{"id":414486,"date":"2021-04-12T14:58:36","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T18:58:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=414486"},"modified":"2021-04-12T14:58:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T18:58:39","slug":"corporate-leaders-plot-to-oppose-changes-in-voting-laws-mock-mitch-mcconnell-on-weekend-mega-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/corporate-leaders-plot-to-oppose-changes-in-voting-laws-mock-mitch-mcconnell-on-weekend-mega-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Leaders Plot To Oppose Changes In Voting Laws, Mock Mitch McConnell On Weekend Mega-Call"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcorporate-leaders-plot-to-oppose-changes-in-voting-laws-mock-mitch-mcconnell-on-weekend-mega-call%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=414486&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-1509.jpeg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>More than 100 corporate leaders met on a mega-conference call Saturday in order to coordinate opposition to changes in state voting laws like the ones made in Georgia, according <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2021\/04\/11\/companies-voting-bills-states\/\">to the Washington Post<\/a>, and mocked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who warned a number of corporations, last week, to stay out of politics.<\/p>\n<p>The group, organized in part by Yale management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and the \u201cCoalition for Inclusive Capitalism,\u201d the \u201c<i>C<\/i>hief Executive Leadership Institute,\u201d and the \u201cLeadership Now Project,\u201d according <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/more-than-100-business-leaders-join-call-to-discuss-non-partisan-action-against-restrictive-voting-law-proposals-301266213.html\">to a press release about the call<\/a>, convened to \u201cdiscuss critical information regarding voting law proposals and to explore non-partisan actions business leaders could take to defend voting rights and our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Post reported that \u201c[e]xecutives from major airlines, retailers, and manufacturers \u2014 plus at least one NFL owner \u2014 talked about potential ways to show they opposed the legislation, including by halting donations to politicians who support the bills and even delaying investments in states that pass the restrictive measures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The call was reportedly convened in response to the Georgia legislature\u2019s decision to pass new election regulations, changing some restrictions on absentee and in-person voting, requiring voter ID, and preventing some forms of electioneering.<\/p>\n<p>While Major League Baseball moved its All-Start Game as a way of sending a message to Georgia legislators \u2014 and around 200 other corporate leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/georgia-voting-law-response-corporate-ceos-meeting\/\">issued a strongly worded statement on the matter<\/a> \u2014 many corporations headquartered or with major hubs in Georgia were, in many cases, silent on the changes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/03\/29\/business\/corporate-america-voting-rights.html\">according to the New York Times<\/a>, prompting Sonnenfeld and others to organize corporate leaders in opposition to voting law changes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile no final steps were agreed upon, the meeting represents an aggressive dialing up of corporate America\u2019s stand against controversial voting measures nationwide,\u201d the Post reported Sunday.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"12.323420074349\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CONFIRMED: First-of-its-kind call between more than 100 top corporate leaders on Saturday focused on how to respond to proposed changes in state voting laws. Participants included top leaders of airlines, media, law, investment.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ed O&#8217;Keefe (@edokeefe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/edokeefe\/status\/1381362593017819141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"10.619771863118\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Those invited include leaders of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmericanAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AmericanAir<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/united?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@United<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AtlantaFalcons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AtlantaFalcons<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LeviStraussCo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LeviStraussCo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Walmart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Walmart<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ViacomCBS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ViacomCBS<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ArielInvests?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ArielInvests<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LinkedIn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LinkedIn<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Twitter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AMCTheatres?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AMCTheatres<\/a>, among others, people familiar with the meeting tell <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CBSNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@cbsnews<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ed O&#8217;Keefe (@edokeefe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/edokeefe\/status\/1381363233739653123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Sonnefeld, who spoke to the Washington Post about the call, said that the gathering shows that corporations will now be \u201ccowed\u201d into staying out of politics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey felt very strongly that these voting restrictions are based on a flawed premise and are dangerous,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe discussion \u2014 scheduled to last one hour but going 10 minutes longer \u2014 was led at times by Kenneth Chenault, the former chief executive of American Express, and Kenneth Frazier, the chief executive of Merck, who told the executives that it was important to keep fighting what they viewed as discriminatory laws on voting,\u201d the Post reported. \u201cChenault and Frazier coordinated a letter signed last month by 72 Black business executives that made a similar point \u2014 a letter that first drew attention to the voting bills in executive suites across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Post\u2019s Ed O\u2019Keefe also noted that there was \u201cmockery\u201d directed at Mitch McConnell who, last week, warned corporations to \u201cstay out of politics,\u201d suggesting that consumers would respond to corporate efforts to oppose voter rights laws.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"12.699690402477\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ALSO NOTABLE: \u201cThere was humor and mockery&#8221; about <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LeaderMcConnell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LeaderMcConnell<\/a>&#8216;S calls for business leaders to &#8220;stay out of politics,&#8221; a comment he later walked back. <\/p>\n<p>But participants said, &#8220;It wasn\u2019t a primary area of discussion&#8221; and that meeting was in the works before McConnell&#8217;s words.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ed O&#8217;Keefe (@edokeefe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/edokeefe\/status\/1381364483440934912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThere was a defiance of the threats that businesses should stay out of politics,\u201d Sonnenfeld said, referencing McConnell\u2019s comments. \u201cThey were obviously rejecting that even with their presence. But they were there out of concern about voting restrictions not being in the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>News of the call was met with deep concern from Republicans, who pointed out that calculated collaboration between corporate officials could quickly become problematic for consumers and others who might oppose a more \u201cwoke\u201d agenda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf this happened in the service of a patriotic American cause, the media and the left would call it fascism,\u201d strategist Dave Reaboi noted on social media. \u201cToday it\u2019s \u2018voting laws\u2019\u2014within the next couple of years (or less), these forces will opine on every facet of American life and policy, destroying everyone in opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Others, like former Trump official Richard Grenell, warned that Republicans may want to reconsider their relationship with corporate America following news of coordination to oppose laws targeting vote fraud, particularly when it comes to advocating for corporate tax cuts at a federal level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s time Republican lawmakers stop protecting the large corporations who continue to pander to the Left,\u201d Grenell said. \u201cThey reward the Left while getting protected by the Right. It\u2019s time to stop. If the Left wants to raise corporate taxes \u2013 then let them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, also weighed in, calling the gathering an example of \u201coligarchy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOligarchy defined: The most powerful corporations in America get together to plan how to control legislation in dozens of states,\u201d Hawley said.<\/p>\n<p>Although the call did not reach a conclusion, according to the Post, nor did the participants lay out a set strategy for opposing legislation, organizers said, in their press release, that they consider the coordination, itself, an achievement, and noted that some of the corporate leaders present on the call plan to take immediate action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCEOs indicated readiness to act individually and collectively to shore up American democracy and ensure Americans have access to a world-class voting system,\u201d the group crowed in its release. \u201cCEOs who participated in a live poll indicated they will re-evaluate donations to candidates supporting bills that restrict voting rights and many would reconsider investments in states which act upon such proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 100 corporate leaders met on a mega-conference call Saturday in order to coordinate opposition to changes in state voting laws like the ones made in Georgia, according to &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2312045,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-1509.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Corporate Leaders Plot To Oppose Changes In Voting Laws, Mock Mitch McConnell On Weekend Mega-Call","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/fb_image-1509.jpeg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Corporate Leaders Plot To Oppose Changes In Voting Laws, Mock Mitch McConnell On Weekend Mega-Call","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2312045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}