Learning from Delta Air Lines’ indecisiveness in Georgia, American Airlines quickly condemned a new voting law Texas legislators are considering. The mocking response from the Texas Lieutenant Governor’s office underscores the contentious nature of this debate.
What Is Senate Bill 7 In Texas?
In Texas, Senate Bill 7:
- Prohibits public officials from sending out unrequested absentee ballots
- Prohibits drive-thru voting
- Calls for standardized voting rules in counties statewide (in part by limiting early voting hours)
The Republican-controlled legislature is rapidly advancing this bill and the governor has indicated he will sign it.
Why American Airlines Opposes Texas Voting Law
On Thursday, American Airlines issued an unequivocal statement condemning the new law under consideration:
Earlier this morning, the Texas State Senate passed legislation with provisions that limit voting access. To make American’s stance clear: We are strongly opposed to this bill and others like it. As a Texas-based business, we must stand up for the rights of our team members and customers who call Texas home, and honor the sacrifices made by generations of Americans to protect and expand the right to vote.
Voting is the hallmark of our democracy, and is the foundation of our great country. We value the democratic process and believe every eligible American should be allowed to exercise their right to vote, no matter which political party or candidate they support.
We acknowledge how difficult this is for many who have fought to secure and exercise their constitutional right to vote. Any legislation dealing with how elections are conducted must ensure ballot integrity and security while making it easier to vote, not harder. At American, we believe we should break down barriers to diversity, equity and inclusion in our society – not create them.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Mocks American Airlines
Hours later, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick issued a scathing reply:
“As Lt. Governor of Texas, I am stunned that American Airlines would put out a statement saying ‘we are strongly opposed to this bill’ just minutes after their government relations representative called my office and admitted that neither he nor the American Airlines CEO had actually read the legislation.
“We heard these same outcries claiming voter suppression in 2011 when Texas passed the photo voter ID bill. In fact, just the opposite occurred. Voter turnout in Texas soared from 7,993,851 in 2012 to 11,144,040 in 2020, a 39 percent increase. Gubernatorial election voter turnout has increased by 76 percent since photo voter ID was passed.
“Texans are fed up with corporations that don’t share our values trying to dictate public policy. The majority of Texans support maintaining the integrity of our elections, which is why I made it a priority this legislative session. Senate Bill 7 includes comprehensive reforms that will ensure voting in Texas is consistent statewide and secure.
“By the way, this is the same American Airlines that in 2017 led the fight to try to force us to allow boys to play girls sports in Texas and take away their scholarships. They are probably still fighting for that today and it is likely they have not read Senate Bill 29 either.”
Senate Bill 29 prohibits the use by a political subdivision of public money for lobbying and certain other activities.
Southwest Offers A More Muted Statement
Meanwhile, Texas-based Southwest Airlines issued a shorter and far broader statement:
“The right to vote is foundational to our democracy and a right coveted by all. We believe every voter should have a fair opportunity to let their voice be heard. This right is essential to our nation’s success.”
Some have called this a condemnation of the Texas voter law, but it is so general that both sides could use it to bolster their case.
CONCLUSION
American Airlines has strongly condemned a new voter law under consideration in Texas. The Texas Lieutenant Governor has responded back in a mocking tone with a veiled threat. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Southwest Airlines’ non-controversial statement on the new voting law will require “clarification” for not going far enough.
To be honest, Dan Patrick is a moron. Look at all his speaks about seniors are willing to die and sacrifice from Covid for younger generations. He’s not getting my vote.
The real question is why do these airlines feel the need to get involved? I get how the left gets off on virtue signaling but this literally has nothing to do with aviation and nor does it keep people from voting. Plain and simple. I’m not even a fan of Dan Patrick at all but I don’t let politics get in the way of common sense. AA, how about you just shut up and teach your crews what customer service is? You’ll make more money too! Crazy, right?
First off, Dan Patrick is a clown, and should be regarded as such. My cat has received my vote for Lieutenant Governor in the last two elections.
That being said…big corporations like AAL are only too happy to leech off the low tax/low regulation business climate put in place by elected Republican legislatures in states like Texas. They’re also more than happy to leech off the taxpayers who voted for those legislatures by taking billions of dollars of “economic development incentives” paid for by people like me. (My property taxes go up at the max allowed by law every single year. They claim it’s “for the children” and “basic services”. Look up the corporate welfare handed out by Collin County and the City of Plano over the last 10 years and do the math.)
Frankly I’m tired of AAL, Scamazon, Uber, et. al. taking my tax dollars on one hand and then playing the “either support whatever woke Progressive bulls*** the activists are picketing for or we’re moving our business because you’re a bigot” card (usually without actually reading the legislation they complain about) on the other. If they don’t like Texas’ political climate, AAL can move their headquarters back to NYC or LA where bending the knee to the Wokinistas is popular. At which point, I don’t want to hear a single complaint about how the business climate there makes it “too hard to do business”.
A very reasonable point.
AA, stay the hell out of politics and put all of your attention on running an airline. You were asked by a Democrat to condemn a bill that you haven’t even read. So now you are picking sides. Don’t come back ever asking for money from Republicans or politicians at all. Just shut up, and run the airline. Stay the hell out of politics and giving statements.
I have yet to see any justification as to why any airline would view this issue as something that it should take a firm public position on. You’re guaranteed to tick off around 50% of people either way.
How about concentrating on running a good airline? Who needs an airline’s opinion on a political issue completely unrelated to air travel?
Toss Delta and American and the rest of the US carriers to the warm embrace of AOC and Bernie. They deserve each other.
These guys need to be reminded of how many times they use Chick Fil A drive throughs and rave at their efficiency. It’s not that complicated, lol.
Chick-Fil A has MSG added to all products. Duh! All corporations should say nothing about voting. With computer voting we will never have another honest election EVER! We have a coup carried out by City of London agents and money taken over our elections. Anyone that thinks voting even matters should go get their covid shots.
AA needs to just shut up and fly. They have enough problems of their own, many of their own making. They should not be inserting themselves into social engineering and legislation that does not directly involve their own industry
AA should keep their corporate mouth shut. I read Senate Bill 7 and there is nothing in it that one could call voter suppression. It’s more a bill to standardize voting across ALL of Texas and to clarify what is/isn’t allowed in ALL Texas counties.
I suggest you read it as well.
Was it simply a coincidence that the CDC quickly gave its OK for vaccinated travel after the American and Delta executives condemned the new voting laws in their headquarters states?
If it is indeed true that AA’s government relations people & CEO didn’t read the bill, it’s a stunning display of incompetence (not surprising from Dougie, TBH) , and totally blows their credibility out of the water on this issue.
I wish corporations would tell these woke SJWs to pound sand. They should say nothing about ANY issue that doesn’t directly affect their operations. WN’s statement is much better, if you feel the need to say anything.
All the “stick to flying” comments here are likely the exact same people telling basketball players to “shut up and dribble”, the same people castigating Kaepernick before that, etc.
Corporations want to be on the right side of history these days…and you all aren’t.
All the right-wing hypocrites who applauded Delta and Coca-Cola are now crying about Dell and AA.
I will stick to my core beliefs. Corporations should keep their noses out of politics and despite SCOTUS they are NOT people and do not deserve a say. Period.
You need a photo ID to open a bank account and to board a plane. Why is it so hard to show photo ID to change government policy?
ANY business that feels the need to express a political statement, is a business I will not support. Quite a list going.
Southwest’s statement is simply ridiculous. Why bother even releasing a statement that so blatantly says nothing? American at least has their collective heart in the right place here by speaking out against voter suppression that disproportionately affects one side of the political and ethnic spectrum. Our nation should be working hard to allow more citizens to vote, not silence voices because we don’t like what they’re saying.
Make it easier to get a photo ID, especially for communities that don’t have a local way to get one, and maybe your point could be valid. There is no constitutional right to open a bank account, but there is one for voting…
@UA-NYC because those basketball players pretend to be woke while ignoring the genocide of their Chinese overlords. Corporations, professional athletes, rich people. They only care about $ .
@Jan – how exactly are NBA players at the mercy of their “Chinese overlords”? SMFH.
The good work by players done around voting rights and supporting BLM in 2020 are quite contrary to your “argument” too. This isn’t the 20th century anymore – players are rightfully and justly using their platform.
UA-TDS falls for every race grifter that comes along. He actually thinks he is on the “right side of history.” No doubt the Bolsheviks thought the same of themselves. Anyone who opposes BLM is a counterrevolutionary and must be reeducated or silenced. People like UA-TDS have robbed the word “racist” of any power through overuse. Thus, the rise of the now ubiquitous “white supremacy.”
@UA-NYC they refused to denounce police brutality in Hong Kong in 2019, they ostracized the one Rockets GM that spoke out against it. They’re all snakes. Are you grossly misinformed or just a dumbass? Or both? Probably both.
Your analogy of Bolsheviks and voter suppression is quite a stretch. Without exception, every Secretary of State for every single US state – and the election security supervisor for the US government – unequivocally stated that the votes within their state were tallied accurately and the results were honest and correct. Since that’s the case, why pass laws that disenfranchise a certain subset of voters? Because removing their votes allows for control by the other side. If this sounds familiar it’s because it’s Jim Crow all over again. I’m genuinely sorry that you don’t like that being characterized as white supremacy but that accurately describes making it significantly harder for black people to vote. If you dislike the title, make it easier for black people to vote rather than suppressing that vote.
@Christian
The analogy was comparing the mindsets of the Bolsheviks and smug leftists like UA-TDS (and yourself?). How do people not see that “progressivism” is the wrong side of history? Even the pioneering progressive Woodrow Wilson is being cancelled. As for what all these politicians have to say about election integrity, are you saying that elections can’t be more secure? What is it about these laws that actually disenfranchise legitimate voters? There is even a provision in Georgia to make polling places expand access if there are lines longer than an hour. Just because you call something racist doesn’t make it racist (just as calling a transwoman a woman does not make it true). To call requiring positive identification racist is the stretch. Are you saying Black folx are too incompetent to get IDs? Is Black travel being suppressed because of ID requirements? What I think it racist is the war on poverty. It has wasted trillions of dollars while keeping too many Black folx under the thumb of the state. The condescending attitude of guilty white liberals is what needs to end.