Page 29 of 107 Days

What followed, eventually, was the usual litany of insults and lies—at least twenty false claims, according to CNN fact-checkers—as the two edgelords stroked each other’s egos.

I thought back to meetings I’d convened with other business leaders and CEOs when we were advocating our Build Back Better agenda; people who had shown that you can build great companies while taking care of your workforce and the planet.

Among them were Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani, Alison Whritenour of Seventh Generation, Jenna Johnson of Patagonia, and Josh Silverman of Etsy.

All the leaders I’d invited ran highly successful businesses that also supported childcare and/or paid leave policies for their employees.

These younger leaders in the corporate world understood that paid leave gave a good return on investment.

It was not only the right thing to do, but it made economic sense.

It’s a win-win for workers and the companies.

People work more productively and without distraction if they know their kids are well cared for.

The Republicans, of course, mischaracterized these provisions in the legislation. They call it socialism; I call it capitalism, and a great ROI.