Well, that’s awkward. Rarely am I on Linked In, but I received an email from the site this morning with the email subject line: Top CEO: Why we had to dismantle Trump’s advisory council.
Now of course, this got my attention because the subject line was in direct opposition to 45’s tweet yesterday.
Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all!
1:14 PM - Aug 16, 2017
In a post entitled “Moving Forward from the Tragic Events in Charlottesville, Virginia” , Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris, (whom Trump had appointed to lead the manufacturing council), first explains his disgust at the events over the weekend and disavows their racist hatred without ambiguity.
All Americans should be able to agree that white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the Ku Klux Klan deserve only our universal, unequivocal, and full-throated condemnation. Wherever and whenever we encounter prejudice or acts of violence, we are obligated – as citizens, as moral beings, as members of the same national community – to speak out. Clearly, firmly, and without apology.
Reading on in Mr. Liveris’ remarks, I stumbled upon this:
The tragedy in Charlottesville is a painful reminder of the bigotry that persists in our society today – as we continue building the “more perfect union” that the Founding Fathers envisioned. Progress has not always happened in a straight line, but millions of patriotic Americans push us forward and refuse to compromise on the principles of liberty and justice for all. For me, this unwavering commitment to progress is the essence of America – and the very best of what this great country represents.
(bolded emphasis is mine.)
First, we all remember President (then-candidate) Obama’s landmark speech on race, “A more perfect union”. So there’s that reference. Secondly, the line “progress has not always happened in a straight line” sounded familiar too. A quick google of the line with the former President’s name yielded the fact that the line was both selected by Politico as one of the 5 best lines of President Obama’s 2012 re-election speech and as seen above, a highlighted quote from Obama’s 2016 Rutgers University graduation speech.
Yes, politics aside, when searching for moral character, when looking for words that inspire Americans, confront our fears, and provide comfort to the sorrowful, a great place to to look is to the example and words of our 44th president. He may not be in office anymore, but his American leadership is the the type that so many people and even CEOs are yearning for.
Mr. Liveris concludes his note with a detailing of events that basically calls 45 a liar.
Every member of the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative condemns racism and bigotry, and there cannot be moral ambiguity around the driving forces of the events in Charlottesville. However, in discussions I had with the White House earlier today, I indicated that in the current environment it was no longer possible to conduct productive discussions under the auspices of the Initiative. And so, as proud as I am of the efforts we were taking on behalf of the American worker, disbanding the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative was the right decision.
(bolded emphasis is mine)
I’m probably bordering on the fair use limits with the included text, but a CEO setting the record straight on the CEO-driven disbanding of 45’s advisory council while namelessly referencing the words of his broadly admired predecessor makes me laugh. And then when I think about the beauty of karma, it makes me smile.
It is entirely fitting that a man who built his political career on racist birther and “un-American” accusations has now become the widely accepted poster child for what a truly un-American president looks and sounds like.
