Ask not what Starbucks can brew for you; but what you can do for your country.
I received an email from Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz today. My first reaction was, “Why is Starbucks’ CEO using email?” Starbucks, one of the first brands to utilize social media in an incredibly effective way, was going old school on email. (If you Google Starbucks and Social Media you will have About 11,500,000 links to peruse. Additionally, Starbucks has 1,661,760 followers on Twitter and 24,859,647 likes on Facebook. That’s no small beans!
But Howard Schultz had much more then Grande Caramel Macchiato’s on his mind. He, like many Americans, is completely frustrated by the failure of leadership in Washington, and the partisan bickering that is getting us nowhere. I believe his words ring true for many of us; ”Dear Starbucks Friend and Fellow Citizen: I love our country. And I am a beneficiary of the promise of America. But today, I am very concerned that at times I do not recognize the America that I love.” He asked American business leaders to sign a pledge*, and more than 100 small and large business have complied. 
“*First, to withhold political campaign contributions until a transparent, comprehensive, bipartisan debt-and-deficit package is reached that honestly, and fairly, sets America on a path to long-term financial health and security. Second, to do all we can to break the cycle of economic uncertainty that grips our country by committing to accelerate investment in jobs and hiring
Please join other concerned Americans and me on a national call-in conversation on Tuesday September 6th hosted by “No Labels,” a nonpartisan organization dedicated to fostering cooperative and more effective government. To learn more about the forum and the pledges, visit www.upwardspiral2011.org“
Now, in addition to being a frustrated American, I’m also a skeptical one. And, I was very surprised (pleasantly) to see that no mentions on any of Starbucks social networks referenced Schultz’ initiative. It seems that Schultz has taken a play out of President Teddy Roosevelt’s Playbook – and that is – if you have the Bully Pulpit – use it!
While Schulz is using the Bully Pulpit to highlight the obligation of corporations to act responsibly, in a much less serious (but not less important) initiative, comedian Stephen Colbert is using his own Bully Pulpit to shine a scathing light on the coziness between corporations and our elected officials via Super Pacs (entities legally allowed to give unlimited and undisclosed funds to political groups that are in support of particular political agendas and candidates) by starting his own Colbert Super Pac, “Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow.”
It is yet to be seen if either Schultz or Colbert will have an impact on the current gridlock that is pervasive in Washington, DC, but, I for one am glad that they are trying. And, as we head into Labor Day, celebrating the American worker, I close with a quote from Shultz’s email:
“America is at a fragile and critical moment in its history. We must restore hope in the American Dream. We must celebrate all that America stands for around the world. And while our Founding Fathers recognized the constructive value of political debate, we must send the message to today’s elected officials in a civil, respectful voice they hear and understand, that the time to put citizenship ahead of partisanship is now.”
Readers – do you think this can work? Do you have other ideas? Please share!!
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