* From an Equality Illinois fundraising e-mail…
You may think it unimaginable that in 2014 in Illinois we are still sounding alarm about the risks to LGBT equality. However, it is expected that the midterm elections this November will have the lowest turnout ever and nearly every political analyst predicts that if we do nothing to change this we will lose this election, placing all our hard-won victories at risk. That’s not acceptable.
But there are concrete things to can do to prevent that from happening, such as supporting Equality Illinois voter education and engagement efforts that will make the 2014 election a success for our community and the equality agenda. Please make your donation now of $35, $50, or $100, so that we can leave no stone unturned in the next six weeks leading up to the election. When you give today, MillerCoors will MATCH YOUR DONATION dollar for dollar and you will be entered in a drawing to win a pair of tickets to an upcoming Broadway in Chicago performance.
In order to win this November, Equality Illinois, in partnership with our progressive allies, is:
• Registering and turning out new voters
• Turning out core voters and educating the undecided
• Activating and getting out voters who don’t traditionally vote in the midterm elections
Equality Illinois is leading this groundbreaking effort to engage prospective voters who care about equal rights and treatment for LGBT individuals. In order to activate them to vote, we are relentlessly exposing the conservative social agenda of viable candidates, including explicit threats to marriage equality and equal treatment for LGBT individuals.
Remember the days when Coors was deemed a right-wing corporation? Those days are obviously gone. Now, they’re helping pay for EI’s anti-Rauner campaign. We live in fascinating times.
…Adding… From Equality Illinois…
Our operations are supported by dozens of corporate partners who believe in LGBT equality, including MillerCoors. MillerCoors’ partnership grants exclusively support our educational and other charitable activities. This year, with the company’s support, we’ve been able to reach Illinoisans and educate them on the new changes in the anti-bullying law, on their equal marriage rights, grow programs on financial literacy,and help businesses develop LGBT-inclusive practices.
In your online blog, you say that MillerCoors is paying for our anti-Rauner campaign, which is not the case. Your readers should know that we do not use any of MillerCoors’ grants to fund any of our political or candidate work. That work is done exclusively by our walled-off PAC which uses specially-raised private contributions.
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 3:43 pm:
I’ve got Banquet stubs in my fridge… isn’t that donation enough.?
- Paul - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 3:46 pm:
I thought the “progressive allies” reject corporate involvement in politics?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 3:49 pm:
Coors has been pretty good for a while on providing benefits to same sex couples.
Pete Coors has said that was just good business.
Matching contributions is way beyond that.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 3:54 pm:
Good for MillerCoors. I wish more corporate folks would come out and support LGBT issues — and make life difficult for politicians with anti-LGBT positions.
Rauner may have “no social agenda” — an absurd stance — but he might as well say, “Well, I have no social agenda, but I’m pro-life and anti-LGBT.”
- Wally - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 3:58 pm:
I don’t drink but if I did it would definitely be AB products!
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 4:00 pm:
Our guy John A. Logan just switched to Natty Light.
Good for MillerCoors, even if it helps PQ.
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 4:06 pm:
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Activists-cry-foul-on-Rauner-no-social-agenda-ad-/48963.html
- A guy... - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 4:14 pm:
As Blago would say:
This is F***ing Golden. Colorado.
- John A Logan - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 4:30 pm:
I was already drinking natty light.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 4:32 pm:
a silver bullet tonight (smokey and bandit would be proud of you)
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 4:39 pm:
There is the theory that corporations would basically like to deal with one party or the other in most states and not have to worry about control shifting.
We seem to be achieving this by enacting liberalization of laws on voting in states where the Democratic Party is supposed to be in control and restrictive voter laws in states where GOP is supposed to be in control.
- Phenomynous - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 5:03 pm:
I don’t want my choice of beer to be political. Bummer.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 5:05 pm:
I’m wondering if Pete Coors is looking to make another run for something. Or maybe one of his kids.
When he ran for Senate, he took heat in the GOP primary for the company’s pro-gay employee policies and for actively promoting the product in gay bars. Then, in the general, he got pounded for backing an anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment.
Kind of a no-man’s land. He said one was good business, one was good politics.
Apparently, now just one thing is both.
Is there any other corporation out there this directly involved in a state GOTV effort?
And let’s call it what it is: a Quinn GOTV effort.
No, I never expected Coors to be bankrolling that, lol.
- Wensicia - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 5:35 pm:
I’d like to see Chick fil A in a GOTV effort for Rauner, but I doubt it would be appreciated.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 5:40 pm:
–I’d like to see Chick fil A in a GOTV effort for Rauner, but I doubt it would be appreciated.–
Certainly not by Rauner.
- Big Muddy - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 6:18 pm:
I think I’ll go have a banquet beer. Cheers to a stand up move.
- circular firing squad - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 7:39 pm:
Bye bye In-Bev
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 8:13 pm:
If you don’t want your beer to be political, then don’t pay attention. The big three, and most craft breweries are in some way politically active.
- foster brooks - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 8:57 pm:
budweiser uses rice to brew their beer which contains high levels of arsenic fyi
- Jerry Hubbard - Thursday, Sep 18, 14 @ 10:59 pm:
Guess I have to look for a new brew.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Sep 19, 14 @ 7:39 am:
You may think it unimaginable that in 2014 in Illinois we are still sounding alarm about the risks to LGBT equality.
It is. What are you selling?
- Robo - Friday, Sep 19, 14 @ 9:11 am:
…What are you selling?
Better living through grant money and matching funds.