Coming to a Small Town Near You!

This morning on the way to work, I was listening to The War Room with Quinn and Rose.  During the show, they had a spot where they talked about a small business in Indiana, PA.

Hildebrand's Mowers and Saws is owned by Chip Hildebrand, and has been in business for over 30 years.  Their home page states that "Every day, we strive to provide you with friendly service and the best shopping experience in the Indiana area."  They sell lawn equipment, chainsaws, snow blowers, and apparently do small engine repair as well.

All in all, it sounds like a fine little business, the type that any community would love to have around.  Absent one minor detail, you'd probably have gone through your life without ever hearing about them.

Chip Hildebrand decided to exercise his 1st amendment rights.  He put a "Support Coal - Fire Obama" sign outside of his business.

This did not sit well with some people.

Specifically, it did not sit well with the chairman of the local Democratic committee.

As Quinn reported it, Hildebrand got a call from this individual.  During the course of the conversation, Hildebrand says that he was told that if he did not take down his sign, the chairman would send out 1,100 emails to local unions and party members, calling for a boycott of his business.

Now, understand - Indiana is a not exactly a major metropolis.  It had a population of under 15,000 as of the 2000 census. It's a classic small town, and when I say classic, I mean classic.  Jimmy Stewart grew up there, and the if you visited in the winter, you'd definitely notice a "Bedford Falls" vibe.

An effective boycott of the Hildebrand's business would mean the end of his livelihood.

Mull that over, now.

Because a local businessman publicly supported a particular political candidate, the local representative of that candidate's party threatened to take steps to destroy his business.

"Nice place you have here.  It would be a shame if something were to happen to it."

I would have posted this earlier, but especially in this political season, I wanted to make sure that this was a real story, and not just a "friend of a friend" sort of tale.  So I contacted Hildebrand's myself, asking for clarification and a confirmation or denial.

Here is what I just received in response to my inquiry:

Mr. Robb,

Thank you for your support, and yes it is true that we were threatened by the local chairman of a democratic group to take our ‘fire Obama’ sign down or they would send out 1100 emails to local unions and members of his party to boycott our business.  There have been an unbelievable amount of emails, phone calls and visits from numerous supporters and we are humbled by such a response.  We have strove to serve this community for many years, it’s nice to see that many stand behind us both locally and across the country.

Thanks for contacting us, and for the wonderful support,

Steve Hildebrand

Management, Hildebrand’s Mowers & Saws

So, there you have it.  The new New Civility apparently involves threatening family businesses with economic ruin in order to cow them into silence.  Because, apparently, winning is the only thing, and "by any means neccesary" isn't just a catchy phrase - it's the law, at least for the Democratic leadership in Indiana, PA.

Stay classy, Dems.