Of Businesses and Boycotts
Today at 4:00 p.m. Howard Dean will be giving a book talk on health care reform at a local bookstore, Politics and Prose. I've recorded two book talks there previously, for the purpose of public service podcasts, but when I called this morning to ask permission, the answer was "no." They now sell their own recordings of their book talks. OK. I didn't argue with them at all — there's no point, it's their place and they can do what they want. But I won't buy books there anymore and I've taken down the free advertising I'd given them for years in the left column of this website.
On a related but much more serious note, there's an important essay by Russell Mokhiber out this morning, calling for a boycott of Whole Foods. It turns out the CEO, John Mackey, has started to lobby against health care reform (writing on Tuesday in the Wall Street Journal). Basically, it's Libertarian crap. I agree with Mokhiber's sentiment, and I will try to cut down on my purchases from Whole Foods and diversify my grocery shopping, but to be honest I'm sure I can't completely boycott the chain. I have, however, also removed the free advertising I'd given Whole Foods from this website.
Small actions, to be sure, but there you have it.
[Under protest, I went to listen to Dr. Dean. The bookstore was packed, with people standing right through the front of the store and in an adjoining room, where they watched on a monitor. Probably one of the largest audiences the bookstore has ever had, certainly the largest I've ever seen there. Dean said two things that were important: he thinks that legislation will have a public option, and he thinks that without a public option "reform" is not worth doing. He spoke for about ten minutes, then took questions. I left about half-way through the questions because he was giving a full-throated apologia for Mr. Obama. Why are all these Democrats hooked on the idea of bipartisan compromise, or compromise with the Blue Dogs, or general inclusiveness with the "American people"? It's philosophically immature to believe that a political system can or must operate according to such a high level of consensus. The Democrats already have far more than a bare majority of votes. What's wrong with them?
I'm still hopeful that a public option will be part of the package but I must admit I'm starting to think it won't.]
Posted by George Kenney on August 13, 2009 12:09 PM 
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Comments
George,
Was the crowd there well-behaved? Did the right wing echo chamber miss this opportunity to send out their shock troops?
I come from the 8th District in Wisconsin where we have been embarrassed by these carnivals.
I have written my congressman, Dr. Kagen, that the voters who elected him were not part of the frenzy. But I agree with you that without a public option, Baucus, Grassley and the rest have won and the legislation should be scrapped and voted down.
The larger question is: who votes for the likes of Baucus and Grassley in the first place?
[Average age was probably about 65 — I sat next to a lady, or rather, Sharon did, who was a vigorous 90! Very well behaved. Most questions were pro-reform though one guy asked a complicated anti-reform question. On Baucus and Grassley, et al., I read somewhere (the LAT?) that the Republican Senators "negotiating" in opposition represent something like 3% of the population of the country. Except, of course, what they really represent is industry... g.]
Posted by: loninappleton | August 14, 2009 11:41 AM