A Republican leader took the rare step of punishing Nike for its anti-American virtue signaling. Arizona governor Doug Ducey announced Tuesday that he was ordering the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw incentives for Nike to build a plant in the state and blasted Nike’s decision to stop selling a Betsy Ross-flag themed sneaker after former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained.
The controversy has led Democrats to decide virtually overnight that the 13-star Betsy Ross flag, the earliest American flag design, is a symbol of racism.
Arizona gov rebukes Nike
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Nike was nixing the shoe after Kaepernick, who has appeared in advertisements for the company, complained that the flag-adorned sneaker evoked America’s slave-holding past. Nike announced that the shoe, originally planned to be released Monday, was being canceled to avoid giving offense: “Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured the old version of the American flag,” the company told the newspaper.
The incident is a case study in how virtue signaling social justice tends to work: woke corporations like Nike look to celebrity activists to decide what’s acceptable and what isn’t, and poof, history is written anew overnight. Democratic politicians clapped like seals over Nike’s compliance with the woke police, and some progressives compared the Betsy Ross flag to a swastika.
But while the progressive left lost its collective mind over a symbol of American patriotism, one Republican leader took a stand against the nonsense.
Nike was planning a manufacturing plant in Goodyear, Arizona that would bring in over 500 jobs when the news broke, to Ducey’s dismay. The city was prepared to waive $1 million in fees for Nike and pay back another million over new jobs created by the plant. But in a series of tweets, Governor Ducey blasted Nike’s decision and said that he would have the financial incentives for Nike canceled.
“Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike,” Ducey tweeted. “Nike is an iconic American brand and American company. This country, our system of government and free enterprise have allowed them to prosper and flourish.”
“Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence, Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism,” he continued. “It is a shameful retreat for the company. American businesses should be proud of our country’s history, not abandoning it.”
“Nike has made its decision, and now we’re making ours,” Ducey announced. “I’ve ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company to locate here. Arizona’s economy is doing just fine without Nike. We don’t need to suck up to companies that consciously denigrate our nation’s history.”
Ducey spotted in Nikes
Some leftists thought they had a slam dunk when Ducey was spotted wearing Nikes on July 4. “Really? Yes, the governor owns Nikes. Stop the presses,” a spokesman for Ducey told media outlets. “The governor didn’t call for a boycott. He didn’t even say the company wasn’t welcome to do business in Arizona. He said we should be respecting our flag, our history, and Betsy Ross.”
Arizonans are split on Ducey’s decision, but more support it than oppose it, according to a poll. Despite Ducey’s plan to withdraw tax incentives, Goodyear is still planning to follow through on its agreement with Nike, at least for now.
Woke Dems lose it over a patriotic symbol
In the wake of the controversy, President Trump’s campaign quickly noted that President Barack Obama displayed the Betsy Ross flag at his inauguration ceremony in 2013, which, to be fair, was about 500 years ago in the left’s moral reckoning. Each week, it seems, the left finds new sins in America’s past.
“Democrats running for president have officially lost it. Beto & Castro strongly imply that the Betsy Ross flag is a symbol of hatred. Do the rest of the Dems agree? Pictured here, of course, is the notorious flag prominently featured at President Obama’s 2nd inauguration,” tweeted Tim Murtaugh, director of communications for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.
Democrats running for president have officially lost it.
Beto & Castro strongly imply that the Betsy Ross flag is a symbol of hatred. Do the rest of the Dems agree?
Pictured here, of course, is the notorious flag prominently featured at President Obama’s 2nd inauguration. pic.twitter.com/yfM9U8rG7Z
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) July 3, 2019
A newer, more radical Democratic party that concerns itself with abortions for men and healthcare for illegal immigrants apparently agreed with Kaepernick that the Betsy Ross flag is racist. Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro said he was “glad to see” Nike re-write history, as he compared the Betsy Ross flag with the Confederate flag.
“There are a lot of things in our history that are still very painful,” Castro told CBS News, citing “the Confederate flag that still flies in some places and is used as a symbol.”
Beto O’Rourke agreed, claiming without proof that the flag has been appropriated by white nationalists. But the Anti-Defamation League called the symbol “innocuous,” saying it’s mostly used for patriotic purposes. Gee, no kidding?
It seems like what really bothers the left is patriotism. Their anti-racism is starting to look more like anti-American bigotry. When does it end? Good on Ducey for putting country over appeasing a corporation. Americans need leaders who are willing to put their foot down against this nonsense.
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