Sifting Through the BeanStalk: Who Is Howard Schultz Really?

I didn't realize until after it happened that I was drinking a can of Starbucks' doubleshot espresso while sitting across from the former CEO of Starbucks. Last week, Howard Schultz held a town hall on the KU campus that, unbeknownst to me, was described as an "invite only event" in every other article I've read about it. Odd, when the very definition of a town hall precludes the idea of exclusivity. As a student co-leader of RESULTS KU's domestic poverty group, I was wary from the beginning about the elitist tendencies that might manifest in a man who, last year, owned America's most ubiquitous coffeehouse and 94-billion-dollar company with over 30,000 stores worldwide.

photograph by John Hanna

The billionaire from Brooklyn delivered his hardship tale about how he started at the bottom, acquired Starbucks at 11 stores, and now he's here. So far, there's been lots of press about his presidential bid, but very little information about where he stands on the issues. If there's one thing I noticed about Howard Schultz, it's his careful choice of words. 'Unity' and 'ideas over party' appear to be the major themes his public relations staff are hedging their bets on, which makes sense--  Schultz is a self-proclaimed centrist and independent who seemed very proud of the statistic that 40% of Americans identify as Independent (disregarding the knowledge that Independents are about as ideologically partisan in their voting as registered Democrats and Republicans). 

"America is more divided than ever", he said. 

Schultz's strategy seems to be to pare the agenda down to our core issues and search for bipartisan compromise on all of them. Only a handful of members in the 20 person crowd were asking questions. My mind changed channels when the conversation moved to whether China or Russia was the "true enemy of the U.S." It felt awkward, especially when none of the questioning ever circled around Schultz' own platform, and how he feels about real and pressing issues in 2019 that reach across age, race, gender, and class.  He needed to be held accountable for that, so I asked him three questions he had not yet answered for the public record.

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IMMIGRATION

Q: You have publicly supported immigration policy but cite the problem of partisanship in congress. How will you use your executive authority to solve the problem of political gridlock?

A: Strong Leadership. Schultz seemed pretty stoked about his so-called upper hand as an Independent, "I’m not an enemy of Democrats or Republicans, there’s evidence of good people on both sides". He also argued that, "Congressmen will be 'primaried out' if they don’t work together on this issue." His angle is interesting, but rarely true. I found myself wanting to remind him of Fenno's Paradox, which tells us that no matter how much the public disapproves of congress as a whole, they routinely re-elect representatives from their own district. 

INCOME INEQUALITY

Q: You have said that you believe the wealthy should be taxed more, but criticize plans like Senator Warren’s two-percent tax on families with 50 million in income, what do you believe the solution is, if not a tax on excessive wealth, and how would your tax plan affect people living in poverty in some of the richest places in the country?

A: The wealthy should be taxed at a higher rate. How much? He wouldn't say. To date, Schultz has not given an explicit answer to the question, which is concerning because it is indicative of his habit to play both sides. On the other hand, he did say that he intends to bring certain Starbucks policies, such as health insurance for part-time workers, college tuition assistance, and ownership for every employee, to a national scale. 

CLIMATE CHANGE

Q: You criticize proposals like the Green New Deal for being “unrealistic”, in light of the 2018 IPCC report that emissions need to be cut drastically by 2030 – do you intend on following the recommendations made by the IPCC, and if so, what’s your “realistic” plan for meeting the emissions goals of the IPCC and the Green New Deal?

A: Unrealistic. Schultz reiterated his usual response to climate questions, and stated that "The green new deal means reconstructing 2-3,000 buildings a day". He frames current proposals as nothing more than "a good slogan or press release." His plan? A carbon rebate--something he has never stated publicly prior to this event-- which would tax companies for their CO2 production, and offer a rebate of up to $2,000 to individuals and families, hopefully incentivizing them to use less fuel. He did not comment on the effectiveness of this plan to reach emissions goals, or where the new revenue would go once in government hands.

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After the questioning period, he approached me for a handshake , thanked me for my questions, and gave me a squeeze on the elbow, perhaps as if to say, "Who invited you here?"

Schultzbucks©

While not every question was fully answered, it felt good to hold a presidential candidate accountable for his own beliefs. I think it's worth noting how shocked Schultz was by the number and specificity of my questions, which is why I stress the impact of attending town halls on behalf of your community-- if you come prepared with even one specific policy question, you're better prepared than most of the room. If Howard Schultz somehow beats the odds and becomes the first ever Independent candidate to win the Presidency, I fear that his administration will fail to help the people most in need. I hope by sharing this story, more people have access to information on a man whose candidacy revolves around the idea of unity, rather than actual policy.