The 1792 Exchange launched a database exposing the political biases of woke Fortune 250 companies such as Disney.
The 1792 Exchange is a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources and developing policies to educate Americans about “woke” companies, as well as the dangers with Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing.
The nonprofit launched its “Board Bias” database exposing the political activities and ideological statements from board members and executives.
“The Board Bias database gives folks a fuller picture of the people behind the decisions made by corporations. We hope it’s a tool that informs shareholders and educates the public,” Daniel Cameron, the CEO of the 1792 Exchange, told Breitbart News in a statement.The 1792 Exchange cited that Bob Iger, the chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said the company “purposely” incorporates controversial issues. He explained in 2018 at the globalist Council on Foreign Relations:
First of all, because our brand stands for fairness and justice and inclusion, all people being treated equally, we have purposely, in telling our stories, told stories that touch upon some of the more—some controversial issues that exist in today’s world, although we’ve not in any way been shy about it because we fundamentally believe it’s the right thing for us to do. And so I’m thinking specifically about same-sex couples and homosexuality as a for instance. [Emphasis added]
Iger in the same breadth also cited the company’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accords and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), or then-President Barack Obama’s amnesty program.
The Board Bias database details how the Disney’s executives have donated $2,832,319 to Democrat causes and $908,840 to Republican causes.
In a 2020 TED talk, Reed Hastings, the Netflix founder said that its hiring philosophy is not based on merit but “cultural evolution.”
Netflix has donated $3,111,853 to Democrat causes and only $422,110 to Republican causes, according to the Board Bias database.
“It is clear that the leadership of some companies prioritize ideological agendas over sound strategies focused on what’s best for the company,” said 1792 Exchange CEO Daniel Cameron in a written statement. ” If you’ve ever wondered why a corporation has gotten involved in a specific political debate, our new Board Bias database gives you a better sense of who the people are behind those decisions.”
“We want companies to move away from pushing partisan agendas so they can concentrate on delivering quality products and services for their customers. Hopefully, the database motivates those in positions of leadership to do that,” he added.
The Board Bias data on the Walt Disney Company also addresses how the megacorporations’s current leftist bent may be behind the company’s proxy fight to keep Nelson Peltz off of its board of directors.
Disney’s 2024 annual shareholder meeting, on April 3, will allow investors to vote on three competing board candidates slates, which includes 12 recommended by Disney, two nominated by Trian Fund Management, which is headed by activist investor Nelson Peltz, and three from investment firm Blackwells Capital.
The board battle has become one of the most expensive proxy fights in living memory; Disney said it could cost over $40 million and Trian believes it could spend as much as $25 million, and Blackwells could spend roughly $6 million.
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The battle for the future of Disney is even more democratic, as roughly 40 percent of Disney shares are owned by individual investors, as opposed to large asset managers such as Vanguard and BlackRock.
This means that Trian and Blackwells could spend significant resources on “proxy solicitors” like Okapi Partners, who lead get-out-the-vote efforts to for investor board meetings. Okapi could create custom websites sharing their views on the proxy fight and launch ads across the media landscape.
Disney is not taking the fight lightly; Star Wars creator in mid-March came out strongly in favor of Iger’s 12 recommended directors.
“Creating magic is not for amateurs,” Lucas, one of the company’s largest individual shareholders, said, “I remain a significant shareholder because I have full faith and confidence in the power of Disney and Bob’s track record of driving long-term value. I have voted all of my shares for Disney’s 12 directors and urge other shareholders to do the same.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
