OPINION | EDITORIAL: Now you've done it

One of our wishes for 2021 is that the Arkansas congressional delegation holds a few town hall meetings. Last one we remember was Sen. Tom Cotton's in Springdale in 2017. Maybe after the vaccine gets going, and folks are allowed in crowds again, the country can go back to those all-American meet-and-greets.

But you know who tends to get the attention of politicians with ease? Big donors. If a big spender shows up on caller ID, you can bet the call won't be going straight to voicemail.

The one donor you'd never think to upset might be . . . Hallmark. We didn't even know the greeting card company had a political action committee until Monday. It does. And it's angry with a couple people in Washington.

There's a journalist named Judd Legum who writes a newsletter about politics. Apparently he reached out to Hallmark about some donations its PAC made and got this response:

"Hallmark believes the peaceful transition of power is part of the bedrock of our democratic system, and we abhor violence of any kind. The recent actions of Senators Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall do not reflect our company's values. As a result, HALLPAC requested Sens. Hawley and Marshall to return all HALLPAC campaign contributions."

You know you've messed up when Hallmark wants its money back.

Everyone should understand actions have consequences at this point. But who knew one of those consequences could be for the greeting card company to come knocking on your door and demanding its donations back?

Let this be a lesson to other politicians. Donors are watching, and if you're going to attempt to overturn a fair and free election, they might decide their dollars are better spent elsewhere. Voters may not send a shiver down the spines of folks in Congress, but donors will.

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