The party that once coddled corporations is now punishing them for supporting climate-change mitigation, LGBTQ rights, gun reform, abortion rights and more. Much as they like to pander to the anti-“woke” extremists in their base, Republican officeholders should consider that corporations today, just like those in the heyday of country club Republicanism, tend to reflect mainstream society — if only because doing otherwise could hurt their bottom lines. It’s the Republican Party, not the companies, that are out of step with America on these issues.
The most obvious example of the ironic rift between the GOP and corporate leaders is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attack on Disney. After the iconic company criticized DeSantis-backed legislation that attempts to silence discussion of LGBTQ issues in classrooms, DeSantis led a charge to reverse the long-standing self-governing provisions in state law that benefited Disney World.
DeSantis, who is likely running for president, has already hurt his state with this showboat showdown against Mickey Mouse. Disney has postponed a planned move of thousands of its California employees to Florida, a development many are attributing to the DeSantis fight. But no matter — kneecapping a major employer of his state and, consequently, hurting the state’s economy is the cost of pandering to the base.
