Corporate Political Stances Rarely Lift Returns of Owners

The question of what to do about the hard-left turn taken by so many of the country’s biggest corporations has bedeviled the center right in recent years. What is often termed “Conservative, Inc.,” or the beltway-brand of conservative opinion makers who held significant sway in past decades, have largely continued to favor the autonomy of corporate executives to do as they like. More “populist” newcomers have favored reining in those executives when their activism has threatened American civic interests or ultimate shareholder value.