During a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton’s interaction with Kroger Chair and CEO Rodney McMullen went viral after Cotton laid out what some in conservative circles are calling a masterclass in how to deal with woke corporations.
The issue before the committee: the merger between the Kroger and Albertsons grocery chains. McMullen wants GOP muscle to fight back against Democrat lawmakers hampering the merger.
Cotton’s response: nope. A strategy brilliant in its simplicity. The Arkansas Senator says that McMullen’s ask is similar to what he’s seeing with Big Tech companies.
“You know, this situation reminds me a little bit of the situation Big Tech companies have found themselves in recent years. They’ve come to Washington because they fear regulation from our Democratic friends, or action by the Biden administration and they expect Republicans, who are traditionally more supportive of free enterprise, to come to their defense.”
“I’ve cautioned them for years that if they silence conservatives and center-right voters… if they discriminate against them in their company, they probably shouldn’t come and ask Republican senators to carry the water for them whenever our Democratic friends want to regulate them or block their mergers,” he continued.
“I’ll say this: ‘I’m sorry that’s happening to you. Best of luck.”
And that was it. Go woke —don’t call conservatives. (Not as catchy, but you get the idea.)
According to The Washington Examiner, Kroger has been making headlines for woke moves, including “firing two employees who refused to wear an apron to support the gay and transgender community, as well as the company issuing a guide to employees instructing them not to use the terms ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am.’ Kroger is also among the companies offering to pay for out-of-state abortions for employees in Republican-run states.”
Zachary Faria over at The Washington Examiner says companies like Disney and Kroger are no friends of the Republican party —they show outright disdain for conservative values.
“These companies have decided to express open disdain for conservatives and anyone who does not fall in line with left-wing Democratic orthodoxy. They have decided to pick a team, and they chose the team that wants to break up their mergers and hit them with regulations they oppose. They shouldn’t be able to turn around and ask for the help of Republicans whom they hate, and Republicans should have enough dignity to recognize that.”
It sounds like Senator Cotton does —will more prominent GOP voices speak up?
