YOU have to hand it to Jesse Jackson. While he keeps striking out politically, he continues to strike gold with craven corporations.
Jackson’s latest victim? The Toyota Motor Corp., which rolled over 10 days ago for the minority macher, who in turn suspended a planned Rain- bow/PUSH-led boycott.
“Our commitment is to work with Rev. Jackson, and we appreciate his input. There is no boycott, and no need for one,” said a top Toyota exec in a June 20 statement.
That’s the jittery corporate-speak of a man who has been made an offer he can’t refuse.
The boycott threat was classic Jesse. According to documents posted this spring on the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Web site (www.rainbowpush.org), Toyota is guilty of the following:
* Having an insufficient number of minority-owned dealerships.
But Toyota has little or no control over who purchases its independently owned dealerships. And Toyota’s ratio of minority owners is on a par with the rest of the car industry.
* There are no minorities on Toyota’s board of directors.
The auto giant’s American division is run by a board in Japan. How many Japanese-Americans are on the Rainbow/PUSH board?
* Two recent Toyota ad campaigns were racist.
The cases are too complicated to get into here, but you can read all about them on the Rainbow/PUSH Web site, and at http://www.toyota.com. See for yourself how absurd the accusations are.
Absurd, but effective in ginning up business for Jesse’s pals: We now learn from a Toyota exec that the company is “interviewing for an African- American advertising agency, and [Toyota] will work with Rev. Jackson on that.”
If Jackson’s past behavior is any guide, the list of “acceptable” black ad agencies will contain names of African-Americans close to Jackson. Funny how that happens.
On Friday, Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said the company made no promises of donations to the Wall Street Project or other Jackson organizations, aside from what it gave prior to the boycott threat.
But will Toyota pay up in other ways?
Toyota’s finance division gave two Jackson financial-world allies a piece of the action on the sale of a $300 million issue of medium-term notes only one week after Toyota came to terms with Jackson.
“The timing is curious, and so is the structure,” said a financial-world source.
Goldman Sachs handled the overall deal, listing two street firms whose owners are big Jackson supporters – Blaylock & Partners, and Williams Capital – as sellers of the issue.
Representatives of all three brokerages insist this is a standard arrangement for deals of this sort – and Toyota says there was no quid pro quo involved.
“It’s entirely a coincidence. Toyota Motor Credit has done this kind of minority outreach for years,” said Michels.
We could all use such fortunate coincidences.
In other Jesse news, Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has responded to American Conservative Union chief David Keene’s request that he hold hearings looking into the alleged abuse of tax-exempt status by various Jackson organizations. In a May 31 letter being revealed here for the first time, the California Republican wrote to Keene, saying that the powerful committee “intends to examine the issues you raised and the administration of the law by the Internal Revenue Service.”
Clearly, the man is a gibbering racist. Keep hope alive, y’all – and don’t forget the cannoli.
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