Business leaders used to stand up to power

(The Washington Post/iStock)

Once upon a time, America’s CEOs felt free to criticize government policies, often with a familiar complaint. Former Verizon Communications Inc. CEO Ivan Seidenberg explained that “By reaching into virtually every sector of economic life, government is injecting uncertainty into the marketplace.” Cisco Systems Inc.’s then-CEO John Chambers agreed: “Business doesn’t like uncertainty,” he said. This was during the first Obama term, when the administration was trying to steer the economy out of a once-in-a-lifetime global financial crisis.

Today, at a time of full employment and low inflation, the Trump administration has unleashed a tsunami of uncertainty. Tariffs are on, then they are paused, then back on, then they get doubled. And what do business leaders sa