“Upward Spiral 2011”, a campaign to convince corporate titans to withhold campaign contributions, is getting a big push from online watchers, as well as igniting the very partisan debates it hopes to quell.
The announcement that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is spearheading “Upward Spiral 2011” and will participate in a national, town hall telephone conversation Tuesday at 7:30 pm ET was also reiterated in full-page ads in Sunday’s editions of the New York Times.
“Like so many of you, I am deeply disappointed by the pervasive failure of leadership in Washington. And also like you, I am frustrated by our political leaders’ steadfast refusal to recognize that, for every day they perpetuate partisan conflict and put ideology over country, America and Americans suffer from the combined effects of paralysis and uncertainty, Schultz said in the Sept. 1 letter. “We are better than this.”
The announcement got a big response online, with thousands of Twitter and Facebook users echoing Schultz’s “no place to go but up” assertion.
“I really like that Howard Schultz is spearheading this effort and getting Washington to take notice!” Pat East, president and CEO of Hanapin Marketing tweeted.
The group is pledging to withhold campaign contributions until lawmakers put aside partisan difference to address the economy slide. They have also started a separate, online pledge showing their willingness to hire. In addition to Schultz, dozens of CEOs have joined, including AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, Zipcar chairman and CEO Scott Griffith, and J. Crew Group CEO Millard Drexler.
“You let the CEO of Aol sign onto this? Really?” a Twitter user named Susan asked in response to last week’s news about AOL’s ongoing financial troubles.
As of Monday morning, 9,187 corporate executives had taken the pledge to “withhold any further campaign contributions to elected members of Congress and the President until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger long-term fiscal footing.” Another 1,282 companies had pledged “to do everything we can to accelerate job creation before the end of 2011.”
Not everyone, however, was convinced the effort would work, or that it was even well thought out.
“Middle ground is what got us a weak budget deal and unsecured debt ceiling increase. Bipartisanship is a gray sham,” Steve Foster, of Suburban Philadelphia, tweeted on Sunday.
There were other, partisan political responses as well. “Nothing screams that we are without a President like this does,” activist account @StopSmartMeters tweeted. “@BarackObama don’t bother running.”
