Comments on: Old Media Does Ford No Favors by Ignoring the American Family Association Boycott

By: TBlumer

TBlumer — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:56:24 +0000

#7, The question is whether Ford will take the serious issue of the AFA boycott seriously, or if it will instead volunteer to go under in the name of “corporate social responsibility.”

They owe their employees, shareholders, suppliers, and customers better.

By: frank

frank — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:51:49 +0000

Are you being serious?

By: TBlumer

TBlumer — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 08:22:46 +0000

#5, I’m thinking that other AFA members are NOT among those directly influenced by the signers. Obviously there’s potential for overlap.

What I also haven’t mentioned is the influence of evangelical talk radio and Christian stations, which I would expect to have mentioned the boycott by now to its audience, which collectively is in the millions and reaches some people not reached in the other ways cited.

What would be REALLY interesting is to see how those Texas dealerships’ sales have suffered compared to Ford dealers as a whole, after taking into account things like population change and relative regional economic performance.

By: John in IL

John in IL — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:50:24 +0000

So I’m up to 6.5 million or so

You’re double counting. The 3.5 million people include the people influenced by the signers. You can’t add that number (less the signers) to the total membership of the AFA and similar organizations (minus overlaps) to get the number of people who can then influence additional people.

By: TBlumer

TBlumer — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 02:10:46 +0000

Good question. From the 3.5 million, you would need to look at the memberships of AFA and 33 orgs who are going along with the boycott. AFA alone has three million members. If you make what I think is a very conservative assumption that the others have one million more (after eliminating membership overlaps), that makes 4 million. Subtract out the 700,000 boycott signers, and you have 3.3 mil. So I’m up to 6.5 million or so.

If each of the additional 3.3 mil influences three others, you’re additing 9.9 mil more to get to 16.4 mil, which is “between 15-20 mil.”

Of course it’s not scientific but I think it’s defensible, and perhaps even way low. One of the things I’ve ignored is the potential impact of Sunday church sermons and bulletins about this issue that may reach people who otherwise aren’t members of any organization or influenced by them.

By: John in IL

John in IL — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:40:10 +0000

I’m a little confused as to how you get from 693,000 to 15-20 million American car buyers. Even if each signer does have a “direct or near direct influence over four other potential car buyers”(source?), that gets you to only about 3.5 million car buyers.

By: TBlumer

TBlumer — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:33:15 +0000

#1, if electrics had what it takes to please consumers they would have viably made it to market by now. There are too many worldwide car companies (and independent entrepreneurs) for someone not to have done it if it could have been done.

The “please consumers” part is the hardest.

By: Rene Harp

Rene Harp — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:55:08 +0000

Why don’t the once Big Three immediately start the change over to all ELECTRIC…they have the technology NOW..
Yes, all the luxuries can stay…Nothing changes in the assembly line except the electric engine which is lighter and cheaper and EVER LAST battery…
They once again take the world leadership in transportation and eliminate Halliburton, BP, Exxon, Chevron and Conoco..they’d be happy in dumping their stock and buying totally into the auto industry..
They’re hooked up now in directing and keeping the gas guzzlers and their CEO GREED.
Now’s the time…It will also be the beginning of saving our planet, rather than destroy it for GREEDY C.E.O.’s who just don’t seem to steal enough of employee investments in the phoney stock market
That’s all that seems to matter, the paper stock market..it will collapse once again and these people will keep ruling the world with their Hard currency holding in the off shore banks, which will also collapse.