Thread by @njhochman

Last week, Bill Ackman pledged to fight DEI "to the end of the earth."

Now, he's donating $1 million to Dean Phillips — a Democratic presidential candidate who has actively worked to expand DEI.

Ackman says that Phillips is "sensible." His record tells a different story 🧵

As I noted in a prior thread, Phillips co-founded the Stakeholder Capitalism Caucus, dedicated to defending and advocating for ESG.

According to RollCall, the caucus is committed to "embracing an economic concept that Republicans have...railed against as 'woke' capitalism."

During COVID, Phillips introduced the The New Business Preservation Act, aiming to "strengthen the mission of diversity and inclusion" with race- and gender-based government funding.

As a statement from his office boasted at the time, the bill was pedal-to-the-metal DEI:

The goal of Phillips' bill — to award business grants that explicitly discriminate on the basis of race and gender — was similar to Biden's efforts to provide pandemic relief on the basis of race, which were struck down in court after @StephenM's @America1stLegal sued.

To highlight his commitment to the cause, Phillips held a "diversity and inclusion" hearing at the Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, which he served on during the 116th Congress.

Phillips has also been a cosponsor of the infamous Equality Act every year he's served in Congress — a breathtakingly radical expansion of the DEI regime, particularly in the context of LGBT issues. The bill is a direct attack on free speech and religious freedom.

Per @Heritage:

As @tedfrank notes, Phillips has routinely opposed common-sense Republican efforts to combat the explosion of DEI in the military and Department of Defense — and not just the Norman amendment.

Here's a quick list of measures he opposed this year alone:

https://twitter.com/tedfrank/status/1746572941070901262

Unsurprisingly, Phillips has been a stubborn opponent of anti-DEI efforts in every other sector of American government and society too.

He's voted against everything from defunding DEI offices in government science agencies to restricting DEI in the airline industry.

Again, just a week ago, @BillAckman promised to fight wokeness "to the end of the earth." He said it was "the most important battle I have ever taken on." He's been retweeting memes of himself suited up in Roman armor leading troops into battle.

So...what's the deal here?

This is literally on the website of Phillips' presidential campaign. It's his official platform. DEI isn't just something he once supported—it's what he is running on.

"Disparities can only because because our policies [have] propagated them." That's right out of Ibram X Kendi.

Update: The title "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" has now been quietly amended to "Equity and Restorative Justice."

The actual language and ideological goals of the campaign plank haven't changed.

Should be interesting:

https://x.com/BillAckman/status/1746942190406770934