Should corporations take political positions?

Major League Baseball, Coca-cola, and Delta condemned Georgia's new voting law. Why do corporations weigh in on political issues and can they make a difference?

Air Date: April 13, 2021

African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Reginald Jackson announces a boycott of Coca-Cola Co. products outside the Georgia Capitol on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Jackson says Coca-Cola and other large Georgia companies haven’t done enough to oppose restrictive voting bills that Georgia lawmakers were debating as Jackson spoke (AP Photo/Jeff Amy) Sent from my iPhone

Should corporations weigh in on political and social issues? Senator Mitch McConnell told Major League Baseball, Delta, and Coca-Cola that they should “stay out of politics” when the organizations condemned Georgia’s new restrictive voting law, but he said that he didn’t mean political contributions. Now there are calls for boycotts from activists from both political parties. This hour we explore the minefield corporations face when they take political positions, if their actions have any sway, and how it compares to the influence they wield with campaign contributions, lobbying and other political spending. Our guests are AMERICUS REED, professor of marketing at the Wharton School, and SHEILA KRUMHOLZ, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics.

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