New York Times, 5/1/2022
Or as the print headline proclaimed.
Republicans Lash Out at an
Old Friend: Big Business
Republicans used to celebrate that decision. “For too long, some in this country have been deprived of full participation in the political process,” said Mitch McConnell, then the Senate majority leader. The Supreme Court, he added, “took an important step in the direction of restoring the First Amendment rights of these groups.”
Mr. McConnell was standing up for a principle: People have a bedrock right to form associations, including corporations, and to use them to speak their minds.
In the past few years, however, as large companies have increasingly agitated for left-of-center causes, many Republicans have developed a sudden allergy to corporate political speech, one that will have vast consequences for both the party and the nation. [emphasis added]
12/13/2021 update starts here
New York Times, 12/12/2021
Gov. Greg Abbott surprised some on his staff when he arrived at his office this fall with plans for a new pandemic decree: a ban on mandated vaccinations by private employers in Texas.
The decision was a stark departure for the two-term governor, an intrusion into business decisions of the sort Mr. Abbott had long opposed — and had indeed opposed just two months earlier. “Private businesses don’t need government running their business,” a spokeswoman had said then.
His about-face drew criticism from major Texas business groups, from corporations like American Airlines and from a powerful player in local Republican politics, Texans for Lawsuit Reform. It also prompted frustration among some of the governor’s staff.
11/17/2021 Alabama (Gary Palmer edition) starts here
The package, signed by President Biden on Monday after the House passed a Senate version of the legislation Nov. 5, includes $360 million for the Birmingham Northern Beltline -- the proposed six-lane highway stretching from northern Jefferson County to Bessemer.
Construction on the thoroughfare has stalled since 2016 amid funding shortfalls.
Despite signing on to a bill included in the package that allocates funds for the project, Palmer voted against the package -- a crucial detail he omitted when he praised the funding on Monday.
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