The right’s conviction that businesses are caving to the external demands of anti-corporate leftists is nothing that most of us who actually work at corporations would recognize. Externally, the so-called “wokeness” is about market perception; internally, it’s a response to workforces that are increasingly diverse. Apparently, all of this takes a back seat to external right-wing pressure from conservative governments and pundits.
Dear Lord, if there was ever a reason to stop bullying at the Middle School level it would be that many of the bullied will grow up to be asshole leaders of the Republican/Populist/Libertarian Party. These guys (and they are mostly men) simply can't get past not being one of the "cool kids", or at least what they perceived as the cool kids.
Corporations are anything but "woke", they are driven by profits and profits alone. Their whole raison d'être is to respond to the customer's desire in order to sell more crap so they can make more profits.
It is truly disheartening to see how so many R's are just so angry that other people are able to live their lives more openly now.
"...bus drivers were under instructions to leave them there, in a residential neighborhood, on a frigid night, wearing only light clothing,."
Someone should speak to the drivers about potential criminal liability, should anyone be seriously injured or killed. Come to think of it, Who are the contractors, who are the drivers? Are taxpayers footing the bill? Have the logos of companies, such as the Marin Transporter, which sold busses to contractors in Texas not knowing they were to be used for this purposed, been effaced yet? The Governor of Texas was doing a jig when a Marin bus appeared at the Port Authority on the Nightly News. I can't help but recall the banality of evil, and a culture of following orders.
I read Morning Shots pretty much every morning, but it has been just great having the chance to re-read some of the best columns, of which this is definitely one. You were right back in April, Charlie, and subsequent events have borne out pretty much every word.
Abbott and Cruelty The people Abbott pulled this latest stunt on are in this country legally. They are applicants for asylum under US federal law which is founded on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which the US is a signatory. Processes and procedures for asylum application may need an over-haul--how and where applications are made; how and when asylum hearings are conducted--but to take it out on the applicants is beyond monstrous.
Regarding this: Matt K. Lewis describes Ron DeSantis’s retaliation against Disney as “the clearest sign yet that the Republican Party has reordered itself as a populist, working-class party—instead of a pro-business party.” .... yes, the GOP does appeal to the frustrations of the working class, but its policies are aimed at the billionaires who benefit from low taxes. As far as workers are concerned, they seem satisfied to be able to express their prejudices.
You'd think that someone in a wheelchair, who doubtless has had to rely upon the kindness of others at times, would be more receptive to the idea of helping others. Evidently not. Charlie is half-right in saying that it's about the cruelty. It's also about the opportunity. Abbott is a Professional Politician, which in this era means promoting the self and one's own advancement above the well-being of others. It's a matter of ensuring reelection, keeping the donor class happy, staying visible in the news cycle, and protecting both the personal opportunities and the cash flow. As long as there is more in it personally for Abbott to turn a (literal) cold shoulder to the migrants, even at Christmas, than it costs him to do so, you can expect the hypocrisy and the cruelty to continue unabated. As always, follow the money. And the agenda.
Thank you, Mona, for this succinct description of the immigration issue. If only your clear explanation was hammered home on the regular by the major news outlets so that Americans could better grasp that what is needed is bipartisan congressional action.
So many people only hear that our borders are "flooded" by "illegal aliens" because we have "Biden's open borders." Though there's coverage of the most outrageous moves by DeSantis and Abbot of immigrants, it rarely explains the points laid out in Mona's post.
Immigration laws from decades ago do not address the issues we have today. While I don't believe many Americans understand the problem fully, they do want the problem fixed in a bipartisan manner. They want strong borders along with sensible and compassionate allowances for immigrants.
I have to think that if more people had a better understanding, it would help Americans focus on what can be done and demand that Congress stop using this issue as a way to get votes, one way or the other. Thank you, Mona!
I wonder if Greg Abbott went to church on Christmas…It would take some balls to celebrate the birth of a child born in a manger because his parents were denied lodging *right after* dumping people in a similar situation in the freezing cold! Perhaps his sense of irony died when his compassion did. Great article Mona - Scrooge indeed!
Re Abbott and whoever supports this Christmas Eve stunt - DO NOT EVER LECTURE ME ON YOUR CHRISTIANITY AGAIN. This cradle Catholic does not recognize any version of "Christianity" under which this is acceptable no matter what position you hold on immigration.
Thank you Mona Charen. We need someone in Congress to forcefully and repeatedly argue the robust legal immigration in in our own economic interest. Please build a coalition with the business community.
It seems that the Trump/Republicans, with our without Trump, want to run the U.S. in the manner that Trump runs Russia. Corporate power should be under the control of a few selected loyal oligarchs. if they get any independent ideas they should be thrown out the window or down the stairs.
I'm sure some of the "mid-level bureaucrats " that Vance is referring to would be those who monitor elections. Elections are such a "woke" thing to do.
“Because this is the politics of revenge and punishment.”
How awful to feel like that every day! Holding onto stuff like that can’t be good for your health.
Republicans such as DeSantis and Abbott are all in on performative politics. And the spewers who support the DeSantis’ and the Abbott are often young men who have figured out how to cleverly promote themselves. Look at Trump’s closest advisors: besides family, it was a lot of young men with a few young women sprinkled in.
Just look at all those baby-faces spewing that bile! Young men are the most restless when they haven’t found anything that truly stirs their passions. Spewing bile does nothing to help “the people” and in the end is not good for the spewer.
Nice column by Mona. She points out the thing I don’t understand with employers so short of labor and so few immigrants being accepted. I’m 66 and lazy. I’m not going back to work.
The right’s conviction that businesses are caving to the external demands of anti-corporate leftists is nothing that most of us who actually work at corporations would recognize. Externally, the so-called “wokeness” is about market perception; internally, it’s a response to workforces that are increasingly diverse. Apparently, all of this takes a back seat to external right-wing pressure from conservative governments and pundits.
Dear Lord, if there was ever a reason to stop bullying at the Middle School level it would be that many of the bullied will grow up to be asshole leaders of the Republican/Populist/Libertarian Party. These guys (and they are mostly men) simply can't get past not being one of the "cool kids", or at least what they perceived as the cool kids.
Corporations are anything but "woke", they are driven by profits and profits alone. Their whole raison d'être is to respond to the customer's desire in order to sell more crap so they can make more profits.
It is truly disheartening to see how so many R's are just so angry that other people are able to live their lives more openly now.
"...bus drivers were under instructions to leave them there, in a residential neighborhood, on a frigid night, wearing only light clothing,."
Someone should speak to the drivers about potential criminal liability, should anyone be seriously injured or killed. Come to think of it, Who are the contractors, who are the drivers? Are taxpayers footing the bill? Have the logos of companies, such as the Marin Transporter, which sold busses to contractors in Texas not knowing they were to be used for this purposed, been effaced yet? The Governor of Texas was doing a jig when a Marin bus appeared at the Port Authority on the Nightly News. I can't help but recall the banality of evil, and a culture of following orders.
I read Morning Shots pretty much every morning, but it has been just great having the chance to re-read some of the best columns, of which this is definitely one. You were right back in April, Charlie, and subsequent events have borne out pretty much every word.
Abbott and Cruelty The people Abbott pulled this latest stunt on are in this country legally. They are applicants for asylum under US federal law which is founded on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which the US is a signatory. Processes and procedures for asylum application may need an over-haul--how and where applications are made; how and when asylum hearings are conducted--but to take it out on the applicants is beyond monstrous.
- blacks are screwing us
- white libs are screwing us
- immigrants (except Cuban and Venezuelan) are screwing us
- corporations are screwing us
- LGBTQ are screwing us
- Feminist women are screwing with us
We are one f'ed up people. Jesus, help us take revenge. Bless us to crush them.
Faithfully,
GOP
Regarding this: Matt K. Lewis describes Ron DeSantis’s retaliation against Disney as “the clearest sign yet that the Republican Party has reordered itself as a populist, working-class party—instead of a pro-business party.” .... yes, the GOP does appeal to the frustrations of the working class, but its policies are aimed at the billionaires who benefit from low taxes. As far as workers are concerned, they seem satisfied to be able to express their prejudices.
You'd think that someone in a wheelchair, who doubtless has had to rely upon the kindness of others at times, would be more receptive to the idea of helping others. Evidently not. Charlie is half-right in saying that it's about the cruelty. It's also about the opportunity. Abbott is a Professional Politician, which in this era means promoting the self and one's own advancement above the well-being of others. It's a matter of ensuring reelection, keeping the donor class happy, staying visible in the news cycle, and protecting both the personal opportunities and the cash flow. As long as there is more in it personally for Abbott to turn a (literal) cold shoulder to the migrants, even at Christmas, than it costs him to do so, you can expect the hypocrisy and the cruelty to continue unabated. As always, follow the money. And the agenda.
Thank you, Mona, for this succinct description of the immigration issue. If only your clear explanation was hammered home on the regular by the major news outlets so that Americans could better grasp that what is needed is bipartisan congressional action.
So many people only hear that our borders are "flooded" by "illegal aliens" because we have "Biden's open borders." Though there's coverage of the most outrageous moves by DeSantis and Abbot of immigrants, it rarely explains the points laid out in Mona's post.
Immigration laws from decades ago do not address the issues we have today. While I don't believe many Americans understand the problem fully, they do want the problem fixed in a bipartisan manner. They want strong borders along with sensible and compassionate allowances for immigrants.
I have to think that if more people had a better understanding, it would help Americans focus on what can be done and demand that Congress stop using this issue as a way to get votes, one way or the other. Thank you, Mona!
I wonder if Greg Abbott went to church on Christmas…It would take some balls to celebrate the birth of a child born in a manger because his parents were denied lodging *right after* dumping people in a similar situation in the freezing cold! Perhaps his sense of irony died when his compassion did. Great article Mona - Scrooge indeed!
Re Abbott and whoever supports this Christmas Eve stunt - DO NOT EVER LECTURE ME ON YOUR CHRISTIANITY AGAIN. This cradle Catholic does not recognize any version of "Christianity" under which this is acceptable no matter what position you hold on immigration.
Welcome home Charlie.
Thank you Mona Charen. We need someone in Congress to forcefully and repeatedly argue the robust legal immigration in in our own economic interest. Please build a coalition with the business community.
It seems that the Trump/Republicans, with our without Trump, want to run the U.S. in the manner that Trump runs Russia. Corporate power should be under the control of a few selected loyal oligarchs. if they get any independent ideas they should be thrown out the window or down the stairs.
I'm sure some of the "mid-level bureaucrats " that Vance is referring to would be those who monitor elections. Elections are such a "woke" thing to do.
“Because this is the politics of revenge and punishment.”
How awful to feel like that every day! Holding onto stuff like that can’t be good for your health.
Republicans such as DeSantis and Abbott are all in on performative politics. And the spewers who support the DeSantis’ and the Abbott are often young men who have figured out how to cleverly promote themselves. Look at Trump’s closest advisors: besides family, it was a lot of young men with a few young women sprinkled in.
Just look at all those baby-faces spewing that bile! Young men are the most restless when they haven’t found anything that truly stirs their passions. Spewing bile does nothing to help “the people” and in the end is not good for the spewer.
Nice column by Mona. She points out the thing I don’t understand with employers so short of labor and so few immigrants being accepted. I’m 66 and lazy. I’m not going back to work.