Jet Blue Caving to O'Reilly's Minions....sort of
By Nicole Belle Thursday Jul 19, 2007 2:13pmDKos:
Okay, so JetBlue, after deciding to resist Bill O'Reilly's pressure last night, just decided to back down. Let them know what you think about that.
corporatecommunications@jetblue.com
As for my part, I'm cancelling my JetBlue American Express card and will be looking at alternative options for my future travel. Too bad. Unfortunately, JetBlue just told me (and the rest of us) that they accept O'Reilly's bullshit smears.
What's really interesting about this whole affair is that the most aggressive pushback is coming from Hillary Clinton's camp. JetBlue may have just exacerbated their PR problem, but at least we're seeing that the days when Democrats would've followed suit are behind us.
Update: Oh, and JetBlue advertises with Fox. You see, it's okay to support the likes of Ann Coulter.
Update II: JetBlue wants me to note that they didn't pull the tickets they donated to the event. So the sponsorship remains, but they are too afraid to let anyone know that they donated those tickets.
Doesn't this seem the worst of all worlds. Will right wingers be appeased considering that JetBlue is still giving yKos free tickets? Way to piss off everyone...
The right wing has learned early and well that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. JetBlue has been inundated with calls and emails for the last 24 hours, thanks to Bill O'Reilly's national platform on TV and radio and the assistance of internet minions like Michelle Malkin.
Well, it's time for you to get squeaky. Not profane, not threatening, not hate-filled...that just plays right into what Billo (Mr. "San Francisco-can-get-hit-by-al-Qaeda-and-that's-okay-with-me") has said about all of us. Look, on average, progressives are better educated, younger and more likely to travel than a Bill O'Reilly viewer. This is bad business practices. And they should be smarter than that..
(John Amato: A big problem is that JetBlue and others really don't understand the new dynamic that is playing out in the world of media. O'Reilly is part of the dying, prehistoric breed of old media ( and propagandists) and we are the the new ---up and coming---vital marketshare. We're more likely to put our purchasing dollars in companies that reflect our values and participate in boycotts of those that don't.)
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sent them a letter, they've lost my business, both personal & professional
this cowardly act was a bad business decision
"Look, on average, progressives are better educated, younger and more likely to travel than a Bill O’Reilly viewer. This is bad business practices."
Everyone should just cancel the cards, their tickets and never book them again.
When they come looking for you, and if you've flown them before...they will...THEN you open your mouth...cause then they will KNOW who you are.
Jet Blue doesn't want my business either. What ever happened to non-political ads placed for revenue purposes? Wingers have private jets. They're not into flying economy.
I sent a letter via Jet Blue's website feedback feature, here is what I sent:
Please tell CEO David Barger that The Daily Kos is not a hateful, far-left website as The
O'Reilly Factor intimates in its ambush of Mr. Barger outside the hotel. I heartily approve of Jet
Blue's sponsorship of the the conference of Daily Kos participants, and would encourage you to
ignore Bill O'Reilly. He is a self-absorbed, naarcissistic, pompous, blowhard jackass, and panders
to an increasingly marginalized electorate within the US. You don't need his business, or anyone
else that watches Fox News. Keep up the good work, keep sponsoring conferences, and don't let
anyone from the Fox Nazi News Channel intimidate, or cow you into doing anything other than what you
wish to do. You kept your cool in the face of an unfair interview by someone who works for a
network that exemplifies the worst sort of journalism in America today. Kudos to you sir
Here's the response I received from David Barger himself this morning:
Thank you for contacting JetBlue with your comment. We have been surprised and disappointed that the
donation of JetBlue travel (10 tickets total) to a bloggers convention has been misinterpreted as
support and/or agreement with a politically centered website we have absolutely no connection with.
As a company we take no stand on any political issues save those directly related to air
transportation issues.
From my personal perspective the issue is quite straightforward. Our marketing team made a decision
to donate 10 airline tickets to an annual convention of bloggers. JetBlue was one of 23 groups to
donate items and thus 'sponsor' the YearlyKos convention. JetBlue will have no presence at the
conference or any other involvement with the YearlyKos event. We have NO INVOLVEMENT with DailyKos
or anything said or represented on that website.
Our workforce of roughly 11,000 consists of a huge variety of backgrounds and belief systems. I was
personally completely unaware of the existence of DailyKos prior to news connecting the YearlyKos
convention and thus our airline ticket donation to DailyKos. I personally have never condoned and
abhor anything hateful towards anyone and am fully confident that JetBlue's crewmembers share this
view.
We certainly hope that the sweeping generalizations connecting JetBlue to a political stand will be
recognized as exaggeration and with no basis in fact.
Dave Barger
CEO, JetBlue Airways
THINGS ARE GOING FROM BAD TO WORSE.
Don't over-react. It's surprising that JetBlue sponsored YearlyKos at all.
Don't give them a bloody nose for backing out, or the lesson they will learn is that it was a mistake to get involved in the first place.
It's like the Dark Ages and the Wild West, where you are on your own and you better be quick with the trigger because everyone is armed to the teeth in one form or another.
Kos: "the days when Democrats would’ve followed suit are behind us."
Bwahahahahahaaa!!!
Reeeeeallllly?
Yeah.
While I personally don't care for dildo, JetBlue screwed me up so badly on my trip last week I really don't feel like flying them either way. Their service used to be excellent, now it's lousy. Screw both dildo and JetBlue.
Oh, JetBlue is no victim here. They're consorting with the enemy thru advertising. They could have aired their seductive lies on any station but FOX. Besides, the way they treat their customers is proof positive they neither want nor value our business. I'd sooner rent a bike from the kid next door than buy a JetBlue ticket.
Why play defense? When will the large liberal blogs get together and hit a Fox sponsor?
I guarantee half of the angry hate filled lunatics who bombarded JetBlue with hate mail don't know what a blog even is. I've said it before, but the rebublicons suck at the web2.0
Look at their blogs and sites- disorganized, pointless, and just a gimmick or extension of their weak sauce websites- Coulter's page looks like it was designed by a 3rd grader and Orally's site is a mess. Malkin's page makes no sense. It's like they deciedd "hey we need bloggers. anyone know how to blog?"
The Internet is the future of democracy and restoring the function the news media has ceased to do. Thank god for blogs to call these people on their bullshite immediately and accurately. Chip away, chip away!
why can't we attack back with going after all the sponsors of Fox and Fox News.
you know..jetblue couldve just perused the site themselves and formed their own opinion instead of letting Mr.Orly tell them what it was about. The thing I realise is that.....calling and sending letters do work.
I take back all the nice things I said about Jet Blue. As I said on an earlier post, their "FOXinFlight" would be reason not to fly JB.
This is too bad. They had a real opportunity to stand above the corporate crowd and really distinguish themselves. But any corporation that does that is going to be viewed as a traitor by the rest of corporate America. Any company that supports legitimate journalism and free speech is going to be considered an intolerable turncoat by such fascistic entities as FOX, to whom truth in any of its flavors is anethema. But if corporate America doesn't have a unified propaganda message, they will never be able to fully realize their dream of firmly establishing the corporately owned and operated United Police States of Amerika.
Hsd JB a little more spine they would have promised to dump FOX, in all its incarnations, from the range of services that JB offers its passengers. Jet Blue held all the cards, so it's all the more a shame that they allowed themselves to be suckered into capitulating under pressure of FOX's hostile propaganda action against it.
Guess I won't be flying Jet Blue.
Give 'em their stinkin' tickets back in that case.
everyone please call and email jetblue to say they lost your business, but also say WHY
mister mix @ 13:
They'll spin it as The Angry Left Bloggers are on the attack again.
The Cons need a bogeyman to be relevant. If they don't have one they'll make one up.
[Deleted. Don't call out the site you are posting on. It's bad manners. And suspicious-Sitemonitor]
[Deleted. Going off topic here. Stop it-Sitemonitor]
Jet Blue? Who cares? A rank airline. I got 4 vouchers that I could never use. Rude people, cancelled or rescheduled flights.
Aside from that, Oaralee is nothing more than a punk. Those that listen to him will continue, those that don't won't. He won't get any converts, likewise neither will Kos
That's already been sifted out.
Cowards.
I just canceled a reservation I made two weeks ago for my brother when he visits in August. My business will go elsewhere, and I'm writing a letter to make sure they know why.
How low will Fox and the repubs go with their hysteria and hypocrisy?
Hey, why does everybody counts us out? It isn't only young people who can't stand the present political situation. It isn't only young people who like Keith Olberman, Stephen Colbert, John Amato, etc. We, in the way above the 25-40 age group are just as angry about the war Iraq, the economic situation in this country, the treatment of employees, all of the ills brought about by Bush and his cronies. We have a stake in what is happening, and support Kos, as well as other progressive politicals. Don't believe we are O'Reilly fans, wouldn't watch him for any amount of money, unless Keith is lacing into him, which is great.
let's put this in prospective. it's 10 plane tickets. those tickets are still donated. if you boycott jetblue then boycott them for advertising on Fox. don't boycott them for not taking a political stance when they are sideswiped.
[Hey honesty/sh@adow/frogger, et al. You are lying again. I can't stress this enough: Loosen the tin foil hat and get professional help. How is your hectoring this site getting your important work of striking and boycott organizing done? Sitemonitor]
we shouldn't be involved with corporations like Jetblue anyway....corporations=enemy!!! remember???
Don't you hate it when you submit a post it just simply disappears, never making it into the comments?
[You got stuck in the spam filter. I deleted the other two versions of your post, since they were both in all bold-Sitemonitor]
My bet: FOX news offered Jet Blue a discount on advertising, or maybe even free advertising, if they'd repudiate KOS. Any takers?
the right wing voice isn't as big as they are given credit for. i haven't been tapped into politics lately, but a couple of years ago i noticed that about a week after there was a general grassroots aversion to something (like target refusing to sell contraceptives), some organiztion on the right would find some lame reason to boycott the same company or product.
Well DUH. Bush's never been elected. That's a good clue if business' would stop and think. But then nobody can stop and think that if people can afford $300 mp3 players and $600 phones, then maybe downloading isn't about the price either.
ya' just gotta have a sense of humor sometimes.
the best news is seeing Clinton speak up. i've watched her on committees before and she's got a sharp tongue. if she's figured out that's what we want, then there is no one else that could get angry and blast these trumped up, bloated, self-righteous creeps back under the rug they crawled out under.
I'd write her a 'congrats' for showing her spine letter.
When I encounter a business that has Fox News on their TV I find a way to remind it that more than 1/3 of clients are Democrats and are offended by Faux Noise propaganda, try CNN or MSNBC or anything else.
[Deleted. Off topic-Sitemonitor]
[Deleted. Off topic-Sitemonitor]
Very very bad day for Jetblue! I helped organized a company trip for about 30 Execs, but now we're gona use a different Airline.
Jetblue was our first choice, now they're our last.
I wont use them anymore for personal trips.
Sent this to JetBlue:
To Whom It May Concern,
I just wanted to write to express my disappointment that it seems you're backing down from Bill O'Reilly. The fact that your sponsoring YearlyKos is something that you should be proud of and promote. That's because many of the posters at the DailyKos work exceedingly hard to get news out that the US mainstream media doesn't talk about and people like Bill O'Reilly lie about.
My family and friends are avid supporters of DailyKos, Crookandliars.com, RawStory and many others because we believe as American citizens we have a right and obligation to know the truth. Companies that support them have my respect and will get my business.
A handful of negative comments should not reflect the overall effectiveness of these websites at educating the American populace. This is the new face of news. I think your company knows they want to be a part of it.
I sent in my 2 bits worth. Its time for all Democrats, Independents or whatever to stand up to the bullys out there like Bill O'Reilly. I refused to eat lunch in a restaurant today because the idiots had Fox News on. We are mainstream America now, and the sooner folks figure it out the better off our country will be.
Here are my comments in an email to them...
I am in a state of shock that your company has backed down to the likes of a smear campaign run by Bill O'Reilly and his foillowers. Please be advised that your mistake will haunt you becaause their are a lot more of us that are middle of the road normal citizens that can't believe that you can't stick up for a committment.
I am a business person who travels, and have a staff that travels. Rest assured that no one in our company will use your airline for any travel whatsoever. YearlyKos attendees are not wild eyed liberals, NAZIs, or anything that Bill O'reilly says we are. We are normal American citizens who are concerned about our country.
I guess you must feel the same way O'Reilly does about folks like Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emmanuel, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Wesley Clark, and many other national leaders that are taking time out from their busy schedules to be in Chicago to talk to what is now mainstream America. Fox news, Bill O'Reilly and their ilk represent less than 30% of the American population. By the way folks that pay attention to them either don't fly, or are rich enough that they fly on airlines that provide first class service, and I don't believe you fit in that niche.
I was proud of you guys when you had the courage to stand by your convictions. You have nothing left to be proud of for backing down on the basis of a smear campaign run by folks that are extreme right wing quthoritarians (fancy way of saying FACIST).
L.A. Confidential @ 7:
Think of it as practice for the post-apocalyptic era that my PNAC cousins are working diligently to usher in.
Send JetBlue executives a blogroll, pointing to all recent posts about JetBlue. Let them gaze directly into our dirty pits of depravity.
JetBlue is trying to sit on the fence.
When you sit on the fence all you get is a picket up the ass! Pick a side, assholes!
I hope the tickets when they arrive, ( if paper ) are shredded and mailed back. You must let them know that most people who watch FOX don't fly, they travel by car.
Ahahahaha [Deleted. Off topic-Sitemonitor] Ahahahahah
What?
They have NO IDEA what DailyKos is and yet they choose to advertise on (read: support) FAUX News?
THIS is their idea of being impartial???
Sounds like a right-wing mentality to me...
JetBlue needs to get their s*#t together.
FAUX News is a partisan megaphone, and they cannot pretend otherwise. JetBlue's advertising dollars are proof of their politics, don't let them get away with any denials... Not to mention the monopoly they offer FAUX of the "captive audience" passengers...
This stinks... Why even my bank, a few blocks away from FAUX here in midtown Manhattan CHOSE to switch to CNBC after I complained to them about their airing FAUX in their monitors... It DID NOT take them that long to see that they were indeed being partisan, simply by airing FAUX...
CALL IT WHAT IT IS.
HOLD JET BLUE ACCOUNTABLE.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caving into pedophilia supporting O’Reilly who's audience stopped flying back in the 80's due to lack of bladder control is a bold move for JetBlue.
Who needs passengers when your goal is bankruptcy, right? Filing for Chapter 11 is every corporations dream!
Go JetBlue! You can do it!
Sitemonitor,
Maybe you need to weigh deleting posts that are by your strict standards "off topic" against pissing off long time readers off that once in awhile choose to post. Fox slamming a Kos sponsor would naturally lead to discussion of boycotts of Fox sponsors.
Geez, give someone a little power!
Site Monitor: We appreciate the feedback, but we're monitoring as per the siteowner's instructions. We're sorry that upsets you. The comments deleted are not necessarily about boycotting Fox sponsors and we must weigh what is in the best interest of the site in general with allowing "once in awhile" posters their comments.
JetBlue doesn't understand that capitulation to bullies only increases the arrogance and intimidation of the bullies.
Bad move by JetBlue, this equivocating mealy-mouth explanation. I wrote them earlier today and encouraged them not to pay attention to O'Reilly. After reading this C&L thread, I should write them again and tell them how not to pee in their pants every time O'Reilly says "boo!"
I just send an e-mail to Jet Blue telling them that I am canceling my card and will never travel with them. If progressives are truely the base of the Democratic Party then it is time for us to unit and let everybody know that we do matter. I check the blogsphere eveyday but usually don't submit any comment but enough is enough. Action always speaks louder that words.
one response to their form letter:
From the form letter people seem to be receiving from you on this issue:
"From my personal perspective the issue is quite straightforward. Our marketing team made a decision
to donate 10 airline tickets to an annual convention of bloggers. JetBlue was one of 23 groups to
donate items and thus ’sponsor’ the YearlyKos convention. JetBlue will have no presence at the
conference or any other involvement with the YearlyKos event. We have NO INVOLVEMENT with DailyKos
or anything said or represented on that website."
Whatever. You can maintain that disassociation as long as you regard these marketing activities equally--we all assumed that was the case. Now that you have shamefacedly BACKED AWAY from a sponsorship with DKos while MAINTAINING your proud association with the shamelessly partisan Fox News, you are no longer the dispassionate corporate sponsor. You have chosen to get in bed with OReilly and co...
Waytogo. I'm planning a trip across country, I know how not to fly--yall are embarrassed to be seen with me.
AC
I got squeaky, it felt good.
What a disappointment that you let an admitted sexual harasser browbeat you into retreating from supporting a forum that allows free expression of opinion, as opposed to what O'Reilly supports: censored statements and a backwards agenda.
Please count me among those who will use other transportation in the future.
Bill O' Reilly is liar, a traitor, a sexual harasser, and an all around scourge on society.
Can anyone add to the list ?
crazy train @ 49:
Morton Downey with a History degree.
Be sure to pop into the link on Clintons page about Orally.
I am glad she is doing this. I am also pleased that it seems in the last few days she is taking the gloves off. Good, we need more of this. I realize her poll numbers are high enough she has some "capital" to spend and so far I like where she is spending it. Between the pentagon and orally this is a good thing.
She is in a 200 person media call right now with John Kerry over the pentagon letter. It is good to see her reaching out to other Dems to take a stand with her. He knows better than anyone what the administrations calls of "helping terrorist" will do to you.
Bill,Why do you always have to be such a turd?
You must have been an incorrigible little brat "growing up".
Now you are an emotionally arrested ego driven monster who makes a lot of money wallowing in the sewer of pettiness and spite.Take your tabloid politics and your bully boy ego and your phony indignation and your "Polk" --not "Peabody"-- Award and cram the whole infuriating mountain of horse shit up your ass.And YOU SHUT the hell UP.
There I feel marginally better now.
crazy train @ 49:
Yeah, you really need to include "egomaniac" with an optional "pig-headed" adjective.
Have to mention this. Ann Coulter was just on Fox attacking Obama over his desire for kids to get education (they call it sex ed) about touching. When the expert asked her why telling a 5 year old there is good touch and bad touch was wrong Ann said they already know. They asked for clarification and she said a 5 year old knows when someone is touching the inappropriately and we don't have to tell them.
That woman is seriously delusional.
padcrasher @ 43:
So, you care more about the site than what people actually think? How is that different from the rightwingers this site constantly demonizes?
Site Monitor: We care about monitoring the site the way John Amato has requested. Is that hard to understand that it's his blog and his rules?
Hope you don't mind, John.
Do any of you guys know of a decent airline? There's 30 of us from our company looking to fly to New York from california for a major meeting. Money is no object.
JetBlue is history in our book!
My Letter to Jet Blue...
To whom it may concern -
It's unfortunate that you are in the middle of an imagined dust-up involving Fox news. However, it's distressing that you would so easily cave to their bully pulpit. Your intelligent target market knows that what is said in the comment section of a Web site that truly allows free exchange of ideas is bound to receive controversial postings. Free speech will always attract a full spectrum of ideas.
I urge you to continue to support freedom of speech and would hope you are rewarded with the business of the majority that shares my love of this freedom.
sitemonitor
Clear as a bell. I will post here no longer.
Site Monitor: We're sorry to hear that.
Absolutely John. That is why talk over new internet laws is so important. TV and Cable TV are the walking dead. They just don't know it yet. How many of us are considering getting rid of our tv sets or already have done so? I find myself as one of your older posters turning on the set less and less and I grew up on tv. What does the younger generations have to say about this?
kdawg @ 56:
To be honest, it IS a bit hard to understand that a blog that is established essentially to bash rightwingers for suppressing popular opinion merely because it suits their interests would then go about and essentially say that they do the exact same thing.
Site Monitor: This line of discussion is now hijacking this thread. If you wish to continue it, we'll be happy to respond to you via private email. You can email the sitemonitor team from the email link on the home page. Any further posts on this thread will be deleted.
mark @ 60:
Younger generation: "My Xbox broke, should have brought a Nintendo!"
Not everyone from the younger generation are game console reality TV freaks. We have ton of young kids where I'm from who are Keith Olbermann, Steve Colbert fans.
I pray for their future!
For what its worth......my post was also deleted. It was completely off topic; had nuthin' to do with Fox, JetBlue. I apologize----my ADD got the better of me & decided I couln't wait. No hard feelings here. John A does a wonderful job as do the sitemonitors and I appreciate that. And my impulsivity disorder will have to be treated soon! :)
JetBlue... they needed the money! OH!!!
Are they aware at JetBlue of some of ORal-ly's comments? Might be an idea to send them some videos.
My $.02 to Jet Blue:
Just a short note to say I'm absolutely disappointed in Jet Blue for cowering in the face of that thug Bill O'Reilly's condemnation. I had hoped you would stand tall and not give in to O'Reilly's inane bullying. After all, you already advertise on FOX, I'd think they'd want to avoid antagonizing a client. You were in the power position, not Mr. O'Reilly. You should have stood strong.
I will no longer fly with Jet Blue. I've lost too much respect for your organization.
soothsayer @ 51:
Did you mean HIStory degree ? (HIStory= o'rielly)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfSRwUxjmM4
So I guess we can add fraud to the list.
I am willing to spend on advertising, startup etc. 50K if anyone well known in the liberal sphere creates a petition which lists all sponsors and all their products which advertise on O'Reilly shows and the petition gets people to promise NOT to use those products until Bill publicly denounces Mike Savage (anti Luther King remark), Ann Coulter (Calling for the Death of Edwards and saying 9/11 widows are enjoying the death of their husband), Jerry Farwell and so many hate spreaders and promises to not invite them to his show or the sponsors agree not to advertise on that Nazi show (according to Bill's own definition). Because by Bill's own definition his program is a NAZI type. Afterall if he attached comments on dailykos to its creator, I think we have the right to attribute the comments of Bill's guests to O'Reilly.
Back on Topic...
Sent an email to our Execs about this matter. JetBlue is now blacklisted! Gona forward this information to my brothers company who uses them as their primary airline.
This was such obvious bull-jive Jane Hall wouldn't even play along. She saw that this was worse than your typical stupid Bill-O.
PNAAC Minister @ 54:
Umm, POTUS ?
soothsayer @ 48:
I too got jiggy with it. My company will no longer be using Jet Blue.
My two cents I sent to JetBlue:
I would encourage Jet Blue to step back. If it is ok to cancel your sponsorship of YearlyKos because the *open* forum has a few crackpots and cranks, then how can you, in good conscience, support Fox News with advertising when *their* main man, Bill O'Reilly, has given terrorists the OK to wipe San Francisco off the map. It wasn't even a guest but the host himself who said this!!!
Has Kos or any representative of Kos said anything even approaching that level of vitriol?
If a crazy person stands in a NYC bus shelter that has an advertisement for Jet Blue and spouts off insane ramblings and uses threatening speech, are you going to cancel your advertising deal with the MTA?
Open Forums are just that, open. You get the cranks with the geniuses.
Maybe O’Reilly and Fox are trying to scare companies like JetBlue from supporting good causes and pulling their advertising dollars.
It worked on the masses, the 27%, why not ill informed companies?
I can't support a company that can't take a stand. Disney took and stand against the conservatives and it has the everlasting respect from the community when the Baptists and right-wingers tried to hurt them with a boycott. JetBlue, if they try to play the middle ground, will lose BIG.
I figured they would.
You can't expect a corporation to side with working people.
[...] Clark Link to Article hillary clinton Jet Blue Caving to O’Reilly’s Minions….sort of » Posted [...]
Mlappy @ 76:
Disney????
What about their corporate media outlet ABC? When did they ever take a stand against the reich wing?
You can reach me at rics321 at yahoo dot com to discuss my above proposition.
Go United! I'm an O'Hare traveler and I won't have anything to do with JetBlue. No way! Not after this crap. Oh yeah, and I'm in a sought-after demographic. I'm gay, I have disposable income and I'm younger than 85. Fuck JetBlue.
As out of touch as Jet Blue is, I wonder if they are still intimidated by Jerry Falwell.
Their CEO should be strapped in a chair with a ball gag and be forced to watch Keith Olbermann's special comments on a loop.
Hey #56. The market is tight for airtravel and United is gaining momentum. I'm in! And no, I don't work for them. But they've been very good to me this year (and I also use their low-cost carrier Ted). Screw JetBlue.
Bah. They only fly into about five airports anyway.
Here is the e-mail I just sent to jetBlue a few minutes ago;
From: xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com
Subject: On your company's yanking public sponsorship of Yearly Kos '07
Date: July 20, 2007 4:39:23 PM EDT
To: corporatecommunications@jetblue.com
I was just informed that your company has asked to have it's logo taken off the sponsorship list of companies providing services for Yearly Kos '07, in response to the rabble-rousing by Bill O'Reilly and his racist online co-hort Michelle Malkin.
This is INTENSELY ANGERING to me.
I fly with JetBlue exclusively. I've liked flying on JetBlue and have recommended it to friends. Cross-country, short hops—and I was considering using JetBlue to fly to YearlyKos at the last minute. Even through the P.R. nightmares the company's dealt with insofar as the "delay on the tarmac/weather hold-up" issues of late, I have stood by my patronage of JetBlue.
But no more.
I am surprised that whoever is in charge of media relations for your company doesn't understand what was being done here. It was O'Reilly and Malkin using the megaphones of their media access to shut down a voice on the left they despised—and they used your company as a pawn. They are trying to scuttle the convention by influencing the sponsors—and mangling and misrepresenting the words that have appeared on the Daily Kos site. Are you not familiar with O'Reilly's vile comments on kidnapped children, murdered moms and his own troubles as a sexual harasser?
Is Malkin's championing of internment camps for Muslims in the U.S. something you condone? Her smearing of John Kerry as having shot himself for medals? Her cozy alliance with known hate sites/groups like VDare?
Apparently the pressure from those two, and their retrograde band of sycophants who "contacted" you is something your company sees as valid—and their issues legitimate.
And with that being the obvious case, I will no longer use your airline. Which is unfortunate, because the quality of your service is quite good—the best that I've experienced recently. But I will not spend my money with people who are cowed by the likes of O'Reilly and Malkin—lowfifes both. I would sooner suffer lesser service than allow my intelligence to be insulted, and have my money go to a company that condones what those two have to say. And that's what your knuckling under says.
So spare me your form letter that says how much you appreciate my feedback, or how "this move doesn't indicate a political stance" or whatever canned response you have locked into place. Just understand that I am not joking. Your airline is "carrier non grata" to me based on this craven move, and it is something I will not soon forget.
You reap what you sow, and you have sown sore serious ill-will from would-be passengers and established customers—of which I am the latter. I will be telling my family—rather frequent travelers of this cowardly move as well. O'Reilly and Malkin are not the only people who can appear to move people to action—but I can guarantee you—I CAN move myself and my family to action.
Disgusted,
XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX
This is the email I just sent "Honestly it's hard for me to understand how you guys develop your communications strategy. On the one hand you do a noble, yes noble, act by supporting a forum dedicated essentially to freedom of speech. For sure it's a younger audience, and for sure they tend to be more liberal than the wider population. But then on the other hand you knuckle under to a TV blow-hard bully which makes you look simultaneously cowardly and ignoble! Basically I just don't get which image you are attempting to promote.
I'll appreciate and and all feedback"
mojopo @ 80:
I'm with you there about jet Blue. I fly a lot for business and it won't be with them. And personally I'll take Midway anytime over O'Hare. United has the rudest customer service people on earth and Midway is much less congested and user friendly. Southwest and Air Tran get me where I need to go.
I wonder if an longer term email campaign might be more effective.
Everytime one of us ends up NOT booking on Jet Blue, we send them an email noting that they just lost another sale.
This would be putting real money where our mouths are and would demonstrate the true cost.
Oh give me a break....
I dont think I've seen a better example of generalization of a certain demographic in all my life. An equally ridiculous example might be if BoR's viewers are conservatives, and conservatives generally have more money, then those viewers have more resources at their disposal to travel.
By the way, Jet Blue is a discount airline. Those that travel outside a certain region generally take one of the larger airlines. So, if your travel example is pointed towards those that travel within the confines of the US, then hey....it kinda blows your whole "progressives are more worldly" argument out of the water.
Wow....
LowerManhattanite @ 84:
Well said. Next time jet Blue wants to play in the political arena they better remember they aren't playing with choirboys.
Rats. Earlier I sent them an email thanking and congratulating them for not caving in. Now I have to turn around and rescind that. Loudly, aggressively--almost like a Republican. (Nah, I can't be that nasty to anyone.)
The fact that Billo and Faux are even concerned about KOS is something to consider.
They are starting to get "the fear," and they will react accordingly. They will be ruthless, lying pigs. Oh wait...
This will blow over soon for JetBlue, but it's not over between Faux and bloggers. Not by a long shot.
Here's what I sent:
Mlappy @ 75:
Disney is a horrible example, as it tried to influence the election in favor of the Republicans when it chose to air, on ABC, a 2-part mini-series it knew was fraudulent right-wing propaganda (Path to 9/11). That was nothing but a blatant attempt to curry favor with the party that then controlled Congress.
JetBlue ought to have been proud to have sponsored yearlykos. Instead, they simply tried to appease an increasingly out of touch constituency represented by Fox and its ilk.
I won't soon be forgetting this, JetBlue.
Granted... I can drive to YK this year (unlike last year) and didn't need a flight... but who knows what the future may bring.
Wussies.
Los Populisto @ 26:
Corporations can have a few as one shareholder. Incorporation is a legal vehicle. It's not evil or the "enemy". Certain people are the enemy.
Sickening.
The real tragedy of Bill oreilly is that he could be using his influence to do good things. This guy has more power than many of his contemperaries, and he wastes it, on Fox's agenda, or his own misguided ignorance and fear. Now, at the time we most need someone who is able to stand up to corporations, not for sponsorships of blog sites, but for the litany of things they do to wring everycent out of the average person to fuel their attempt at world government. Imagine if bill were to take up the cause of the vast majority of americans who are not required to pay income tax, yet are harassed, stolen from, and imprisoned by the IRS, an ILLEGAL AGENCY!!!! Imagine if he were to actually stand up for PEOPLES rights. If he were to be the beacon of light for the average guy, as he implies. Fuck you very much Bill , not for what you are, but for what you could have been.
jehrler @ 87:
...That's a very good idea;otherwise, JB will assume the initial comments will blow over in 24 hours since it is a discount airline and there will always be a market for the lowest price, no matter what C & L's demographics may be.
It's dumb for any company to involve itself in politics.
In addition to writing them angry letters, there is something else that could be done to get their attention, if you are in a position to do it. Buy one or two shares of JetBlue, and then write them to tell them that you are coming to the shareholders meeting to discuss your concerns about this issue. The last thing they want is for their bigger investors to get nervous, especially given their current situation.
Subject: Concerning the caving-in to O'Reilly: the worst business decision you have made this year
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:34:57 +0100
I just wanted to drop you a note on your response to the
O'Reilly-campaign in relation to your sponsorship of Yearly Kos:
As you are probably beginning to notice - a lot of people are
unsatisfied with your caving-in to smearcampaigns from the extreme
right. This group of which I count myself as member include a LOT of
young persons, which I believe is the segment you're especially
trying to to target via your ads. The audience of The Factor on the
other hand consist mostly of elderly people - in fact the average
viewer of Bill O'Reilly's show is older than O'Reilly himself.
If you had stood by your donations to Yearly Kos in spite of the
smear, you would have gained a lasting reputation among a group of
persons who travel a lot, and who is defining the future. As it is
now you will get just the opposite response - namely a longlasting
negtaive reputation; which is why this caving-in to O'Reilly probably
will be the worst business decision you have made this year. I for
one will never again support you if you do not quickly redeem
yourselves in this matter. You can do it - even Hilary Clinton seem
to get it http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/oreilly/?sc=8 .
I'm going to write them and let them know they caved to the 70+ demography... I'm not yet 30 and will never fly jet blue again (I travel). Kind of a bummer to loose a potential customer for (hopefully) 50+ years
JetBlue's New Logo
[What part of "Don't call out the site" was unclear to you? Sitemonitor]
the blackshirting of American continues by "independent" hosts who only have cons fill in for him
I had already written O'Reilly before I saw Hillary's site. He is always critizing other stations for not doing their homework. This is what I wrote.
----------------------------------------------------------
Dictionary Primate (n) A Bishop of highest rank in a province or country.
Religious site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop A Primate is usually a bishop of the oldest church of a nation. Sometimes this carries jurisdiction over metropolitan bishops but usually honorific.
----------------------------------------------------------
Everybody get busy and send him the definitions.
Jut sent this email to JetBlue:
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:36:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: ***********@********.com>
Subject: Our corporation is banning your services
To: corporatecommunications@jetblue.com
Since your company is pulling sponsorship of the Yearly Kos due to comments from Pedophilia supporting O’Reilly and his paid thugs, my company is blacklisting your services.
Last year we spent approximately $200,000 in paid trips for our Execs, and the first six months of this year we almost matched that. A trip costing $10,320 dollars if we would have used JetBlue for a large group of our Execs to attend a meeting in New York has
been booked with another airline.
You provided great service in the past, but your company rolled over for a show that promotes hate, violence, and caters to 70 years and older. How many of them do you think still fly?
My brothers corporation who uses your services more than our company has been informed of your decision and is now looking for another airline.
It was fun while it lasted!
Check out this link, you might find this video
interesting:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/19/the-falafel-guy-fatwa/
padcrasher @ 11:
APPLAUSE!! So, when ?
I notice everyone is criticizing JetBlue, but no one takes a look at themselves. It is my understanding that the hate speech O'Reilly is pushing is from the comments section on Daily Kos. O'Reilly has one valid, but debatable point: Should those comments be allowed to stand on the site?
I hate censorship (I get censored a lot), but I can now see that if you have a large political site that is connected with politicians you may have to take the step of monitoring and deleting offensive comments. Why? So people like O'Reilly can't use them against you and hurt your cause. It would always be arbitrary and I personally don't like it, but I think it is reality. Bummer. Let smaller sites handle uncensored comments I guess.
The other thing is the commenters themselves. You and me. There have been way too many times that I see commenters fly off the handle at someone (usually me) who is obviously full of crap. And then blame that guy. Oh, you made me shoot my mouth off because you used the magical power of "flamebait." Well, I guess that is the state of our country right now, just people yelling at each other and making excuses for it. Hey, I'm guilty too, but at least I try to take it easy now.
Anyway, my point is, look at what you are writing. Is it something that you think should be representative of your views? After all, anyone in the world can read what you are writing. Maybe you should take a deep breath, calm down, and think before you write kneejerk responses to people or events that bother you. Otherwise, you just end up causing a distraction from the issues that you care about.
Just my opinion, but it's a good one.
Let's not forget that it was the Kos who pushed for the cancellation of the Convention in Las Vegas that was to have been hosted by Fox.
This is nothing but retribution by Fox to hurt the Kos using JetBlue as a pawn.
The only question is: Was this orchestrated by Murdoch, and why, out of the JetBlue sky, did Orally happen to jump on this obscure bit of info of the Kos&JetBlue connection?
Yearly kos will be huge without JetBlue.
No biggie.
Hi,
My company spends in excess of $500,000 in transportation each year .Our
US division (very frequently) and Canadian (rather infrequently) division
use Jetblue for corporate travel. Our US division spent appox $25,000 last
calander year traveling on Jetblue which has been growing rapidly. I have
sent a memo companywide today prohibiting my employees from using JetBlue
ever again.
If Jetblue can pull its DailyKos sponsorship it should also cancel all
advertising on Fox News, unless Jetblue does so, they will lose my entire
company's business forever. If DailyKos is a hate spreader Fox is worse.
O'Reilly's guests include Mike Savage (anti Luther King remark), Ann
Coulter (Calling for the Death of Edwards and saying 9/11 widows are
enjoying the death of their husband), Jerry Farwell and so many hate
spreaders If Bill attributes comments on dailykos forums to its creator, I
think we have the right to attribute the comments of Bill’s guests to
O’Reilly.
If I can be of further assistance feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXX
President & CEO
------------------------
XXXXXX
XXXX
XXX
XXX
XXXXXX
XXXX
XXX
XXX
Yellow Elephant Safari @ 72:
big ups, yellow 'phant!
JustMe @ 109:
You claim to hate censorship, but you are advocating that people who post comments at all these blogs (both Left and Right) should self-censor so blowhards like O'Lielly can't "use" those comments against others.
The trouble is that people like O'rally and Limpballs can't (or won't...my belief) separate the open comments from the blog/diary/website; they assume that the comments must be approved by the owners/operators of said blog/diary/website, or else they wouldn't be there. And that's because people like Falafel-Man don't allow comments by the unwashed masses on their own websites in the first place.
113 - wrong ...
Orally and Limpballs don't know what blogs are. Orally has stated that he knows nothing about the internet. It is not that they can't or won't, they are just too stupid.
Navy Vet @ 114:
You pretty much reinforced both of my points.
1) That big sites have to censor (not leave it up to the commenters to "self-censor", but actively censor offensive comments), because O'Reilly and those like him won't separate the public comments from what the site operators write. There's no question that they won't separate the two. If they did, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.
2) Commenters should "self-censor". Or as I'd rather put it: Think about what they are about to write. Again, for the same reason laid out in point #1.
Indeed, I do hate censorship, but I feel it is a necessary evil in this case. I also hate paying for things I buy, yet I do it because it is necessary for our economy to work. I hate going to work (really really hate it in fact), but I do it because that's how I pay for things. I hate paying taxes, but I do it because it keeps our society working. I hate going to the doctor, but I do that so I don't die. Yep, there are a bunch of things I hate doing, but I hate the alternatives even worse.
I certainly don't advocate censoring just because you don't like an opinion. I only advocate censoring people wishing death or violence on others. I certainly wouldn't advocate censoring your comment with the "O'Lielly" and "Limpballs" remarks. Juvenile quips like that merely get a chuckle rather than hurt the movement. (Or whatever we call straightening out this mess that the Republicans put us in.)
Yesterday I wrote Jet Blue complimenting them on the remarkable tact their CEO displayed in the face of assault from Faux Infotainment; telling them about positive experiences; thanking them for supporting Y-kos. Guess the hate machine really hit 'em w/ a major whammy hex. Malkin is particularly charming, for a skin bag of vitriol, and she's not clever enough to understand how demeaning her prostitution is as an O'Lielly henchhen.
In fairness to O'Reilly, if he was the leader of a sovereign nation and I was President, I'd consider bombing his country.
Because you know damned well he'd be torturing and gassing his own people.
#113 Navy-
So, I guess you are stating the obvious, O'rally and such are opposed to the First Amendment.
The letter I sent to JetBlue:
I am the future. I work, earn a living, travel, and vote. I am 41. I have disposable income. I support Yearly Kos. I am amazed that you would cave to the right wing pressure tactics. Most of the people who watch O'Reiley are old conservatives who rarely part with the pennies they have stashed under their mattresses. Who do you think actually would use your airline? People my age and younger who do not buy into the Fox LIES. Fox is the media of the past. The older generation is dying off; do not upset your future customers. I will remember your stance far longer than any of the 80 year-olds O'Reily has confused into contacting you over an issue they probably don't even understand.
Its about time we go after orielly's sponsors big time. Any company that advertises on that battery powered gyroscope of spin and factless cesspool of nonsense should hear from us and have their products boycotted.
Jesus this is a pain in the ass. Sent today:
To Whom It May Concern,
Please disregard previous email sent from this address on 7/19/07. Since you have decided to continue your sponsorship in disguise for fear of right wing media attacks, I cannot support your business. I fear that , if your corporate PR decision making is this weak, why should I trust the mechanics you hire?
Pooche @ 121:
That's something I can agree with.
[Edited. We encourage people who are at odds with the posting policy to start their own blog. There you can allow all the comments you want-Stemonitor]
anonymous @ 124:
[Please consult the commenting policy-Sitemonitor]
Jetblue,
You did very well showing support for Ykos, it was brave and honest and good on you for donating tickets to help facilitate the event. Unfortunately withdrawing your name in response to something Bill O'Reilly (of all people) said really casts doubt onto whether it was bravery which you showed in supporting Ykos in the first place, or if it were merely an advertising opportunity to a niche market you thought would go unnoticed by the mainstream media. Either way, the motivation behind your actions aside, your withdrawal of visible sponsorship of this event purely on the say so of Bill O'Reilly shows your support for everything he says, your actions lend credibility to his baseless claims of hate-speech rivaling a KKK or Nazi website. You may have done Ykos more good by just sending the tickets to BillO and ignoring them completely rather than supporting his attacks against an important grass-roots organization.
Regards, Jasal.
writing respectful letters to Jet Blue, or making even keeled phone calls, is certainly a fine way to go, but it's only part of the equation. Corporations understand that things blow over, and they're willing to withstand a couple of days worth of emails. In the end, nothing changes. It's part of the overarching problem with the Web...we all come here to feel better, and get some comments off our chests, but in the end, nothing changes. Netroots activism is largely toothless. Even the Democrats are unafraid...how else to explain their totally lackluster performance since taking the majority.
As far as Jet Blue goes, what's needed is some Saul Alinksy type activism. Don't just send an email. Don't just write a letter, or make a phone call. Instead, mobilize a phone tree to make phone calls, but here's the twist: each caller should shoot to spend about 10 min. on the phone with the operator, purportedly to purchase a ticket. Ask a million questions. Keep the operator on the line while you go to get your credit card. Say, okay, I"m ready to buy, but wait, I just thought of a couple more questions. Then, when you can't string it out any longer, say, hey , my wife or husband or son or daughter just told me that your airline caved in to Bill O'Reilly. I"m very sorry, I won't be flying with Jet Blue.
Do the same thing online. Spend a long time dithering before you get to the Order Now stage. Let the process time out a time or three or five. Bog down their servers. THEN, write to them and very politely indicate that you were just about to order online when you learned about how they'd caved in to Bill O'Reilly. Lather, rinse, repeat. If enough of us spend a week doing that, we might see some actual progress. But simply writing polite letters or making sweet tempered phone calls won't get it done.
It's like writing letters to your GOP Rep or Senator. In the end, they won't change their votes. They may make some noise about bucking Bush, but it's the votes that count, and their votest never change. That's why I'll never waste my time writing or calling Susan Collins or Olympia Snowe. Much as you non-Mainers want to believe they're both moderates, they're far from it. Both are unwavering conservatives, completely owned by the Far Right.
So, by all means, go ahead and politely tell some minimum wage person who may or may not pass your message along that you're just oh so disappointed with Jet Blue. It can't hurt. But remember, it's quite another thing entirely to cost the airline some money in lost reservations (due to clogged phone lines and, with any luck, crashed servers). Corporations understand one thing...money. They've aligned themselves with the right for that reason. IF they learn that they will pay a price for it, they are much more likely to adjust their decision making.
Jet Blue Quietly Cowers; Says NO To Blogosphere and YES To Right-Wing Media
Many of you are aware of this blog buzz but Jet Blue, having been confronted by Bill O’Reilly, has backed away (almost) from their sponsorship of the Daily KOS convention. They will keep their commitment but won’t say it outload, they wi...
we need kieth olberman to do the same thing that bill does. attack advertisers and corporate sponsors,
their whole game is to get anybody with ties to corporate money, to shut up, on the count of the money.
Bill always tellin people to shut up .
fuck him
This is an interesting line of complaining. Seems a company did not want to sponsor political speech, and wasn't smart enough to realize that's exactly what they did. So, when it's pointed out (poorly, by the way), they still give the seats like they promised, and keep to themselves.
Wow, what bastards. They're giving what they said they would, but decided not to be associated with EITHER political spectrum.
As an aside - for those of you who call it Faux Noise, think about what you're actually saying there! Faux News, makes sense. Fox Noice, dumb and sophomoric, but makes 7th grader sense. Faux Noise!!! Keep up the good work.
i'm done with jet blue. i emailed them and told them they were gutless cowards, and i have a pretty decent-sized circle of colleagues that fly them regularly. no more ....
boycott time. weasely little worm-faced company.
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