Boycotting Citgo
I’ve been informally boycotting Citgo for a long time, but have never blogged about it before because I was never really sure it was such a good idea. On the one hand, Patterico thinks it’s a good idea. On the other, so does Michelle Malkin. What to do?
September 22nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
I’ve been informally boycotting as well. Although I don’t think Citgo has a big presence here so it’s not really as big a deal. But you imply there’s a downside, which I don’t see … care to englighten?
September 22nd, 2006 at 12:50 pm
I was being sarcastic, mostly. However, I did hear Sean Hannity and G. Gordon Liddy argue the other night that boycotting commodities is always a waste of time, as any oil Venezuela doesn’t sell to us is a little more oil they can sell to China, instead. Conversely, any oil we don’t buy from Venezuala is oil we will buy from some other a-holes who don’t like us any more than Hugo Chavez does.
September 22nd, 2006 at 12:58 pm
Yes … so I guess the lesson is, don’t buy from the a-hole du jour?
Might be a waste of economic time but if it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t particularly help either, so if it makes us feel better and is an economic wash … why not.
September 22nd, 2006 at 3:03 pm
OK, that got me. I laughed out loud. :) Always a dilemma, huh?
Personally, I’ve avoided Citgo for around two years now, and never missed it. Too many other choices for me to support the Venezuelan nutcase.
September 22nd, 2006 at 6:05 pm
A boycott won’t effect the market price, but it will effect an individual company. The reason we buy so much Venuzuela oil is transportation costs. If they have to transport it to China or Europe, they are going to have to eat the transportation costs (since it is a fungible commodity and they are dealing against closer producers.) If they chose to sell it to Exxon or someone for US sale, then they are dealing with a lower demand, and Exxon (or whoever) will use that pressure demand a lower price.
So, boycotting gas for a day won’t effect the price. Boycotting Citgo won’t effect the price, but it will effect Citgo’s bottom line.
September 22nd, 2006 at 7:27 pm
On the third hand, See-Dubya’s been pushing this for a year now: http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/115513.php
Though I haven’t been pushing it hard enough…
BTW, we need to distinguish Citgo’s retail gasoline brand from their refineries. It’s a separate business. We can’t help but use some of the unbranded gasoline refined at Citgo’s refinery–but we can turn the Citgo Station brand into marketing poison. As I said at the link above, maybe it will become so radioactive they’ll sell it off to an American or allied firm.
September 22nd, 2006 at 8:31 pm
“What to do?”
Aww, X, don’t let Pat’s recommendation stop you!
September 23rd, 2006 at 9:01 am
I have been noycotting CITGO for several years. I get my gas from Phillips 66
September 24th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Never linked to malkin, or cited her approvingly, but you know that to do so means you are now responsible for everything she has ever written or said. You now are on the list of those who approve of the stalking of journalists and all kinds of hideous things. I have already informed the head douchebag sock puppet. You have been warned.
September 25th, 2006 at 4:05 am
Or, you could just use as little gas as you possibly can. Then, you would stop funding regimes that support terrorism. No war required. Not to mention we won’t have to anticipate the announcement that Hugo Chavez is stockpiling WMDs
September 25th, 2006 at 7:25 pm
If we were to boycott any country that doesn’t like us, we’d be pretty lonely – but you guys are probably right. We should probably all boycott Venezuela, and support Saudia Arabia. They’d never do anything to harm us.
At least we seem to share a common distrust of Michelle Malkin.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
What we should do is fuel our cars with gasoline refined from crude extracted from ANWAR and the US offshore waters. That way we won’t be supporting any foriegn countries.
September 27th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Followup: Today, 7-11 announced that they’re no going to pump Citgo any more.