In the past, I have not been such a fan of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. However, today I am rooting for him with both fists in the air!
McConnell called out Nike for removing sneakers from their inventory that donned the Betsy Ross flag, after Colin Kaepernick complained about it having a “connection to slavery.”
The Betsy Ross flag is the first flag our great country had, which represented the 13 original colonies. How could that be considered racist? Some people are just looking for a fight every way they turn!
McConnell said, "If we’re in a political environment where the American flag has become controversial to Americans, I think we’ve got a problem."
"I hope Nike either releases these shoes or some other shoe maker picks up the flag, puts it on a pair of shoes and starts selling it." He added, "I’ll make the first order."
Many people, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, is calling for a boycott of Nike, with #WalkAwayFromNike trending on Twitter. They plan to do so until the popular sportswear company has a change of course.
Cruz tweeted, “I love America. I stand for the anthem, respect the flag & honor the men & women who fought to defend our Nation. I respect Free Speech & I’m exerting mine: until @Nike ends its contempt for those values, I WILL NO LONGER PURCHASE NIKE PRODUCTS. #WalkAwayFromNike RT if you agree.”
I love America. I stand for the anthem, respect the flag & honor the men & women who fought to defend our Nation. I respect Free Speech & I’m exerting mine: until @Nike ends its contempt for those values, I WILL NO LONGER PURCHASE NIKE PRODUCTS. #WalkAwayFromNike RT if you agree. https://t.co/IvXNTgvlHq
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 2, 2019
Senator Josh Hawley also criticized Nike for catering to "Chinese Communists" but pulling the American flag from products.
He tweeted, "Nike thinks American flag is symbol of oppression? What planet are you on? Nike gladly allows Chinese Communist Party to tell it what products to sell while building its business around sweatshop labor. Nike is anti-American, pure & simple."
Nike is a symbol of everything wrong with the corporate economy. They take advantage of our laws but send jobs overseas for sweatshop wages, partner w repressive regimes, aggressively avoid paying any US taxes, and then tell Americans to shut up and buy their stuff
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 2, 2019
Nike is now attempting to save face, telling the Hill that pulling the shoes was an effort to not “unintentionally offend.”
“NIKE made the decision to halt distribution of the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday," a Nike spokesperson said.
However, their decision is already biting them in the butt. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey tossed a tax break incentive that the state was offering Nike for their production plant.
