In the wake of last week's disgraceful ordeal at the US Capitol, an array of American corporations have announced a pause or cessation of political contributions. Many of these companies have specifically stated that they will withhold donations from those members of Congress who voted to uphold objections to any state's certified electoral votes in the 2020 election – which would have effectively tossed out those results, had the gambit succeeded. I opposed this scheme due to its groundlessness, particularly after these matters had been adjudicated extensively in courts, with the Trump campaign's complaints failing repeatedly. I would therefore have voted with the strong majority of GOP Senators, and the sizable minority of Republican House members, who rejected the objections.
Given the context and the lack of evidence, attempting to uphold objections was little more than a political act in furtherance of a presidential lie that has poisoned far too many, leading to outrageous violence. I can understand why some in corporate America may wish to disassociate themselves from the lawmakers who were responsible for this ploy (curiously, we didn't see similar stands against grandstanding Democratic nutters who objected to the counting of certified electoral votes won by Republican presidents in recent decades), as many of those politicians chose to carry on with the charade even after living through the literal riot it helped generate. There are certain companies, however, whose preening on this front I absolutely refuse to take seriously. Perhaps chief among them is this one:
UPDATE: @Disney "will not make political contributions in 2021 to lawmakers who voted to reject the certification of the electoral college." (via @ec_schneider) pic.twitter.com/ssdWjnoZF4
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 13, 2021
This would be the same Disney that shoveled mounds of cash at anti-American agitator Colin Kaepernick, who celebrated and encouraged violent riots in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing:
When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction.
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) May 28, 2020
The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance.
We have the right to fight back!
Rest in Power George Floyd
It's true that fury over the real, terrible death of George Floyd is not the same as fury over a bogus lie about a stolen election. But the principle of opposing political violence ought to be unwavering and consistent. Kaepernick said that calls for peace after Floyd's killing would "land on deaf ears," applauding how "violence has brought this resistance." As Minneapolis burned, Kaepernick told his followers that "we have a right to fight back." Disney witnessed all of this, then cut him a large check. Perhaps one could argue that Disney isn't necessarily punishing US lawmakers for the violent upheaval, but rather for votes that undermined the democratic process. The Republicans who made that choice were acting in a craven and cynical manner, in my view, but they were at least operating within the rules (unlike the president, who was trying to bully the vice president into violating his oath in a wild effort to overturn a legitimate election). I might be more open to the notion of Disney's unswerving commitment to the democratic process and the peaceful transfer of power if I had zero memory of anything like, say, this:
Also Disney: https://t.co/HtjUvykVd1 pic.twitter.com/HVgYTeSJDo
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 13, 2021
In Mulan's credits, Disney offers "China Special Thanks" to the Publicity Department of CPC Xinjiang Uygher Autonomous Region Committee as well as the Publicity Department and Bureau of Public Security for the city of Turpan, which is north-east of Urumqi in Xinjiang. The United States Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security in October last year added the Turpan Municipality Public Security Bureau to a list of Chinese entities "acting contrary to the foreign policy interests of the United States"..."Specifically, these entities have been implicated in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups in the XUAR [Xinjiang Uygher Autonomous Region]," the Department of Commerce said in a notification of the listing.
Hollywood companies, very much including Disney, have repeatedly kowtowed to Beijing, censoring their content to placate CCP sensibilities. As the Communist regime literally carries out ethnic cleansing (openly bragging about it on social media, their accounts undisturbed) and runs concentration and forced labor camps for ethnic and religious minorities, Disney spends money in China, films in the very region where the worst abuses are taking place, and thanks the oppressors for the privilege – all to protect their financial interests in the lucrative Chinese market. Disney wants American consumers to know how deeply Mickey Mouse & Co. care about democracy, but they'll bend over backward to appease a government that is actively stamping out democracy in Hong Kong, in violation of international law, including carrying out mass arrests. They've performed the ugly same two-step before, preening for a domestic audience, while discarding any proclaimed "values" elsewhere. I obviously have strong views about what's happening in America right now, but I cannot handle a lecture from Disney, of all entities, right now. Their "values" are a fraud, and they'd be better served by taking a seat, hanging their head, and ceding the debate floor to actors with a shred of consistency.
I'll leave you with my interview with new NRSC Chairman Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who is among the lawmakers who voted to sustain an objection to the electoral vote count. Is he concerned that his ability to fundraise for key races in the 2022 cycle will be inhibited by the promised withholding of corporate money? That answer and more here:
I also asked Sen. Scott about the President’s rhetoric, his own vote not to count PA’s electoral votes & whether corporate $ flowing away from members who objected might impact his new role as NRSC chair: https://t.co/UTLSy5qk8v https://t.co/ilwbwCwjyb
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 12, 2021
UPDATE - Nike, too, of course:
Nike will, however, cater to the whims & sensibilities of Communist China — including censoring its products deemed offensive by the regime, due to pro-democracy criticisms. Big, big middle finger to this preening from Nike. https://t.co/TrzHMplnqd
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 13, 2021
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