Thread by @igorvolsky

1/ It's great to see a growing number of businesses suspending political donations to the 147 seditious lawmakers who voted to overturn our election.

The THREAD will explain why they must do much more than that (with some original research)! Follow along...

2/ We applaud companies like @Marriott, @amazon @ATT @Comcast, @Airbnb, @Mastercard, @Verizon, @BestBuy for putting their money where their mouths are and using the leverage of political donations to ensure lawmakers who support violent insurrection pay a price

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy 3/ However, given the deep roots and intense support for violent insurrection within the broader conservative movement, we urge these companies to go beyond the 147 lawmakers who cast votes of sedition.

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy 4/ For decades, @NRA & top leaders have encouraged insurrectionism, urging Americans to purchase firearms to protect their liberty and fight against a tyrannical government.

@NRA laid a foundation for the violent rhetoric and actions we witnessed.

Some examples...

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 5/ @NRA’s magazines -- its most direct way of communicating with members -- regularly warn readers of government tyranny and dehumanizes its political opponents.

https://twitter.com/GunsDownAmerica/status/1347276744009637896

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 6/ In 2009, @NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre told a conservative audience, “Our Founding Fathers understood that the guys with the guns make the rules.”

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 7/ In 2013, @NRA board member Ted Nugent alluded to the start of the American Revolution, claiming that the Obama administration “is attempting to re-implement the tyranny of King George” and that “if you want another Concord Bridge, I got some buddies.” mediamatters.org/national-rifle…

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 8/ LaPierre in 2013: "if you look at why our Founding Fathers put it there, they had lived under the tyranny of King George & they wanted to make sure that these free people... would never be subjugated again and have to live under tyranny.” npr.org/sections/itsal…

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 9/ In a February 2013 op-ed in LaPierre suggested that Americans need to buy firearms in order to ensure their “survival” from “the siege that is coming” from Obama’s administration. dailycaller.com/2013/02/13/sta…

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 10/ In August of 2015, the NRA promoted an article that depicted Democrats hanged at the gallows following a second civil war. mediamatters.org/blog/2015/10/2…

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 11/ In June of 2017, the NRA released an ad arguing that its members must save America by violently fighting liberals. vox.com/world/2017/6/2…

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 12/ In October 2017, an NRA ad warned that Trump’s opponents “will perish in the political flames of their own fires.” mediamatters.org/nratv/new-nra-…

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 13/ In June 2019, a host of the NRA’s NRATV said, “I think what America was built on, one of the fundamental tenets of why the Second Amendment is in place was to stand up to a tyrannical government.” mediamatters.org/nratv/nratv-ho…

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 14/ In a fall 2019 “Patriot Newsletter,” LaPierre warned, “if we lose this election, it will be Armageddon for the Second Amendment."

Just look at this rhetoric:

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 15/ Given @NRA’s role in perpetuating myth that #2A empowers Americans to violently overthrow a democratically elected government & its opposition to making it harder for violent extremists to obtain guns, corporate America must suspend all donations to lawmakers paid by @NRA

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA 16/ An analysis of campaign finance data conducted by @GunsDownAmerica reveals that many of the companies that have suspended political contributions to the 147 seditious lawmakers have funded members of Congress who choose to take $ from @NRA and promote its violent agenda

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA @GunsDownAmerica 17/ This includes...

@BestBuy: $89,500 in political contributions to @NRA-backed lawmakers in 2020
@ATT: $1,079,500
@COMCAST: $1,100,500
@AMAZON: $467,500
@AIRBNB: $7,000
@VERIZON: $504,500
@MASTERCARD: $98,750

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA @GunsDownAmerica 18/ Corporate America now has an opportunity to help heal our nation by boldly declaring that lawmakers who promote violence and insurrection will not receive their support.

@Marriott @amazon @ATT @comcast @Airbnb @Mastercard @Verizon @BestBuy @NRA @GunsDownAmerica 19/ Given the growing threat of violence around the Inauguration and beyond, we are urging America’s most trusted brands and businesses to do everything they can to keep their employees, customers, and communities safe.