Another solution is to stop playing the fundraising game at all. In August, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks (SBUX), launched a boycott of corporate campaign donations. In an e-mail to other business leaders, he wrote: "I am asking that all of us forego political contributions until the Congress and the President return to Washington and deliver a fiscally disciplined long-term debt and deficit plan to the American people." Schultz is talking about serious money: In 2010, Starbucks gave more than $730,000 to lobbyists. It remains to be seen if the CEO's boycott will actually change the way the government does business, but Beckel points out that "If enough donors withhold contributions, it will be noticed by the politicians who have been receiving those contributions."The same could be said of middle class families that donate money to political campaigns. In 2010-2011, almost $164 million in campaign funds came from contributors who gave less than $200. While the influence and voice attached to a single $200 donation might be minor, the absence of many of them could speak volumes.
via dailyfinance.com
