The ideological stone wall that has long separated Washington D.C. from the rest of the country may have finally met the force that will lead to its fall. While most of America may be more familiar with Howard Schultz’s company than with the man himself, many politicians, their finance chairmen, bundlers and political action committees have become quite familiar with the CEO of Starbucks. In the tumultuous debate over deficits and debt, Americans saw firsthand the polarization of the nation’s capital and the inability of the highest tier of government to confront this paramount issue of our time.

While Americans called their congressmen and senators at the behest of the president — declaring in a manner that is best summarized by this quote from the movie “Network”: “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” — there was a movement forming, unique in its paradox but effective nonetheless. This movement is grassroots, but instead of being started by the ordinary plumber, nurse or stay-at-home parent, it was started by the presidents, CEOs and chairmen of this nation’s corporations.

On Aug. 15, Schultz sent an echoing message to Washington: “We today pledge to withhold any further campaign contributions to the president and all members of Congress until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger, long-term fiscal footing.”

This call for a political boycott is potentially devastating for the political class, especially since the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United v. FEC allowed corporations to support candidates through media advertisements and other forms of support, protected as freedom of speech by the First Amendment. While many Americans were concerned about the corrupting influence that this ruling class could have on a political climate already obsessed with the number of digits following a dollar sign, people of power like Schultz have taken a position of ethics and of patriotism to defend the country from itself and force the United States government to act in the interests of the people, not of political parties.

With the upcoming races for the presidency and seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, both sides of the aisle will need as much capital and support as possible. For example, Obama will most likely have to defend the traditional battleground states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Virginia, but with his lackluster approval ratings hovering in the low 40s, he will be forced to defend states that have gone Democratic for years, such as Michigan and Wisconsin. This is just one aspect of the 2012 election.

When one looks at the next few months from the Senate’s perspective, there is an equally dismal picture. Senators McCaskill (D-Mo.), Brown (R-Mass.), Nelson (D-Neb.), Heller (R-Nev.) and Nelson (D-Fla.) all face difficult re-elections. Their access to capital may have an impact on their seats and political futures and, if the president is forced to defend what would traditionally be called true and blue, he may need as much help as he can get.

So just what has Schultz done? He has embodied the rage of the American people and he has done something about it. If money and campaign support is what politicians want, they can have it, but they need to work for it first. Until then, this country needs people like Schultz who will stand up for the average citizen when only money can be heard. The next time that you walk into Starbucks to order your venti soy-white-mocha-peppermint-frappuccino take a second and give a quick thanks to Howard Schultz.