Should companies be tackling politics? Keurig and Papa John's provide cautionary tales

Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget discusses the "Smash Your Keurig" phenomenon, which resulted from the coffee machine manufacturer's decision to pull its advertisements from Fox News host Sean Hannity's TV show in response to controversial comments made on his show. He notes that Keurig is just the latest example of a company that's waded into a political debate and found out the hard way that many customers view this negatively. Business Insider executive editor Sara Silverstein points out that Keurig wasn't necessarily trying to take a side, it's a private company that can do what it wants, the same way consumers can vote with their wallet.

Blodget and Silverstein also talk about Papa John's, which has also gotten involved in political issues in recent months. After aligning himself with Trump and the more conservative side of things, the company's CEO has softened his stance a bit. Blodget notes that throughout history, businesses have stayed far away from political issues, but says he can't blame some companies for taking a stance in this day and age. He points out that new business plans are definitively aimed at either the Republican or Democrat consumer base, and that in the current climate, that might actually help certain businesses grow quickly.