Ballast Point Boycott Tied to Support for Congressman Paul Ryan and Trumpcare Fight

By Doug Porter

A boycott of Ballast Point products is being pushed by groups in Chicago as part of a campaign of resistance to the Trump administration’s hurry-up plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Ballast Point is the largest brewer in San Diego and was acquired by Constellation Brands in November 2015 for a reported of $1 billion. The parent company’s Political Action Committee has donated $25,000 thus far in 2017 in support of Rep. Paul Ryan, who’s leading the congressional fight for passage of what I like to call #TrumpDontCare.

The brewery has reached out via social media as news of the boycott has gone viral, saying “Ballast Point does not support Paul Ryan, nor the healthcare bill.”

While our parent company, Constellation, does have a PAC that contributes to candidates on both sides of the aisle, it does so only in the interest of policy issues directly related to the beverage alcohol industry. The PAC’s primary goal is to educate lawmakers on the benefits of our industry as a whole—creating jobs and contributing to our economy.

That said, Ballast Point has no direct involvement or input into the actions of Constellation’s PAC.

Please know that our only goal as Ballast Point is to brew great beer and provide for our employees and our customers like you.

Follow the Money

While I’m sure they’re horrified in the PR department at Ballast Point, the fact remains that profits from sales of their products fund the corporate executives whose donations make the PAC possible. And yes, the PAC has supported–to a lesser degree–some Democrats.

I’m also sure Constellation will point to the danger posed to profits on their Corona brand by the Trump administration’s threats of import taxes.

Unfortunately for them, import taxes aren’t on the administration’s Congressional ‘do list’ at present. And Paul Ryan, more than anybody else on the Hill, is the leader of a fight for what Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi rightfully calls “Robin Hood in reverse.”

The richest 400 families in America will get a $7 million tax break each year, to the tune of a $2.8 billion break every year. It is $600 billion moving from working class families to the richest families in our country.

After the 1% get their reward, the Medicare Trust Fund will whither, healthcare will be ‘accessible,’ but not affordable, and emergency rooms will be the primary provider for millions of families.

So, I’m sorry, Ballast Point/Constellation, you don’t get to stand by and make excuses. We’re sorry Trump’s Mexico bluster gave you a sad moment and threatens profits. Lives are at stake. You’ve made your choice. It’s Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan.

Thursday is Get Rid of the Black Guy’s Legacy Day

Thursday, March 23, is a big day for Rep. Paul Ryan’s ‘new and improved’ healthcare legislation. The House of Representatives will be voting that day on whatever ends up in the revised bill, sans an assessment from the Congressional Budget Office.

On the same day ANSWER Chicago, SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana, and Indivisible Illinois are promoting a protest outside the Chicago Club, where Paul Ryan is the guest of honor at a high dollar ($50,000 gets you a photo with the Congressman) fundraiser.

Both these events are scheduled to coincide with the seventh anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Makes you think that “uncertainty” was always a codeword for something else. https://t.co/aoHrzxkcy1

— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) March 20, 2017

We are expecting massive changes to national tax & healthcare systems, but dunno details. Yet CEOs have dropped their “uncertainty” rhetoric

— Dan Primack (@danprimack) March 20, 2017

So what we’re really talking about is a big middle finger aimed at the Black Guy who used to live in the White House.

Why They’re Boycotting

Organizers of the Ballast Point boycott explained their reasoning via a post on Medium.com:

Flyer for Chicago event

“Voting with your wallet” is very effective. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott of the mid ’50s to the United Farm Workers’ grape boycott against the Delano growers in the late ’60s to the Gay Liberation Movement’s Boycott of Coors Beer in the ’70s (to this day, you still won’t find a gay bar serving Coors!), financial pressure is real pressure, and corporations will do anything to ease the pain.

Ballast Point is an up-and-coming craft beer owned by Constellation Brands, but their profits don’t just go back into the company. Ballast Point’s owners make huge political donations every election. In 2016 alone, Constellation Brands PAC donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaigns and PACs of Paul Ryan, House Majority leader Kevin McCarthy, and many of their Republican colleagues.

Ballast Point’s owners raised more money in 2016 than in any of the past five elections, and they are already gearing up to help Republicans win the crucial 2018 midterms. Constellation Brands PAC is listed as “Vice Chair” of Paul Ryan’s upcoming Chicago fundraiser (when the Speaker of the House hopes to raise $2 million in one night). The invitation to the fundraiser, an event that plans to sell special access to Paul Ryan for $50,000, shows Constellation Brands’ name printed at the top.

Another No-Class Move From Paul Ryan

Arizona spent $3,600,000 drug testing 87,000 welfare recipients. 1 tested positive for a fine of $560. https://t.co/5KlhWEOo70

— Erik Blad (@bladtheimpaler) March 20, 2017

Another one heads to President Trump’s desk. This legislation allows states to have drug testing to receive federal unemployment benefits. pic.twitter.com/cFnvdeQqX1

— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) March 19, 2017

This is an excerpt from Doug Porter’s column at the San Diego Free Press.