Richard Roeper thinks the idea is Un-American
So does Peter David.
Their arguments are very similar. To refrain from purchasing music, books, or movies you otherwise would because authors, artists, novelists, etc have different political beliefs than you is basically saying you will only support the right of a person to make a living if they agree with you.
It’s one thing if they put these beliefs in their work. But then the above paragraph wouldn’t be true. The work wouldn’t be something you otherwise would have bought. If they keep their views out of their work, and you boycott them, you are directly saying you don’t believe in the freedom of speech.
You would be very upset if your boss fired you because he learned you voted for X in an election, when your boss voted for Y. Most Americans feel their political beliefs should have no effect on their job (Unless they are a politician, obviously). Why should musicians, artists, novelists, actors be treated any differently?
Now - it’s true - there’s nothing unconstitutional about such boycotts.
And many might point out that many are “employed at will” and employers really can fire you for any reason.
I’m not talking about Can or Can’t. I’m talking about what’s Right and Wrong. Ethically. Our employer can fire us come November if he learns we voted for the candidate he didn’t. But we would feel what he did was wrong. And most people would agree with us.
That said, I think sometimes a line can be drawn. There are many who boycotted the work of Cat Stevens when it appeared he supported the death threats against Salman Rushdie. Later on it was learned that Cat Stevens position was slightly misquoted. (He felt Satanic Verses was anti-Muslim, but as a pacifist, he didn’t support the death threats. He may have supported banning it, though.)
But I think Roeper and David might agree that if someone came out in support of terrorism, it would be justifiable to boycott their works. Just as freedom of speech has its limits (You can’t falsely yell fire in a crowded theater, you can’t incite violence, etc), some political beliefs are beyond the pale.
However, merely supporting a political candidate you don’t support isn’t enough to justify a boycott. Merely saying publicly that they don’t like the President, and are ashamed to be from the same state as him, isn’t enough.
Side Note: that line above about crowded theaters is often misquoted. The word “falsely” is often left out. But rest assured, you can definitely yell fire if there really is one.