How it started:
Lester & Charlie got a call from Mark Felt this week and, predictably, he told us to “follow the money.” The money in question was a $1,000 campaign contribution from Marriott International to an incumbent Republican running for another term in the Osceola County Commission.
So we posted this article on Crooks & Liars and our blog and started a campaign to tell these Marriott companies how we felt about it.
And here's what's happened so far:
The article got a lot of attention from outraged liberals, rational Americans and thousands of housebound people who spend their days joining hashtag campaigns on Twitter. People swore to stop staying at Marriott and some said they would give homeless people their Marriott Points so some homeless people could check in to a room for a free night.
Thing is, not everybody picked up on the fact that the campaign was intended to demand action from Marriott Vacations Worldwide, the company that fired Viviana, and not Marriott International, the company that funded her opponent.
Granted, it's hard if not nearly impossible to tell the difference between the two companies since Marriott International used to own Marriott Vacations Worldwide and licensed their name to them so that people would think they're still the same company and same trusted brand.
And it's plausible that, because they want to keep that license, they were motivated to align with their former parent's stated political goals -- and therefore fire and defend daddy's political opponent. After all, Mitt Romney sits on the board of the one they want to suck up to.
Yes, this is confusing. Marriott Vacations hid under their blanky during this Twitter battle but the former parent company jumped in and started pointing the finger at their former subsidiary. And at Lester & Charlie.
Where does it stand? Well, Mitt Romney's cronies sent this to Lester & Charlie:
In an effort to provide accurate reporting, please correct the headline and facts throughout your story. Marriott International, Inc. (Marriott) did not undertake this action. This matter solely involves Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (MVW) became a completely separate company from Marriott International, Inc. in 2011 as a result of Marriott’s spin-off of its timeshare operations. While MVW licenses the Marriott name, Marriott International has no corporate control or influence over the MVW Corporation.
Stay tuned.
