Linked List: June 19, 2016

Sunday, 19 June 2016

Apple Won’t Aid Republican Convention Over Trump ★

Tony Romm, reporting for Politico:

Apple has told Republican leaders it will not provide funding or other support for the party’s 2016 presidential convention, as it’s done in the past, citing Donald Trump’s controversial comments about women, immigrants and minorities.

Unlike Facebook, Google and Microsoft, which have all said they will provide some support to the GOP event in Cleveland next month, Apple decided against donating technology or cash to the effort, according to two sources familiar with the iPhone maker’s plans.

Apple’s political stand against Trump, communicated privately to Republicans, is a sign of the widening schism between Silicon Valley and the GOP’s bombastic presumptive nominee. Trump has trained his rhetorical fire on the entire tech industry, but he’s singled out Apple for particular criticism — calling for a boycott of the company’s products, and slamming CEO Tim Cook, over Apple’s stance on encryption.

You might say, well, of course Apple isn’t going to support the Republican Party. But in fact, in previous years, Apple has donated equipment equally to both major parties. Bipartisan sponsorship of the political conventions is a civic-minded gesture. But Trump is simply too toxic. Companies can’t afford to be associated with him in any way.

The Republican convention is shaping up to be a disaster. Major companies are (wisely) refusing to sponsor it, Trump’s campaign has little money to spare, and Trump himself can’t foot the bill because he actually has very little in liquid assets. None of the previous Republican candidates — Bush (neither 41 nor 43), McCain, Romney — will even attend the convention, let alone speak. Trump has so little support among prominent Republican figures that there’s even been the suggestion that Trump himself should speak every night.

It’d be funny except that our system of government depends upon both major parties being functional.