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Financial Institutions Join Social Media in Purging Political Opponents
As commonly predicted, financial institutions are joining social media and server hosts in attempts to punish or exclude Trump supporters. From One America News Network:
Some of the world’s biggest companies said on Sunday they will suspend donations to U.S lawmakers who voted against certifying the election for Joe Biden.
This includes JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup, which are two of the biggest U.S. banks. It also includes Marriott, which is the world’s largest hotel company. Additionally, this includes Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which is a federation of 36 independent companies that provide health care insurance. [….]
Other major U.S. companies like Ford and Walmart haven’t paused donations yet, but a Walmart spokesman said they will factor in last week’s events to their review process.
They claim this is about rule of law. So let’s review the law.
Article II of the US Constitution assigns state legislatures (and only the legislatures, not the states generally) the exclusive authority to determine election procedures.
Democrats brought hundreds of lawsuits around the country to force changes to those procedures through the courts, which do not have that authority. Nor do governors.
Citing the pandemic, many appealed to emergency powers. An “emergency” is not merely a dire threat but an imminent one that allows no time for deliberation and debate. States have certainly been capable of resuming the normal legislative process since the summer. There is no emergency. There is no basis for emergency powers that suspend the normal constitutional process of law.
Election procedures were changed without legislative approval in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Those actions violated the US Constitution, not only state constitutions. It was not a local matter for local courts. But the US Supreme Court refused to hear challenges.
The Framers of the US Constitution did not intend for any branch of government to be sovereign over the others. Because the Judiciary shrugged its responsibility to enforce the Constitution, the Legislative branch had cause to explore its own options to respond to those clear violations of Article II.
That is all Ted Cruz and others recommended: a brief delay to explore options and debate. For that, various corporations are now attempting to ostracize and cripple elected representatives.
Those representatives have much more wealth, power, and fame with which to defend than you do. If they can be destroyed, so can you be destroyed.
Tolerance and debate are the way of a free people. If you grant the power to silence your opponents, you grant the power to silence you as well.
Published in Politics
The line to take the loyalty mark begins on the left.
So, just so I’m clear on it. Companies are now targeting specific politicians because a few Senators wanted to use the existing laws and rules to legally debate issues about the election during a constitutionally prescribed process because they’re a threat to law and order?
Did they did this to the Representatives that objected to certifying the 2016 election results?
These “donations” are given in return for . . .?
Looks like only Cruz and Hawley are throwbacks to our founders.
Perhaps I have misunderstood what these companies are doing. A friend suggests they are redirecting their own PAC donations, rather than refusing to process donations by others.
The article claims that Stripes, at least, is refusing to process transactions.
So maybe they could meet out the same treatment to anyone who ever took a Court challenge against an election count- or supported such a challenge?
I don’t think that this is as far off the charts as some things that are going on. Campaign “donations” (i.e., buying influence) are at the will of the giver. And we collectively can choose to never stay at a Marriott.
I am shocked! Shocked, that oligarchs are throwing in with the Party of Oligarchs.
(psst. it’s “mete out.”)
Where are all the people calling for Trump’s removal in their high outrage on this? This is far more dangerous to America.
Crickets
You cannot buy or sell, save you have the mark.
Gosh, that’s familiar. Where have I heard that before?
I’ll wait for confirmation from a more trusted news source, but if this report is true, I condemn it. I think Hawley and Cruz were way out of line, but financial institutions making value judgments is a worse move.
Brilliant.
Misleading. No, deliberate fabrication.
Article II
The legislature can establish laws, which they do, and they also usually establish election boards and much is pushed to the counties. State courts adjudicate issues. But the constitution does not direct those state legislatures on how the electors are chosen.
And in none of the courts had the Trump campaign provided evidence supporting their case. And the cases brought never came close to reflecting the rhetoric being used.
You have been lied to and you are repeating the lie.
That’s a really laughable, tone deaf choice of a “theme,” especially in view of some of his recent comments.
People making value judgements to determine who they donate to? Stunning. The end of our liberty.
This is equally misleading as it is the courts that often determine the procedures. In the case of federal judiciary, they are unelected, appointed for life, and little more than tyrants.
Pennsylvania state courts do not have the authority to violate the Pennsylvania state constitution, sidestepping amendment procedures. Congressman Mike Kelly et al petitioned the US Supreme Court on those grounds.
I was referring to the accusation that banks would not allow donations through their institution.
Auto-correct, I swear!
I guess that’s possible. Although autocorrect should certainly know that “mete” is correct. The problem more people run into is using “till” which passes spell-check, when the correct form is ’til, a contraction of until. But if you don’t put in the ‘ you might get “corrected” to “till.”
“they could meet out the same treatment” Possibly. But if the “treatment” is lunch then perhaps it should have auto-corrected to “meat”.
Unless they’re serving SPAM, which many people insist is not meat.
I spoke with someone in the oil industry whose company relies on Amazon servers. Leftists hate oil. Will that oil company trust the contract or rebuild its own server farm before Amazon suddenly pulls the rug from under it? CEOs tend to lean left, so I’d bet on the former.
The oil companies should pull the plug on amazon, literally: Amazon must get a lot of its power from oil and natural gas power plants.
Via The Blaze:
Other corporate actions of recent days are mentioned at The Federalist.
The National Association of Realtors instituted a new rule against “hate speech and harrassing speech” which “applies to association members 24/7, covering all communication, private and professional, written and spoken, online and off. Punishment could top out at a maximum fine of $15,000 and expulsion from the organization.” You are probably familiar with how ludicrously leftists commonly define hate and harrassment (like addressing a man by male pronouns).
Also:
Forbes management is apparently divided on the concept of tolerance.
We will see what next week brings.
Maybe it would help if a few dozen-million people started cancelling those companies?
I have a better than 90% winning rate in Scrabble, but sometimes I struggle with keyboards!
Oh, I didn’t comment on the typo, and didn’t mean any ridicule. I as just making fun of the incompetent autocomplete.