“Donald Trump has promised to liven up this year’s Republican National Convention. But some of America’s biggest corporations are bailing on the party,” Brandon Bailey reports for The Associated Press. “Apple recently became the latest company to give the GOP’s presumptive nominee the cold shoulder; it won’t contribute money or products to the Republicans’ big shindig in Cleveland this month. HP Inc. is also withholding support, while Microsoft is giving products only, not cash. Beyond the tech industry, Ford, JPMorgan Chase and United Parcel Service have opted to withhold support.”
“Most of these companies are also taking a pass on donating to the 2016 Democratic convention,” Bailey reports. “The reasons aren’t completely clear. None of these companies publicly described its decisions as a repudiation of Trump. Several declined to discuss their thinking, while others said their sponsorship plans were decided months before Trump emerged as the front-runner for the GOP nomination. In many cases, however, their decisions became known after civil rights groups launched a public effort — including billboards, letters and online messages — aimed at persuading companies to withhold support for an event celebrating a candidate who’s campaigned with incendiary proposals , racial rhetoric and harsh comments about immigrants and women.”
“Apple hasn’t been a big cash donor to past conventions, although it gave $165,000 in computers and other tech gear for the 2008 GOP gathering and $140,000 worth of products to that year’s Democratic event,” Bailey reports. “It also loaned iPhones to organizers of the 2012 Republican convention.”
Read more in the full article here.
SEE ALSO:
Activist campaign seeks to shame Apple, other U.S. companies over Trump – June 24, 2016
Apple refuses to aid 2016 GOP presidential convention over Trump comments – June 18, 2016
Donald Trump’s investments include Apple, other companies he bashes – May 19, 2016
Apple and Silicon Valley employees love Bernie Sanders. Donald Trump? Not so much – May 6, 2016
Donald Trump calls for Apple boycott over San Bernardino terrorist iPhone encryption – February 19, 2016
Why Donald Trump is now targeting Apple and their ‘damn computers’ – January 19, 2016
Trump: We’ll get Apple to manufacture ‘their damn computers and things’ in the U.S.A. – January 18, 2016
iPhones don’t kill people, people kill people – February 19, 2016
The reasons aren’t completely clear? Really? Lose half you customers by supporting one political party and not the other? Gosh, who wants customers?
It doesn’t happen like that in other countries. Some companies support one political party but not another. There might be a few people who decide to take their business elsewhere, but most simply buy the product that suits them best and pay little regard to the political allegiances of the company.
I’ve always thought it rather strange if a company supports more than one party.
Big companies know they are actually in charge and the frosting that is the political realm is irrelevant, whether it’s chocolate or vanilla.
I would have my own personal reason, in addition to Mr. Trump’s apparent hostility to much of the Constitution.
Let me start off by pointing out that I have been a reasonably conservative American and reasonably consistent Republican voter most of my life. I think, for example, that Senator Elizabeth Warren is a left-wing demagogue whose public policy positions stink. Nevertheless, she deserves to be judged by the content of her ideas and not the ethnicity of her ancestors. To suggest otherwise is almost the definition of racism. So, I ask you to walk awhile in my moccasins:
My grandmother was born in Indian Territory and could remember the day it was forced into the new state of Oklahoma. Her family was lucky enough to have the resources and literacy necessary to be listed on the Dawes Roll, the official list of citizens in the Choctaw Nation and the other four Civilized Tribes. To this day, nobody can claim to be a member of the tribes unless they can prove direct descent from somebody on the 1907 final roll. That leaves out tens of thousands (more likely hundreds of thousands) of contemporary Americans with a tribal heritage whose legitimately native ancestors were left off the rolls for one reason or another.
The new state was a cultural extension of the Border South, with Jim Crow folkways and legal segregation. Oklahoma was the first state to ban interracial telephone booths, for example. In that environment, Native Americans and other non-Europeans tended to keep a low profile until being an Indian became trendy in the 1960s or so. Nobody in the 1940s would claim native blood unless it were true. Specifically, there is no way that Senator Warren’s mother would have lied about her Cherokee and Delaware heritage. She was discriminated against as a girl and was forced to elope because her husband’s family opposed an “interracial” marriage. The fact that her grandparents missed out on being listed on the Dawes Roll does not make her tribal heritage—or that of her daughter—any less real.
So, when I hear some white man call Senator Warren “Pocahontas” and lead a crowd of white folks in a chorus of war whoops to mock her ancestry, I react pretty much the same way that African-Americans would at being called “Aunt Jemima” or “Rastus.” If somebody doesn’t see that behavior as racist, I doubt they would see a Klan rally (like the one where Fred Trump was arrested in 1923) as more than vigorous political debate. Then again, this is a movement that isn’t afraid of the optics of having attendees at a rally raise their right hands in a pledge of loyalty to their Leader or of linking money and corruption with a six-pointed star.
When I watch archival footage of Mr. Trump testifying in Congress against the Indian Gaming Act, and hear him claiming that native Americans are gangsters, that their tribal governments are criminal enterprises, and that enrolled tribal members “don’t look like Indians,” I react pretty much the same way as a Hispanic-American who hears him claiming that the Mexicans entering the US are drug pushers and rapists (though conceding that some of them might be good people). A Cuban-American might be equally offended by the suggestion that Senator Cruz’s father killed Kennedy.
It is all of a piece with hinting that President Obama is a Kenyan Muslim and implicitly blaming the world’s second-largest religion for terrorism when most of the victims internationally have been Muslims. A majority of the tips in the US that have thwarted terrorist actions have come from Muslim Americans. Mr. Trump’s repeated falsehood about thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating the fall of the Two Towers is a blood libel ranking with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
It is just as delusional to argue that a war criminal, genocidal mass murderer, and sponsor of international and domestic terror like Saddam Hussain was actually fighting terrorism. Yes, he tortured and executed people he called “terrorists” without awkward niceties like the right to trial or the right to silence, but he defined all of his political opponents as terrorists. Is that the example Mr. Trump wants the USA to follow?
Like many Americans, I struggle to find any non-racist explanation for the candidate’s claim that the Indiana-born son of two American citizens is unqualified to sit as a judge because they had immigrated from Mexico. Nobody doubts that Mr. Trump’s sister (born to a first-generation German-American father and a resident alien mother) is a perfectly qualified federal judge. Judge Curiel’s father was a US resident for almost a decade before Mrs. Trump arrived… but she wasn’t a person of color, even if she likely spoke English as a second language.
I do not hear Senator Warren or Secretary Clinton referring to the Republican candidate as “The Kraut,” or accusing him of Nazi sympathies just because his paternal grandparents were born in Germany. The only people who seem ever to have been concerned about that were the Republican candidate and his father, who spent more than twenty years after World War II claiming to be Swedes because they feared retaliation from “the Jews” if they admitted their actual ancestry.
I do not know whether Mr. Trump is a racist or simply someone who is completely tone-deaf to racism, but I honestly do not care which. Either disqualifies him to be President of our multi-ethnic country. Some of my ancestors preceded all of his ancestors to America by roughly 14,000 years, so I think I am entitled to object to someone who labels my ethnic group—or any other ethnic, religious, disability, or gender group—as unworthy to share in the American dream. I’m glad that Apple is not giving financial support to his coronation.
Trump is not a racist.
Mexico is a country, not a race. Islam is open to all races. As for Judge Curiel, all human beings are biased by their life experiences. Do you think Curiel would be comfortable at his next family gathering if his verdict favors Trump?
Yes, Trump was offensive when he attacked the judge’s parental connections to Mexico. Because he’s smart. And SMART is what we need in office (see what’s in there now and the results of 7 years of it).
Trump is smart because his criticism of Curiel is good persuasion and good legal strategy. It puts the judge in the tough spot of either siding with Trump or appearing biased if he does not.
By the way, you should notice that only the Democrats are talking about race. And all of that race talk has been divisive. Trump has literally never said a negative thing about race during this election.
Latinos and Arabs are actually Caucasian.
https://www.reference.com/world-view/names-human-races-6270dae14a4d0fed?qo=contentSimilarQuestions
F2T2: You aren’t even a principled conservative, or you’re a dupe. You claim to believe in things that you have no reason to believe Trump agrees with, yet you support him. Perhaps because you like the monstrous things he says so much that you’re willing to ignore how impossible it is to know what he actually believes?
What a buffoon.
OK, “First”. I’ll play your semantics game. It is true that some scientists claim that there is no such thing as “race”.
Let’s switch “racist” for “Bigot”. Trump and company and a good share of Trump supporters certainly fall into to Bigot territory with their anti-Muslim, Mexican, LGBT and just about anyone else who isn’t a gun loving caucasian.
Trump is a Bigot.
@First2014… have a read a paper lately? Stock markets at all time highs, unemployment declining y.o.y. for the last 7 years, US deficit declining y.o.y. It appears also your head has been going deeper up your a** year over year as well. To refer to Trumpet as “smart” just proves how idiotic you truly are.
You can’t be that stupid, can you? On second thought, you sound like an Obama voter, so yeah, you probably are at least that stupid.
The real U.S. unemployment rate is still close to 10%.
Buried in the monthly report is an unemployment rate referred to as U6, which includes part-timers who want a full-time job as well as would-be workers who have grown too discouraged to look for work.
Some 16 million people are underemployed or unemployed as measured by the U6. Richard Moody, chief economist of Regions Financial, said the number “needs to be closer to 12 to 13 million.”
The upshot: As many as 4 million in the U.S. who want a full-time work are being shut out. In a fully healed labor market they would be putting in 40-hour shifts.
That is not all the damage, either. This group of people also constitute a surplus of labor that helps to keep wages down for all U.S. workers. Companies feel less pressure to raise pay.
The real U.S. unemployment rate is still close to 10%.
“The real unemployment #” Haahaaa!! Funny how often I hear that load of b.s. Let’s call it what it is.. it’s the unemployable. These are large group of people who are either slackers or conspiracy theorists like yourself. Always blaming someone else for their own shortcomings because it’s easier to blame than to accept blame. I feel bad for you dude, I honestly do. I apologize for the name calling. There’s really no need for it.
On this issue F2T2 is not wrong in pointing out the f**ked up way unemployment is reported. However, neither party is worse than the other when it comes to manipulating statistics. The government has a habit of regularly playing around with the way inflation is calculated under the CPI. They say it is to “remove biases that overstate the inflation rate”.
Basically, whichever party is in power will manipulate the statistics to make themselves look better. Anyone who thinks it is only “the other party” that does this is an idiot.
F2T2: You are right that unemployment numbers are undercounted. But, people who can only think rationally when criticizing one party, while ignoring “their” party doing the same thing, are pretty sad.
Both major U.S. political parties do the thing you criticize, and both of those parties engage in shared neoliberal actions that destroy labor markets for the poor and middle class. One difference between you and me (I’m sure there are _many_ others) is that I know that’s true of both major parties, while you unthinkingly support one of them.
“Trump has literally never said a negative thing about race during this election.”
No, he has only said negative things about 75% of the US population (i.e. women and pretty much anyone of non-european ancestry)
You state Trump’s hostility toward the constitution? Nobody is worse than Obama and Hillary.
IOW: Shot by both sides.
To hell with both parties.
Agree. I think political parties are the worst thing we can have in elections. In my opinion EVERY candidate should be judged on their OWN merit, as an independent individual—no ties or parties associated. The party system is ruining the country. It breeds corruption in it’s loyalties, and makes candidates say things they don’t really have their heart into just to make the party line happy. We’ve lost the logical middle because candidates are always trying to please the extreme of both parties.
Again sir your comments are eloquent and well put. The other day I responded to your experience of being a prosecutor with my own life experience and also responded to your first response in another thread relaying that same opinion. For those of us who are victims of racism and discrimination on a seemingly daily basis it is impossible for us to ever get our point across to those who do not experience it. If I mention to someone who is anti gay that I am a homosexual, they tell me there is something wrong with me (as a man did in my home town 4 ½ weeks ago did). They’ll quote scripture and all kinds of misinterpreted passages from the bible condemning it, meanwhile not knowing that I minored in religion and can go chapter and verse with pretty much anybody, I was also raised Catholic. Anytime I refute their arguments with literal readings of the same passages they cite, with the annotated bible which I keep on my phone (it’s a cool app, anyone who wants to actually understand what the translators screwed up from Greek-Latin-English should read it) they simply get more dug in and spot more hatred towards me and my partner if we happen to be together. (He is black)
Now, with regards to mr trump. He has said blatantly racist things, and has reposted or retweeted false memes from white supremacist blogs on 6 different occasions. Those are not accidents, it’s a political calculation, and one that seems to work for him as abhorrent as it may be to those of us who see things in a different light. The Republican Party has gone so far to the right wing, many people who used to be republicans, in the liberal wing or\f the party, are all but gone. I was a log cabin republican when I was in college after I came out. We are now marginalized to the point that most of us have either left the party entirely or simply do not vote for the race baiting social “conservatives” who run in our local and state elections. That being said, I don’t think mr trump is inherently bigoted. He’s from New York and I’ve always been treated very well staying in one of his hotels why I have. However…. There are many stories from around the city that describe in private as someone who is difficult, intolerant, and “whiny” when things don’t go his way. When he accused judge curies of being biased because he’s Mexican, I actually agree with f14t16 for once…. I think that was deliberate and calculated because the judge is bound by federal law so that he cannot defend himself against such attacks. Trump has used this strategy in many of the 3500+ lawsuits he has been involved in, as well as with the press on a regular basis. Basically, report things how I like or I’ll you sleazy, biased, and unfair to the point that you stop asking hard questions and just do what I say. This is also the tactic used by people like Richard Nixon, roger ailes, and the more vocal minority politically in this country. It is effective however, and does truly not allow for debate of any kind. As soon as questions are raised, surrogates and like minded media figures spout the same talking points continuously until it’s accepted as fact by the majority of their supporters, so that when the fact checking is done they don’t believe it even if it is proven to them 6 ways to Sunday. Mr. Trump has even denied saying things that he was recorded saying on video, using the line “I was misrepresented” even though there was no editing of the videos whatsoever. It’s staggering. But follows goebbels playbook for propaganda and public relations 101. Tell a big lie, keep telling it, and eventually people will believe it even when the truth comes out.
Now, as far as mr trump being smart. Yes, he’s clearly intelligent and smart when it comes to making money for himself. However he has nowhere near as much money as he says he does, and has admitted under oath that his net worth fluctuates with his “mood” on a given day. He has given deliberately false financial disclosures to the FEC, but since he will not release his tax returns, the FEC can’t prove it. The IRS keeps that information confidential until the person says to release it. And contrary to his assertions, you can absolutely release your returns when they are under audit. And if Mrs. Clinton is so crooked, why are 30 years of her returns public? She’s not hiding anything in that regard. Also to reinforce this: she did not murder Vince foster, whitewater was nothing, and there is not “Clinton death list”…. Stop believing this kind of stuff. Where’s your candidate has blatantly employed illegals (from Poland during trump towers construction, and in other instances) and doesn’t even give his own daughter the credit she deserves for rescuing his company in 2009. He also said he owned his own sons winery, which he doesn’t, and the winery clearly says on their website they have no affiliation with the trump organization (now if you response to that is that it’s hidden under some kind of shell Corp, and he actually does own it? Then that’s tax fraud. So just accept it)
And again, as far as my vote being garunteed…. It is not, I simply just cannot vote for someone who spouts disrespect for the constitution and hatred. Yours, f14t16, is completely garunteed… To the point that you never even admit when something your preferred candidate does is wrong. I challenged you the other day to not use any media filters and read every single policy of every single candidate from their own sites, in their own words. Then form your own opinions…. Yet, you have not done that, your defense of trump in this thread is almost a verbatim talking point from Jeffery Lord…. I’d like to hear your own words and thoughts for for once. Also, please read my other comment to you in the last thread I responded to you on. You never responded to the last comment in that discussion, where the challenge was issued.
Oh, he also has never funded his own campaign as he says he did…. He LOANED his campaign approx 40 million, then used all the campaign donations to pay himself back, and then says he “converted” the loans to donations, but has NOT filed the paperwork for that, even though the FEC has asked repeatedly. And the RNC has not confirmed that is the case. And if he does have 10 billion dollars, he could easily spend 500 million getting himself elected, and would make that back on interest on investments just in one year. But, he’s taking donations…. Because he has to. Michael Bloomberg also has multiple billions of dollars, and actually did spend his own money to become mayor of NYC, he also walled off his companies from having anything to do with his political operation, and filed all official paperwork with the state, county, and local election boards, Released his taxes for nearly 2 decades, and allowed the press to ask any questions they wanted about anything. Mr trump does the exact opposite of all of those things.
A wonderful read once again sir thank you for it. I’m not only impressed by your account but seems it has inspired others, like the voice of reason to reply as well with very personal and well thought out post that make it the true joy of coming here.
Not to down play all this but there was one section that you wrote that made me shake my head and that ended with a question… so I’ve answered it just by changing a few words of your question:
“It is just as delusional to argue that a war criminal, genocidal mass murderer, and sponsor of international and domestic terror like” [George W. Bush] “was actually fighting terrorism. Yes, he tortured and executed people he called “terrorists” [and enemy combatants] without awkward niceties like the right to trial or the right to silence, but he defined all of his political opponents as terrorists.”
Of course it’s the example Mr. Trump wants your country to follow, you are the global bully and you need an appropriate leader for the task.
Ignoring the meaningless “Registered Voters” polls that Crooked Hillary pushes, the latest Rasmussen Poll of “LIKELY VOTERS” (the only polls that matter) shows:
Trump: 40%
Clinton: 38%
Johnson: 9%
Undecided: 5%
Stein: 3%
Don’t fall for the MSM’s attempt to influence the election by only quoting polls that do not matter.
I am privy to internal polling. This race is actually Trump’s to lose, even with the electoral deck stacked for Democrats (urban areas dependent on handouts vote for more handouts). NY and CA are why Democrats have a chance to win the presidency, but lose virtually everywhere else across the board. Trump can get to 270 in multiple ways. Crooked Hillary is a historically awful candidate and person. Crooked Hillary is a devious, lying schemer.
Cook would be smart to abstain from politics. Just run the company. How about a new Mac Pro? Or a 4K Apple TV? Or a 4K (or higher) Apple display? Or a cable-killing bundle for Apple TV? Or a rebuilt iTunes for modern times? Etc.
Any core Apple user would concur.
Yeah sure, you are privy to internal polling…
We all knew you were a paid stooge that manipulates yiurvown dtar ratings to show support for your scum positions here at MDN.
You’re ginally going to grt the thrashing of your life, come November and we hope to see you fascists all perish – Amen..
Since Oblahblah took office, 85 of 98 state legislative bodies have become more Republican, Democrats have lost 900+ state legislature seats, 12 governorships, 69 House seats, and 13 Senate seats. That’s some legacy. 😉
Who cares? Most of us would rather that a politician act for the most good of the most citizens instead of playing partisan politics. One faction gaining seats in an election is as much an indication of gerrymandering as anything else.
Anyway, we will all be elated to have you voluntarily silence yourself in november if not before.
The Clinton machine will find a way to create votes for Hillary. They did it against Bernie. The exit polls didn’t match what the real votes were in many states that didn’t have any verification system. Just watch.
Sure, the enemies of USA would love to see Trump as president… He would do the best job… to destroy his country’s credibility! Wow! Would the America haters be happy!
I adore the Unskewed polls guy that predicted President Romney’s rise to power because the polling had a liberal bias and needed to be adjusted to Republican reality. I sure hope they are using the same methodology for President Trump’s sake.
We all know Timmy Boy will bend over, literally and figuratively, to pressure. Could all these people please pressure him to put the power button back on top of the iPhone…?
He seems to listen to a certain segment of the population.
Trump is such a “winner”, isn’t he?
He can easily afford to spend a small part of his own money to get his show running great.
He said to be free of any influences… leave it to him to prove it!
A cheapskate, stingy and petty crook.
As long as the same standard is applied to the Democratic Convention, I am fine with the decision. If not, this is pure political pandering.
They’ll all just spend their corporate dollars on lobbyists instead.
nearly all the above comments are what is known as “identity politics.”
For example:
You are Native America so you are not going for Trump because you perceive that he has insulted native americans.
You think this is a reasonable conclusion, but to do so overlooks everything else. This, of course, is what politicians want. It is how they hold on to power.
The reality is that it is sad.
You misinterpreted my comment. I do not oppose Trump because he has insulted my own ethnic group. He is entitled to his own opinions. I oppose Trump because he has consistently put his own self-interest above the law, and particularly the Constitution of the United States.
Amendments 13-15 could not be clearer that the government and its agents cannot make distinctions between individuals on the sole basis of their membership in a class defined by race or color. All those individuals are entitled to due process and equal protection _as individuals._
Subsequent civil rights acts and court decisions have expressly extended that protection (which was always implicit) to the members of classes defined by national origin, religion, gender, disability, and so forth. The protection has also been extended from purely governmental action to action by private parties engaged in interstate commerce.
Trump quite obviously does not believe in that constitutional principle. He finds it perfectly acceptable to treat people merely as members of a class and not as individuals. “Mexican” judges are less likely to be impartial because they are Mexican. Muslims are more likely to be terrorists because they are Muslim. Women journalists are more likely to be talentless bimbos because they are women. Indian gaming is more likely to be crooked because it is run by Indians. And so forth… None of these claims involve any proof that the particular individual concerned has done anything wrong apart from his or her membership in the disfavored class.
Mr. Trump is the one who consistently stereotypes people on the basis of their membership in a protected class, rather than treating them as individuals. He attacks “Goofy Elizabeth Warren” as “Pocahontas” without addressing her (many) individual faults. If engaging in race-baiting and violating the constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection is “how politicians hold on to power” it is more than just sad.
Toxic horror show. Everyone should bail. In fact, I don’t understand how anyone wouldn’t. Might as well watch an ISIS video.
Apple should not give anything to any political party at any time.
Not taking one side or the other.
But I’m just amazed that the conventions of both the main parties will probably cost a combined figure just shy of $150 million.
Leftist media reports leftist corporations’ bigoted attitude toward Republican candidate as reasonable.
Leftists in the comments don’t notice.
Shocker.
One Star for gullible people.
Donate or not to donate to either party, that is the question. . . .Either way, I will still buy their products because hands down, they are great, but still waiting for the updated Mac Pro…
Now, why would a company help to finance the nomination show of a candidate who publicly lambasted said company just 5 months ago and called for a boycott of its products?
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