off-putting to potential Trump customers, they’re going to be calling all new Trump things, Scion. So that’s easy too: don’t buy Trump, don’t buy Scion.
Don’t shop the Ivanka collection, either.
Let’s make sure Trump’s residency in our White House is going to cost him.
UPDATE: Those Upper West Side residents who want Trump name taken off their buildings?
Yep, it’s going to happen: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/three-upper-west-side-apartment-buildings-are-dumping-trump.html?mid=twitter_dailyintelligencer
AND ANOTHER UPDATE: Ooh, Ivanka is in trouble. She’s using “60 Minutes” video to sell a $10,000 bracelet from her, um, “Collection.” Ooh. Well, boycotting this bracelet is easy, isn’t it? But WTF with Ivanka who’s supposed to be intelligent? This was dumb.
Big UPDATE from 11/16/16 Daily News sports section:
Three NBA teams to boycott Trump hotels
BY NICHOLAS PARCO
NEWYORKDAILYNEWS
At least three NBA teams will not be staying at hotels that have President- elect Donald Trump’s name on them, through licensing agreements, on the road anymore.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks have all decided they will not step foot at the Trump hotels New York City and Chicago, according toESPN.
A fourth team, which plays in the Eastern Conference, is under contract to stay at Trump’s SoHo hotel throughout this season but will sever that relationship when it expires in 2017 due to his association with the building.
Trump does not own any equity in the SoHo building — though his family runs it— but the Chicago hotel is run and owned by his company.
ESPN reported that seven other teams, which they chose not to identify, are also staying at Trump properties this season.
Both Marc Lasry and Mark Cuban, owners of the Bucks and Mavericks, respectively, openly supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Cuban went out of his way throughout the campaign to take digs atTrump viaTwitter and itwas reported that at one point some democrats wanted him to be Clinton’s vice president.