Target

Earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled that corporations can give as much as they want to political campaigns. Target weighed into this by giving $150,000 to a group supporting the Republican candidate for governor in Minnesota.

I sent this to the CEO:

Dear Mr. Steinhafel -

Your support of a gay bashing Republican in Minnesota makes me feel so much more comfortable shopping at WalMart.

I appreciate that!

Sincerely,

Steve Kranz

In response I received this:

... At Target, we are fully committed to fostering an environment that supports and respects the rights and beliefs of all individuals....

Umm, really?

Apparently thousands of others also sent notes and, well, Target attempted to redeem itself with a public apology.

Life where corporations can dump unlimited amounts into campaigns is a new world for all of us. A $150,000 donation is a company merely dipping its toe in the water. I hope Target losing this toe is a signal to other corporations and they avoid doing this. I prefer to have our politicians bought the old fashioned way.

The ultimate irony in this? Running on the Democratic side is Mark Dayton, the former senator and part of the family that founded Target.