Red, Blue and the Green

This month’s hot e-mails among the electoral hangover set were Buyblue.org and Choosetheblue.com, websites that want people to know how corporations are likely to politically re-gift holiday profits. “If you love Target as much as I do, get ready to be sad,” wrote one e-mailer about the retail giant whose political action committee’s donations skewed 78% GOP during the last federal election cycle. “For all you Spam lovers, no more canned meat -- [Hormel is] 100% red,” noted another, citing $24,000 in Republican donations from the food company’s employees and top executives. The rub: There’s little evidence that partisan consumers can change corporate behavior by voting with their bucks.

And it’s hard to tell who’s giving -- individual employees or company PACs -- and how much. Plus, the information cuts both ways. As one e-mailer noted on the conservative blog Free Republic: “Thank God Jack Daniels and Outback [Steakhouse] are in the ‘red.’ ”

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*--* % Contributions % Contributions to Democrats to Republicans Booze: Cuervo Bushmills 62% 64% Cars: Toyota Volvo 74% 72% Fast Food: Arby’s Taco Bell 100% 87% Hotels: Hyatt Marriott 98% 76% Gas: Shell Exxon/Mobil 56% 88% Airlines: JetBlue Continental 74% 74% Underwear: Calvin Klein Fruit of the Loom 100% 100%

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Source: Buyblue.org