RECENT QUOTES

For additional recent quotes, see the "Quotes" page of this website

Boston Globe Editorial Board: 

“Corporate Donors, The Lifeblood Of The GOP, Need To Stand Up For Democracy:

…One-hundred and forty-seven GOP members voted to overturn the election, opting to reject democracy simply because their candidate lost….So long as Republican members of Congress are not punished for their assaults on voting rights and democracy, they will continue to promote conspiracy theories with abandon and could very well redo their attempt to overturn a legitimate election come 2022 or 2024. And if, or when, they do, every company that has decided to donate to their campaigns will be just as guilty in destroying the fabric of American democracy. 

Though some companies have held their line and have yet to resume donating to election objectors, many of them have looked the other way as their money takes backdoor routes into the pockets of the very members they’re supposedly trying to avoid…The problem with continuing to help these GOP members of Congress fund-raise for their political campaigns is that it emboldens them to continue going down the path to autocracy.”

“Corporate Donors, The Lifeblood Of The GOP, Need To Stand Up For Democracy”, Boston Globe Editorial Board, May 14, 2021

“EXCLUSIVE: How corporate PACs are plotting to "move beyond" January 6”, Judd Legum, Popular Information 

"Following the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, dozens of corporations announced they were suspending PAC donations to the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election. Many more announced they were suspending all PAC activity. For the National Association of Business PACs (NABPAC), the trade association for corporate PACs, this is a problem.  Emails, video, and other internal documents obtained by Popular Information reveal how NABPAC has been encouraging its membership, which includes more than 250 corporate PACs, to "move beyond" January 6 and resume their political contributions. 

On March 2, NABPAC hosted a webinar called "Where Do We Go From Here." The event featured Michael DuHaime, a prominent Republican operative and crisis communications consultant. During the event, DuHaime and others provided strategic and messaging advice about how to restart political donations — including donations to the 147 Republicans who voted not to certify the Electoral College results based on Trump's lies.  

The event was attended by about 80 representatives of corporate PACs, including major companies like Delta, Dow, Altria, Northrup Grumman, New York Life, Lincoln Financial, and Boston Scientific. NABPAC board members include representatives from Microsoft, Kraft Heinz, Eli Lilly, Home Depot, and Cigna... 

In the webinar, DuHaime encouraged companies not to be pressured to withhold donations from Republicans who voted to overturn the election. Instead, DuHaime said corporations should "do what's right for your organization" and "deal with the fallout." He predicted that resuming contributions to Republican objectors "most likely… would be a one day story and most likely you are not going to lose customer share over it."  

DuHaime cautioned that January 6 is "very emotional in a way that other things in politics haven't been." At another point in the webinar, he encouraged corporations to prepare a communications strategy justifying their decision to give money to Republicans who voted to overturn the election. DuHaime provided a hypothetical series of tough questions: "Why did you give to this person? This person voted after a Capitol insurrection where a police officer was killed, and you decided to max out to that person? Why did you do that?" He said that is a "really tough question" but "there is probably a good answer." One suggested response DuHaime offered is that the Republican objector "supported ten other things that are important to your industry." 

DuHaime also discouraged corporations from making such commitments. He said that "people move on" and "things will feel differently 16 months from now."... Ultimately, DuHaime emphasized the need for corporations to change their messaging rather than their behavior. Corporations cannot, according to DuHaime, tell a reporter that it made a donation because "this person has power over us and we need access to that person" even if that is "exactly what you are doing."  

DuHaime said contributing to a member of Congress because they have power over legislation impacting your company is a "good reason to give." But he recommends establishing a more palatable public pretext for the donation. DuHaime advises corporations should "figure out ways to justify that [donation] externally that go just beyond the fact that this is someone who is in power today."

" “EXCLUSIVE: How corporate PACs are plotting to "move beyond" January 6”, Judd Legum, Popular Information, May 10, 2021

Judd Legum (Popular Information) and Nick Surgey (Documented): 

“Several large corporations that have recently issued public statements supporting voting rights — including Google, Deloitte, and Citigroup — are also funding and collaborating with a top Republican group advocating for new voter suppression laws.” [also refers to AstraZeneca, Comcast, CVS Health, Dominion Energy, Enterprise, Novo Nordisk, Rock Central, TIAA, Waffle House, Walgreens]  

“Google, Deloitte, and Citigroup quietly collaborate with GOP group pushing voter suppression”, Judd Legum (Popular Information) and Nick Surgey (Documented), Popular Information, May 17, 2021