Tolerance: Fringe Leftwingers Take Aim at Target

Nothing like the Forces of Tolerance on the left abiding by the time-honored American tradition of free speech and association. Well, they agree with you if you donate to Democrats, of course. Dare to give money to a Republican and here comes the goon squad.

Mega-retailer Target has found itself in the bullseye of a customer uprising.

In the wake of the company's decision to donate $150,000 to a right-wing conservative's political campaign, former Target shoppers across the country are calling for a nation-wide boycott.

And the movement to protest the super-saver store is gaining buzz – and traction – on Facebook and Twitter, as a petition threatening a boycott of Target rebounds across the Internet.

“Target should stay out of politics, like I am gonna stay out of your store if you don't,” Facebook user Erlene Adair Harvey wrote on Target’s fan page.

Target Corp. made the significant donation to Minnesota political action committee MN Forward, which funds television ads for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.

The company’s support of Emmer has drawn a firestorm of controversy for the candidate’s hard-line conservative views – he opposes same-sex marriage and abortion, and supports Arizona's efforts to pass the controversial S.B. 1070 immigration bill.

Gee, he's so out of the mainstream, huh? Last I checked a majority of Americans were right in line with Emmer, with an overwhelming majority supporting SB 1070. And in case these drooling morons haven't realized it, the current occupant of the White House also claims he opposes gay marriage (take his word at face value). So if they donate money to him, using their own logic that makes them hatemongers.

But that's not OK with the thugs from MoveOn. Let them take their business elsewhere and spend more money while they're at it.

The protests have, so far, been confined to within Minnesota. But MoveOn is pushing for a much more deafening, national response -- targeting Target on Facebook in addition to an online ad campaign that was also launched on Tuesday.

Because Target is, itself, a trendsetter in the post-Citizens United world, the campaign against them could have a ripple effect throughout the political landscape. Either MoveOn succeeds in discouraging companies from, or giving them pause when, making forays into electoral politics (wary of angering potential customers) or it convinces these same companies that there is a small price to pay for putting money behind candidates.

Better yet. Conservatives and like-minded people who actually believe in free speech can now shop at Target to show their support. After all, we are in the majority. So bring it on, People of Stupid.