Wisconsin Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, took to her Facebook page last week to promote a consumer boycott of products made by a company connected to conservative political backers for Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial legislation to roll back collective bargaining.

The Sept. 13 post called for a boycott of products made by the Georgia-Pacific Company. Georgia-Pacific’s parent company is Koch Industries, which is owned by Charles and David Koch, whose donations to the Walker campaign during the 2010 gubernatorial race were highly publicized, Teghan DeLane, a spokesperson for Taylor, said.

In her post on the social networking site, Taylor listed the household goods produced by Georgia-Pacific that should be avoided by consumers, which has garnered a mass of both positive and negative feedback around the state.

“Money talks!” Taylor’s Facebook post said. “[You should not] buy the following: Dixie Cups, Vanity Fair Paper Products, Mardi Gras Napkins, Brawny and Sparkle Paper Towels, Angel Soft and Quilted Northern Toilet Paper. … Your purchase supports the destruction of democracy [in] two words … Koch Brothers. Join the boycott, send this to all of your Facebook friends.”

DeLane said purchasing the products is equivalent to advocating the destruction of democracy due to the overreaching influence of the Koch brothers on the governor’s office.

When stories broke that the Koch brothers had been major contributors and supporters of Gov. Walker in the midst of the controversial collective bargaining legislation, DeLane said they effectively became a target for rage from those who were hostile to the legislation.

“With this boycott, Sen. Taylor is trying to urge the consumers, the people, to exercise their powers to vote with their dollars to show support for the policies they root for,” DeLane said.

Andrew Welhouse, spokesperson for Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said he did not think the call for a boycott was justified and noted that over 2000 Wisconsinites are currently employed by the company.

“I think all officials should help build businesses, not promote a boycott,” Welhouse said.
He added the role of the Koch brothers during the gubernatorial race has been overstated and should not be used as an excuse to endorse a boycott.

In a subsequent comment, Taylor said the boycott is not meant to hurt Wisconsin business but to weaken the political influence of the Koch brothers.

“Some would prefer to believe that I would like to see Wisconsin companies go out of business. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Taylor said in her post. “I want to see citizens decide which company should get their dollars: those that financially support the policies and people of the current majority or those that don’t.”

DeLane would not comment on whether she believed the boycott would be effective.