Corporate America weighs in on Georgia’s voting-rights law
Politically engaged consumers increasingly push companies to take sides in political disputes
THOUGH THE divide has never been tidy, for the past century Republicans have been seen as the party of big business in America and Democrats as the party of labour. Under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama the Democrats found friends in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street, but they never overcame the Republican formula of cutting taxes, opposing regulation and reaping corporate campaign support.
Donald Trump’s populism and the growing power of the consumer are tearing at the old order. Companies are coming under tremendous new pressure from the left. Some fear customer boycotts if they fail to take stands on divisive social questions. Others, less vulnerable to consumers, fear revolts by their progressive MBAs and software engineers.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "Political baseball"
United States April 10th 2021
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