....But while this:[push discussed earlier in the article about Tony Perkins, a right-wing "religious" leader]
is expected and predictable, the voter intimidation push from the corporate wing of the Republican Party is not. And to me, it feels like something completely new.
Over the last few weeks, we have seen a spate of emails from corporate CEOs to their employees, basically threatening said employees with unemployment should President Obama be elected for a second term.
It started with Westgate CEO David Siegel, who proclaimed his employees as, “my children, and I’m the Jewish mother telling them to eat their spinach and vote for Romney.”
What the hell is that?
Last time I checked, an employer was nothing but an employer, who has no say over your personal life or your personal decisions.
In his original email to employees, Siegel had this to say:
The economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration. Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose.
[…]
So where am I going with all this? It’s quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current President plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company. Rather than grow this company I will be forced to cut back. This means fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.
In other words, do my bidding, or you and your job are going to be on the proverbial chopping block.
f that’s not voter intimidation, I don’t know what is.
Poor David Siegel. Times are so tough that this real estate/timeshare mogul is currently building his version of Versailes in Florida. Once complete, the mansion will be 66,800 square feet, include 13 bedrooms, 23 bathrooms, a 20 Car Garage, and the architecture is based on the residence of Louis the XIV and has been hailed as the most expensive home in America. [see photo at right]
Following closely on his heels was another demand from a CEO to employees, this time coming from Arthur Allen, CEO of ASG Software Solutions, who had these comforting words delivered to employees via email:
Many of you have been with ASG for over 5, 10, 15, and even 20 years. As you know, together, we have been able to keep ASG an independent company while still growing our revenues and customers. But I can tell you, if the US re-elects President Obama, our chances of staying independent are slim to none. I am already heavily involved in considering options that make our independence go away, and with that all of our lives would change forever. I believe that a new President and administration would give US citizens and the world the renewed confidence and optimism we all need to get the global economies started again, and give ASG a chance to stay independent. If we fail as a nation to make the right choice on November 6th, and we lose our independence as a company, I don’t want to hear any complaints regarding the fallout that will most likely come.
Basically what they’re saying to their employees is, If you want to keep your job, you will do everything in your power to secure a Romney win, or we’re going to fire your ass.
Last but not least, comes the mother of all demands from none other than David Koch of the infamous Koch brothers, a man who has more money than God, and who has now adopted a similar tactic with his 50,000+ employees.....
The thing about it is, I don’t doubt for a second that these prick CEOs would do it. There is no doubt in my mind that they would take out every frustration, every irritation, every bit of anger over losing this election on their poor, hapless victims employees. After all, that is what psychopaths do.
But there’s something else here, and it’s the institutionalization of a feudal state, where the “benign overlords” or “job creators,” who control all of the wealth and all of the influence, can now assert their authority over the peasant citizenry and dictate their behavior to them through fear of reprisals and misery via economic ruin and disaster as punishment for going against the wishes of the lords who own, rule and control all. They believe their wealth and influence entitles them to this sort of behavior.
