The Strength of the Corporations that Saved American Democracy

Published in Joongang Ilbo
(South Korea) on 29 January 2021
by Park Hyeon-Young (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Sean Kim. Edited by Elizabeth Cosgriff.
The period before and after U.S. President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20 seem like completely different worlds. Before the inauguration, it was an uneasy time when it was impossible to guess what former President Donald Trump and his supporters might do. Dozens of streets, from the Capitol to the White House, were surrounded by concrete barriers to protect against suicide bomb terrorist threats, and vehicular traffic was banned. Workers in offices within the restricted zone walked to work for a week. The situation felt complicated, with downtown Washington closed down by armed National Guard troops in full combat gear spread out over the city.

The seemingly unending unrest caused by Trump and his extreme supporters vanished into thin air after Biden’s inauguration— or, at least, sank below the surface. While some worried that resistance from frenzied Trump supporters incited by Trump himself might continue, the Biden era arrived like a suddenly sunny day after monsoon season. How did the angry mob become so quiescent? While the primary reason was the suspension of Trump’s Twitter account and the loss of the authority conferred by his presidency, the key figure responsible for removing Trump’s power was the No. 1 Republican in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The game was up when McConnell, who had spent the past four years defending Trump with everything he had, said, “The voters, the courts, and the stage have all spoken. They’ve all spoken. If we overrule them, it would damage our Republic forever.” Why would a person who had stood by Trump’s side unconditionally, even saying that “there’s no chance the president’s going to be removed from office” during Trump’s first impeachment trial over the Ukraine scandal, turn his back like this?

People who know McConnell believe that corporate warnings to Republican members of Congress that they would withhold financial support were decisive in creating this change. Jane Mayer, a writer for The New Yorker, wrote that “McConnell, who once infamously declared that the three most important ingredients for political success in America are ‘money,’ ‘money,’ and ‘money,’ was reportedly alarmed.” Approximately 10 companies, including AT&T Inc. and Marriott International Inc., announced that they would stop donating to the political funds of any of the 147 Republicans in the House and the Senate who opposed certification of the election results. Hallmark Cards Inc. even went so far as to ask Sen. Josh Hawley, who led the effort to oppose Biden’s victory, to return the donations they had already made to him. Microsoft Corp., Coca-Cola Co. and Google decided to stop making political contributions to anyone, Democrat or Republican, effectively drying up campaign financing.

Seventy-four million Americans voted for Trump in the last election, and only 32% of Republicans thought that the election was free and fair (Morning Consult Jan. 22-25 survey). It likely was not an easy decision for these companies to abandon this market and make enemies. There are many who worry about the current state of America. However, when examined closely, the United States is actually hardier than one might think. Courts making decisions according to law in the face of Trump's repeated litigation attacks, bureaucrats who speak candidly and straightforwardly, albeit a little late (some people believe they just want to be the first ones off a sinking ship), and corporations with the power to punish politicians for wrongdoing, are all upholding democracy.



조 바이든 미국 대통령 취임식이 열린 1월 20일 이전과 그 후는 완전히 다른 세상이다. 취임식 전에는 도널드 트럼프 전 대통령 지지자들, 아니 트럼프가 무슨 일을 벌일지 몰라 조마조마했다. 국회의사당부터 백악관까지 수십 개 블록에 걸쳐 자살폭탄테러 방지용 콘크리트 구조물이 설치되고, 차량 통행이 금지됐다. 통제구역 안에 있는 사무실에 가기 위해 일주일간 걸어서 출퇴근했다. 전투복을 입고 총을 든 주 방위군이 깔린 워싱턴 시내를 걷는 기분이 착잡했다.

끝이 없을 것 같던 트럼프와 극렬 지지자의 불복은 바이든 취임 후 거짓말처럼 사라졌다. 적어도 수면 아래로 가라앉았다. 트럼프의 선동에 흥분한 지지자의 저항이 오래갈 수 있다는 우려도 있었지만, 궂은 장마 뒤 확 갠 날씨처럼 바이든 시대가 왔다. ‘성난’ 군중은 어떻게 잠잠해졌을까. 트위터 계정 폐쇄와 ‘현직’이란 권력을 잃은 게 주된 이유겠지만, 트럼프 힘을 뺀 핵심 인물은 의회 공화당 1인자인 미치 매코널 상원 원내대표다.

지난 4년간 온몸으로 트럼프를 엄호한 그가 “유권자, 법원, 주 정부가 모두 뜻을 밝혔다. 만약 우리가 (대선 결과를) 뒤집으면, 그것은 우리 공화국을 영원히 손상시킬 것”이라고 말했을 때 게임이 끝났다. 우크라이나 스캔들로 촉발된 트럼프 1차 탄핵심판 때 “유죄 평결 가능성은 제로”라고 무조건 편들던 그는 왜 돌아섰을까.

그를 아는 사람들은 기업이 공화당 의원들 돈줄을 끊어버리겠다고 나선 게 결정적이었을 것으로 본다. 제인 메이어 뉴요커 기자는 “매코널은 미국에서 정치적으로 성공하기 위해 가장 중요한 요소 3가지를 돈, 돈, 그리고 돈이라고 말하는 사람”이라며 “그가 깜짝 놀랐다”고 썼다. AT&T, 메리어트 등 10여개 기업은 대선 결과 승인에 반대한 공화당 상·하원의원 147명에게 정치자금 기부를 중단하겠다고 발표했다. 홀마크 카드는 바이든 승리를 앞장서서 반대한 조시 홀리 상원의원에게 기부금 반납을 요구했다. 마이크로소프트, 코카콜라, 구글 등은 민주·공화 양당 모두에 당분간 기부하지 않기로 해 돈줄이 말라버렸다.

미국인 7400만 명이 트럼프에게 투표했고, 대선이 자유롭고 공정했다고 생각하는 공화당원은 32%에 그친다. (모닝컨설트 1월 22~25일 조사) 이 시장을 포기하고, 그들과 적이 되는 게 기업으로서 쉬운 결정은 아니었을 것이다. 미국이 이 지경이 됐다고 걱정하는 목소리가 있다. 하지만 가까이에서 본 미국은 생각보다 단단하다. 현직 대통령의 소송 공세에도 법에 따라 판단한 법원, 뒤늦게나마 바른말을 한 관료들(가라앉는 배에서 먼저 내렸다는 평가도 있다), 잘못된 정치인의 행동에 벌칙을 줄 수 있는 기업의 힘이 민주주의를 떠받치고 있다.
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