Republicans are weaponizing antitrust in culture war — Democrats shouldn’t let them
"Florida Gov. DeSantis signs bill to limit discussion of race"
Policy free GOP has nowhere else to go. Absent of decent policy for the common worker it's attack, divide , attack, divide. Culture war crazy has been going on for a few years now. Slip in too
by Adam Kovacevich, opinion contributor - 04/28/22 1:00 PM ET
FILE – In this Jan. 9, 2019, photo, guests watch a show near a statue of Walt Disney and Micky Mouse in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, part of the Orlando area in Fla. Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to punish Disney World, took his fighter mentality to a new level. In retribution for Disney’s criticism of a new state law condemned by critics as “Don’t Say Gay,” DeSantis signed legislation on Friday, April 23, 2022, stripping the theme park of a decades-old special agreement that allowed it to govern itself. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
The right has a new favorite weapon to punish companies for standing up to their discriminatory policies: antitrust legislation.
This past month, Republican members of Congress and conservative pundits have apparently teamed up to engage in a campaign against companies like Disney and Apple for speaking out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
In short, it seems Republicans are now transparently piggybacking on Democratic antitrust proposals as a means of punishing companies which speak out against discrimination. For the GOP, these statements betray a clear lack of understanding of how antitrust policy is an economic tool meant to increase competition for the benefit of consumers. For Democrats, it’s a dangerous statement of legislative intent that should be disavowed.
Political commentator Michael Kinsley defined a “Washington gaffe” as when a politician accidentally says what they really believe. Republicans like Buck have now said the quiet part out loud: They seems to view antitrust action against leading tech companies as a way to punish American companies.
There is a place for antitrust regulation — which is to promote competition and protect consumers. But sullying antitrust with the MAGA culture war won’t help protect consumers, and it certainly doesn’t serve the stated goals of Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Amy Klobuchar ... https://thehill.com/people/amy-klobuchar/ .. (D-Minn.) and Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who have made tech antitrust action their top priority in the past year.
That’s real progress. Companies should be applauded for taking a stand, not punished with new regulation and lawsuits as a result.
Now, Apple is mobilizing resources to lobby against bills that limit protections for trans and gay people .. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/01/apple-lobbying-anti-lgbtq-laws-00022127 .. in more than half a dozen states across the country. Many leading tech companies have signed statements opposing anti-LGBTQ state legislation. But it’s policy proposals led by Democrats in Congress that are being used as weapons against these companies as part of a Trumpian effort to penalize those with whom the alt-right disagrees.
Calling for the government to punish private actors for their cultural or political stances is authoritarian.It’s the kind of thing you’d expect from governments in China or Russia, not here. Government power should never be used punitively, and antitrust policy should be used to protect consumers, not politicians.
Companies should be allowed to publicly disavow discriminatory policies — this is the so-called marketplace of ideas Republicans claim to support.
If antitrust policy becomes a tool used by Republicans to punish companies, every boardroom decision will include a risk assessment of whether standing up to hate will cause the federal government to bring down the hammer. And there will be fewer companies willing to join a coalition against hate, fewer individuals willing to publicly advocate for social progress in public policy.
By any measure, that would be a loss for the progressive cause and the people we’re fighting for.
Adam Kovacevich is the founder of Chamber of Progress, a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future; corporate partners for Chamber of Progress include Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook.
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