Drop the “National Strike”

posted at 8:47 am on December 23, 2009 by

One idea being floated on the internet is a “National Strike” on January 20, 2010, to protest Obama’s State of the Union address in light of the irresponsible health care legislation and out-of-control spending.

I completely sympathize with the emotion behind the idea. But the idea is a really bad idea for at least two reasons.

First, conservatives are not about boycotting commerce. We are about generating commerce and free enterprise. We also are about working hard, so taking the day off as a means of protest runs against our grain.

And just who is it that we would hurt? The small business people who are a critical part of our movement. A boycott of innocent businesses sends the wrong message, even if for only one day.

Second, and equally important, a national strike is bound to fail. I have documented numerous less ambitious boycotts and strikes by left-wing causes in the past year, each of which failed:

Not one of the boycotts worked, and these failures left the boycotters looking foolish and less powerful.

And what is more likely to fail than a national boycott? Even if millions of people participated, there still would be hundreds of millions of people who did not participate for reasons having nothing to do with whether they supported the philosophy behind the boycott. The impact would be barely noticeable, and the movement would be derided as empty.

That is the difference between a protest and a boycott. A national protest involving a million people is a big deal and huge success. A national strike involving a million people is an abysmal failure. Choose your political weapon carefully.

Want to do something productive around the time of the State of the Union address? Start organizing against Democrats who vote in favor of Obamacare. All politics is local, and we need to start now to vote the bums out.

Or how about this idea:  Donate some money to, and work your butts off to get Scott Brown elected to the Senate in Massachusetts in the special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat. The special election is January 19, the days before the State of the Union address.

Brown is not given much of a chance against Martha Coakley, the lock-stock-and-barrel liberal candidate. But people are fed up, even in Massachusetts. Don’t give up on this race.

A strong showing by Brown would be a huge event which would send a message of hope to candidates challenging seemingly safe Democrats; and a win, well that would be momentous and would shake the political landscape like nothing else the day before the State of the Union address.

The point is not to give up protesting against Obama’s destructive policies, but to channel your energies in a direction which is consistent with our values and has a chance of success.

I am with you spiritually, but not tactically. Please, drop the national strike idea.

And did I mention, support Scott Brown.

Cross-posted with updates at Legal Insurrection Blog.

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More effective and more fun would be what a couple small business owners I know have done: They took note last year of which employees had Obama bumper stickers on their car and when they had to layoff people they chose from that list. Great fun explaining that because Obama had further damaged the economy they had to ly the idiot off.

bill30097 on December 23, 2009 at 9:03 AM

If Chris Christie could beat Corzine in NJ, I suppose there is a chance for Brown, especially considering that there is a third candidate besides Coakley and Brown. A guy named Kennedy. No relation, but there might be enough clueless MA Dems who thought it was Swimmer’s son or something.

Wethal on December 23, 2009 at 9:07 AM

Boycott the speech and support your local liquor store.

Kissmygrits on December 23, 2009 at 9:29 AM

Boycotts tend not to work as they usually target the wrong people and just highlight the opposing side.

Consider the anti-Israel boycotts that have been declared in Canada lately. Anti-Israel Boycott Backfires in Canada points out that

Another anti-Zionist attempted boycott in Canada has backfired, with Israeli products enjoying sales rates much higher than usual.

Anti-Israel groups had threatened MEC – Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-op – with a boycott because of its inclusion of Israeli products in its inventory. But barely anyone showed up for the boycott, and instead, large crowds of Israel supporters came to buy Israeli products.

The Canada Jewish Tribune reports that several MEC stores across Canada experienced unusually high sales for its Israeli products on Sunday of last week. Shelves with Israeli-made products – numerous styles of seamless underwear and hydration systems products – had to be re-stocked a couple of times each day

and also

The story appears to be a repeat of what occurred in April of this year at a Toronto liquor store.

After a Jewish non-Zionist group tried to organize an anti-Israel protest in front of the store, asking Passover celebrants to mark their holiday without Israeli-made wines, hundreds of pro-Israeli consumers took the opportunity to hold a pro-Israel festival and bought up the store’s entire stock of Israeli wine.

This appears to be a general rule. Consider this article

Beck Boycott Backfires

While an attempted boycott of Glenn Beck’s television show has scared away some timid advertisers, ratings for the conservative commentator’s FOX News show have gone through the roof, leading some experts to believe new and more loyal advertisers will return to the program at a higher rate.

While Beck is not in prime time, his ratings since the boycott controversy have exploded to prime-time levels, even beating out fellow FOX News host Sean Hannity.

Beck’s show ”had its highest rated week ever among Households (1,907,000) and Total Viewers (2,409,000), and second best week in the A25-54 demo (682,000),” according to Media Bistro

sabbahillel on December 23, 2009 at 9:54 AM

Took the opportunity to lay a small donation on Scott Brown & said you sent me, William.

perries on December 23, 2009 at 10:08 AM

Boycott the speech and support your local liquor store.

Kissmygrits on December 23, 2009 at 9:29 AM

Yes, but in PA it’s a state store…

Rosmerta on December 23, 2009 at 11:46 AM

American Power tracked-back with, ‘Do You Support the ‘National Strike’ Scheduled for January 20?’.

Donald Douglas on December 23, 2009 at 12:13 PM

Check your withholding. If you keep getting a refund when you file your taxes, that’s a sign that you’re giving the government too much in the first place — bump up your allowances.

You want an effective boycott? How about not letting the government use your money for free?

cthulhu on December 23, 2009 at 12:38 PM

Better idea would be to refile your withhols form for 9 deductions and for those folks that pay at the end of year would be to file dor extension. Hit the Feds in their wallets. Better still would be to refuse to file to begiin with. Let’em sweat. Can’t lock us all up and it would take hours and billions to persue all of us. Don’t forget to take your money out of the bank to avoid those freeze orders that will invetiably show up,

Yes, I know it’s “unpatriotic according to the VP Biden but if we don’t revolt then we’ve likely done nothing. This is the peaceful way to send the message of “not with my money.”

The only other way is through force of arms which ain’t going to be pretty.

larvcom on December 23, 2009 at 4:03 PM

THANKS FOR POSTING “DROP IT” .
This strike and the ‘threat not to pay taxes’ idea were both horribly misguided.
Simply put, you don’t try to be heard & make your point by starting something that can so easily fail, come back to bite you in the Uknow what.
(BTW,Telling/asking people NOT to go to work is a lib thing to do, most of them aren’t ‘at work’ any way.).

These strikes/boycotts are the kind that people might sign up for, but never do, then your bluff has been called and you lose, you lose HUGE.

Please, drop the national strike idea.
-now to tweet about not doing this… again.

shooter on December 23, 2009 at 10:08 PM

And what if – for what ever reason – we can’t vote them out?

What happens if the electoral process doesn’t work?

What happens when the Statists have enough people dependent on the government to keep them in power?

What would you “Drop the National Strike” people suggest be our plan B?

Chip on December 24, 2009 at 12:24 AM

First, conservatives are not about boycotting commerce.

It is NOT a boycott, it is a strike – It is a work stoppage by the Achievers and producers to show that we will not submit to National Socialism.

The only way to stop the Statists is by starving the beast.
Mess around with taxes and they will throw you in jail, are they going to do the same for not opening your business that day or working?

Second, and equally important, a national strike is bound to fail.

Great! Let’s be REAL optimistic about our chances of stopping the train wreck of Statism.

Even if the first Tea Strike is small it will demonstrate the concept to people and others to follow will grow in size – much like the Tea Parties.

Who’s to say that we can only have ONE Tea Strike?????

There can be more down the road if the National Socialist Democrats don’t get the message

Fake8 on December 24, 2009 at 11:17 AM

Maybe it just needs to be marketed as “A Day Without A Conservative.”

Or…John Galt Day?

Disturb the Universe on December 24, 2009 at 11:29 AM

I would support a strike and participate if it looked like there were enough people on board. Right now, not enough publicity to be remotely effective.

On the other hand, the author’s list of alternative things to do in lieu of a strike–meh, small potatoes. People are going to vote against the Dems anyway. Result: a few more Republicans in Congress in 2010, and socialism stays. Like to see more outside the box thinking.

james23 on December 24, 2009 at 12:08 PM

I would support a strike and participate if it looked like there were enough people on board. Right now, not enough publicity to be remotely effective.

james23 on December 24, 2009 at 12:08 PM

The Tea Parties also started out small, Large political movements don’t spring up overnight.

Tea Strikes or Taxpayer Strikes or John Galt Strikes will start out small, but as more people see whats happening in this country they will grow in size and influence.

We CAN stop the Statists, if not at the ballot box, then on Strike.

Insert witty screen name here on December 24, 2009 at 1:08 PM

The Tea Parties also started out small, Large political movements don’t spring up overnight.

We CAN stop the Statists, if not at the ballot box, then on Strike.

Insert witty screen name here on December 24, 2009 at 1:08 PM

Agreed, witty, I’m not saying don’t do it. I am delighted people like you are thinking about something other than ‘Rah Rah GOP 2010′–which has no chance of reversing Obamunism.

I’m saying, rather, you need a much heavier promotion of a strike than you have right now. Now, there is still a month to go. But invocations of a 1/20 strike need to be showing up on every thread here and at other right side boards, or you just won’t have the critical mass needed.

james23 on December 24, 2009 at 6:35 PM

james23 on December 24, 2009 at 6:35 PM

Yes, it does need to be promoted, but like the Tea parties, it’s just an idea that’s just starting to get off the ground.

It should be promoted and tried with the idea of more strikes down the road.

Insert witty screen name here on December 24, 2009 at 10:47 PM

Jeez, it’s a first step. Conservatives barely know how to even protest, let alone work together to affect government.

Nothing like poisoning the well before it even gets off the ground.

I don’t hear an alternative solution being proposed by ‘Legal Insurrection’ either.

fossten on December 25, 2009 at 8:49 AM

Maybe those that are disdainful of the ‘National Strike’ idea should put their creative efforts into developing better alternatives rather than shooting down this idea.

Oh, and in case anyone wants to take a look:

National Strike – January 20, 2010

This can be the first one – It doesn’t have to be the last.

Fake8 on December 25, 2009 at 2:35 PM