Gigantic GOP hypocrisy

McConnell speaking in 2013 defending free speech rights for

all corporations and businesses

“For too long, some in this country have been deprived of full participation in the political process. With today’s monumental decision, the Supreme Court took an important step in the direction of restoring the First Amendment rights of these groups by ruling that the Constitution protects their right to express themselves about political candidates and issues up until Election Day. By previously denying this right, the government was picking winners and losers. Our democracy depends upon free speech, not just for some but for all.” -- Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, January 2010, praising the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that gave a lot more “free speech” rights to corporations, by gutting campaign finance restrictions

Jaw dropping, breath-taking, mega-hypocrisy of ginormous proportions

That was 2010. Today, in 2021, McConnell is threatening businesses who go against GOP policy to get the hell out of participation in the political process, because it's not what they are designed to do.

MSNBC writes: 

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell lashed out at corporate America on Monday, warning CEOs to stay out of the debate over a new voting law in Georgia that has been criticized as restricting votes among minorities and the poor. In a sign of a growing rift in the decades-old alliance between the conservative party and U.S. corporations, McConnell said: “My advice to the corporate CEOs of America is to stay out of politics. Don't pick sides in these big fights.”

The Kentuckian added that corporations “will invite serious consequences” if they continue down this road, though the GOP leader did not elaborate as to the nature of his threat.  

Republicans have been increasingly bold of late in trying to stifle dissent, threatening major corporations with retaliatory policy measures if they dare to criticize -- not take sweeping actions, just criticize -- the GOP's voter-suppression. McConnell's rhetoric yesterday served as a reminder that this style of punitive pushback is likely to intensify.

For example, the GOP is angry at the baseball industry and the party wants to retaliate:

Of even greater interest was an announcement from Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), who said he and his aide are in the process of “drafting legislation to remove Major League Baseball's federal antitrust exception.” The South Carolina Republican added that entities that oppose his party's election efforts “deserve increased scrutiny under the law.”

In other words, if business speaks or acts in dissent of voter suppression, the GOP will punish its free speech and participation in the political process. The New York Times writes:

Lawmakers in Georgia threatened to rescind a tax break that saves Delta Air Lines, which is based in Atlanta, millions of dollars a year. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida posted a video in which he called Delta and Coca-Cola, another Atlanta company, “woke corporate hypocrites” for criticizing the Georgia law. Mr. Trump joined the calls for a boycott of companies speaking out against the voting laws. And last week, Mr. McConnell said companies should “stay out of politics.”[1]

There you have it, GOP hypocrites calling political opposition from the business community woke corporate hypocrites. One can only wonder what names they call non-business community opposition. Socialist Satanist deep state pedophile drug dealers?

In my opinion, the hypocrite GOP should stay out of politics.

Questions: Should the hypocrite GOP should stay out of politics, or are they doing just fine? Is the GOP not being hypocritical? Is hypocrisy and double standards in politics something important or is it just annoying to some (but not all) and of little substance?

Footnote:

1. But staying out of politics does not include making campaign contributions:

“For too long, some in this country have been deprived of full participation in the political process,” he said in a statement at the time [January of 2010]. He hailed the decision, Citizens United, as “an important step” in “restoring the First Amendment rights of these groups.”

 
But just over a decade later, McConnell has a different message for companies: Unless it involves money, they had better stay quiet.

“My warning to corporate America is to stay out of politics,” McConnell said at a news conference in Kentucky on Tuesday, before adding: “I’m not talking about political contributions.”

Well there it is, plain and simple. Stay out of politics, but keep the cash rolling in. The GOP isn’t a bunch of principled patriots, that’s for sure.