ABC: Hillary at walmart mum during union fights.

[mckeown1128]

An ABC News analysis of the videotapes of at least four stockholder meetings where Clinton appeared shows she never once rose to defend the role of American labor unions. A former board member told ABCNews.com that he had no recollection of Clinton defending unions during more than 20 board meetings held in private.

The tapes show Clinton in the role of a loyal company woman. "I'm always proud of Wal-Mart and what we do and the way we do it better than anybody else," she said at a June 1990 stockholders meeting.

In her defense:
The videotapes do show that Clinton used her role to push for more environmentally friendly policies and better treatment of women.


but then of course Bill puts his foot in it.(Nothing against Bill, but for his wife's sake he should put a lid on it)

His wife did not try to change the company's minds about unions, the former Arkansas governor said.

"We lived in a state that had a very weak labor movement, where I always had the endorsement of the labor movement because I did what I could do to make it stronger. She knew there was no way she could change that, not with it headquartered in Arkansas, and she agreed to serve," President Clinton said.


http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4218509&page=1

as a side note: "She knew there was no way she could change that.." bit is the type of attitude I find all throughout Hillary's campaign that sends me running toward Obama. It is a frequent excuse that she uses. For example: She uses that type of defense for Don't ask, Don't tell. She says often when asked about DADT that at the time there was nothing more Bill could do.

[shenmue]

1. OMG Hillary was at a Wal-Mart and she did not find a cure for cancer!!!1!1!

The nerve of that @#%&@#?!

:sarcasm:

:sarcasm:

Is that all Obama supporters have to do?

I repeat, when are you going to talk about your candidate and what good he can do, instead of just pestering like a crank? You don't build up. You tear down. I am sorry you have a one-track mind, because you're not getting anywhere.

[mckeown1128]

2. Besides ignoring the major point in my post....

Do you show this much outrage when Clinton supporters post against Obama?

[rodeodance]

6. Your major point is worth ignoring.

[Renew Deal]

19. If you don't care about working people.

[rodeodance]

44. as your post says she did work on 2 important issues. She is a workhorse-even

back 20 years ago (your post)--.

You are assuming she did not care. get real.

[Barack_America]

45. ...and got very little accomplished.

Per the article.

I guess we'll never know what she could've accomplished if she stood up against the union-busting. Probably not much, but it probably would've meant a lot to the workers to know that they at least had somebody who was willing to fight for them.

[neutron]

50. Obama has run the ugliest most negative campaign

in American history. He managed to frame Bill (who has an office in Harlem) as a racist
and Hillary as anti union.
He has had operatives in the blogs smearing the Clintons since summer.

You can take the man out of Chicago, but you can't take Chicago out of the man.

[neutron]

57. How come it was OK for Edward to Change

But not OK for HRC?

[goodgd_yall]

76. Isn't that rather telling then?

The company wasn't one a board member felt any confidence in being open to change.

[Dawgs]

3. Huh? Did you even read the original post?

Hillary DID NOT FIGHT FOR UNIONS when working for Wal-Mart. You don't think that's a big deal? Wow!

[george_maniakes]

37. I agree wholeheartedly with you...this crap helps noone...

this tells people nothing about why people should vote for obama. Have jillary supporters posted crap like this. Yes. Does that mean obama supporters should also? No. Lead by example.

[Yossariant]

78. The President of the union defends Hillary's record:

:toast:

Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, has sent out a public statement defending her record:

“RWDSU families are proud to be in the forefront of the campaign to keep Wal-Mart from opening in New York City -- and we are equally proud of our close friendship with Sen. Hillary Clinton...

“We know from experience that Hillary shares our belief that Wal-Mart and other retailers have a moral responsibility to respect every worker's right to organize. She has stood with us and has been and continues to be supportive of our efforts to call attention to Wal-Mart's business practices that hurt working families. And she has lent her voice to calls for the giant retailer to change its ways.

“Over the last seven years American workers and their families have been brutalized by corporate greed and unprecedented government indifference. Based on our experience we are convinced that, as president, Hillary would work from day one to restore workers rights and the institution of collective bargaining.

“Some politicians only stand up for labor at election time, but we know from experience that Hillary will be there for workers and their unions long after the ballots are counted.”
http://www.observer.com/2008/union-defends-clinton-wal-mart-attack

[rodeodance]

4. you keep running. as I do not think she would want your vote with your attitude!

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4218509&page=1

as a side note: "She knew there was no way she could change that.." bit is the type of attitude I find all throughout Hillary's campaign that sends me running toward Obama. It is a frequent excuse that she uses. For example: She uses that type of defense for Don't ask, Don't tell. She says often when asked about DADT that at the time there was nothing more Bill could do.

[rodeodance]

If I had a $ for every time this issue is posted I would be rich. BORING

[kenfrequed]

23. this sums it up

"...I do not think she would want your vote with your attitude"

This is sort of the DLC attitude here. They just back the hell out of the most corporate candidates and then throw their hands in the air and tell us to stop being so self-righteous when we want substantively liberal candidates.

Of course when they lose they just blame Nader anyhow and I can already see them starting to do so. I wonder if Nader will still be a good scapegoat for their sin of excessive corporatism if he only gets .5% of the vote? Or will they just blame us all for being too liberal and try moving the party further to the right.

[Yossariant]

5. Michelle Obama is still on board of WalMart's biggest supplier.

Fighting for the unions.

:rofl:

[mckeown1128]

8. The pickle company....

Umm...they are not Walmarts biggest supplier. Besides suppliers are victims of walmart too. I don't the pickle company had much say in how Walmart treats their business.

Are you always intellectually dishonest or do you honestly think that Michelle Obama had some kind of magical voice in walmart...from the pickle company.

[Yossariant]

11. Uh.. That "pickle company" has lots of say about who it chooses to do business with

Its board members, even more so.

[Kokonoe]

12. How can a company only sell pickles to unionized democrats

[Yossariant]

15. Uh, companies can refuse to sell to whomever they choose --

as long as they don't refuse to sell based on race, religion, etc.

This is America.

[Kokonoe]

20. Were all Americans first, and republicans eat pickles too.

[george_maniakes]

38. are pickles going to decide this election?

If so, what kind of pickle would it be?

[Kokonoe]

68. If what you are is what you eat

why are you against democratic pickles if not for democtats in a pickle. Hats off to you sir.

[mckeown1128]

58. yeah but a company can go under by not selling to walmart...

Don't forget walmart screws over it's suppliers and it can do so because it is the biggest retailer.

[Occam Bandage]

59. Treehouse is not Wal-Mart's biggest supplier. You're confused. They sell pickles.

[goodgd_yall]

77. That point will get you nowhere with Obama supporters.

I've tried. It's always OK if it involves the Obamas.

[agdlp]

7. Tapes : Clinton pushed for more environmentally friendly policies and better treatment of women

but thats not important..

[mckeown1128]

9. I am pretty sure I mentioned that....nt

[mckeown1128]

10. Ohh but mckeown1128

you did forget to mention...mckeown1128....the following...

Critics say Clinton's efforts produced few tangible results, and Wal-Mart is now defending itself in a lawsuit brought by 16 current and former female employees.

"I don't doubt the sincerity of her efforts, but we don't see much evidence that conditions for women at Wal-Mart changed much during the late 1980s and early 1990s," said Joe Sellers, one of the lawyers suing Wal-Mart on behalf of the women.

get it straight next time mckeown1128.

[Barack_America]

29. That is exactly true...

I was about to point that out myself! lol

[KittyWampus]

26. that is besides the point.

[AngryAmish]

39. and tastier pickles

[rodeodance]

13. Pres Clinton pushed hard for gays in the military but many an congress would

not go along with it. Even democrats were opposed. of course you knew that history didn't you!!
Getting half is better than nothing--and she recognizes that that bill needs to be looked at. get real and know your history before you bleed all over this board


as a side note: "She knew there was no way she could change that.." bit is the type of attitude I find all throughout Hillary's campaign that sends me running toward Obama. It is a frequent excuse that she uses. For example: She uses that type of defense for Don't ask, Don't tell. She says often when asked about DADT that at the time there was nothing more Bill could do.

[mckeown1128]

14. As commander in chief he could have ordered the heads of

the military to allow GBLT's serve openly in the military. So, don't give me any of that going to congress BS. He doesn't need congress in change that policy.

[SIMPLYB1980]

16. That sounds like how Shrub rules.

Just decree it and it is so. No consultation with Congress or the Supreme Court. Just make that Unitary Executive Order and Fuck the Constitution.

[rodeodance]

18. bingo, i posted after you. see below.

[rodeodance]

17. Yeah, we see how the executive unity works with Bush don't we!! This is

not about a power grab no matter the issue.

Every pres has to work with congress--and the joint chiefs of staff. Unless you want another Bush type presidency. Clinton did right.

[SIMPLYB1980]

21. Glad someone understands.

:toast:

[rodeodance]

41. and a virtual toast to you. ALL FIRED-UP FOR THE LADY~~~

[Kokonoe]

24. What the hell are you talking about, Clinton is a democrat

Only republicans have the authority to use that power.
:sarcasm:

[rodeodance]

42. DO YOU thing he gets it? the poster--gawd, this is what we have railed bush about last 5 years!

[SIMPLYB1980]

52. I think either they don't get it or they are not really Democrats.

[rodeodance]

60. maybe both. have a good day

[mod mom]

22. Her chief strategist, Mark Penn, worked w union busters:

Isn't it Time for Mark Penn to Leave Burson-Marsteller?
Posted November 12, 2007 | 11:18 AM (EST)


My colleague at The Nation, Ari Berman, has done more than any journalist to shine some light on how pollster-strategist Mark Penn, head honcho at PR giant Burson-Marsteller, and perhaps the most important figure in Hillary Clinton's campaign, poses a real dilemma for the candidate. Penn heads a firm that has represented everyone from union busters to big tobacco, and more recently Blackwater. (According to a Marsteller spokesperson, it was a subsidiary, BKSH & Associates, run by GOP operative Charlie Black, which helped Erik Prince prepare for congressional hearings after his employees killed civilians in Iraq).It would seem difficult to find a more controversial client than Blackwater but Penn's firm has just been retained by Spin Master.

Who is Spin Master? It turns out that Spin Master distributes Aqua Dots, a toy that was recalled last week because it contains a glue ingredient that when ingested is broken down by the body to make GHB, the "date rape" drug, which can cause unconsciousness and even death. (The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the number of children sickened by Aqua Dots has risen from two to nine in the past week.)

Penn has repeatedly stated that he has no direct contact with controversial clients like Blackwater or unionbusters. But what about the good old-fashioned American principles of responsibility and accountability -- principles which his candidate likes to invoke on the campaign trail? As Ari Berman has pointed out, the dilemma for Clinton is that Penn's firm represents many of the interests whose influence she has vowed to curtail. But as kids get sick from poisonous toys, how can Clinton keep in her corner, as her chief strategist, a man who has even limited involvement with a firm like Burson-Marsteller? Isn't it time that Clinton ask Penn to choose: my campaign to make this a safer country or a PR firm which has too many clients undermining that agenda?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katrina-vanden-heuvel/isnt-it-time-for-mark-pe_b_72206.html

[Barack_America]

25. So There!

That is all I have to say to those of you who got all pissy about my "Hillary Voted Present Regarding Unions While at Wal-Mart" thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4155353

Ha!

I also love the quote that explains triangulation at its core, "She knew there was no way she could change that". Yep, why even bother fighting if you can't win? It's only workers' rights, after all.

[SIMPLYB1980]

27. Or you can do all you can to get what you can without getting fired.

Because if she had got fired what exactly would that accomplish.

[Barack_America]

28. If fear of getting "fired" held her back then, what will fear of reelection do now?

If she wasn't willing to even state an informal complaint about union-busting at Wal-Mart for fear of being "fired", what gives you faith that she's willing to push issues on her agenda that might not be universally popular (i.e. healthcare, repealing tax cuts, etc.)?

Really, what gives you the faith that she will fight for you, even at her own peril?

(and, FYI, she wasn't going to get fired from Wal-Mart. One of the main reasons she was on the board was that she was the Governor's wife.)

[SIMPLYB1980]

31. That was 15 years ago,

and it does make a difference in the workplace. That you don't understand that speaks to your immaturity. Those of us that work for a living understand that you can't throw away the job that supports you and your family by going on a crusade in the workplace. You can push your boundaries slowly to try and change the way things are done though, and that is just what Clinton did, and don't mistake that she did help out workers while on the Wal-Mart board, but that's not important to you is it.

[Barack_America]

34. She was the governor's wife. She was a corporate attorney. She did not need that "job".

The money she got from Wal-Mart was a drop in their bucket, income-wise.

[SIMPLYB1980]

54. So just because she didn't "need" that "job" she should have

gotten herself thrown off the Board, and accomplished nothing? I don't understand your thinking. Do you deny she did a good thing by staying at Wal-mart? If so you are blinded by the light of Obama.

[Barack_America]

30. What happens to her plans for health care and the poor if they too become unpopular?

If they to become a battle she senses she can't win or might hurt her reelection?

Think about that.

[SIMPLYB1980]

32. You should think about that yourself.

It was Democrats that tanked her original health care plans in the first place.

[Barack_America]

33. I have thought about it, and I've concluded that she WON'T fight for me...

...when the going gets tough.

[SIMPLYB1980]

35. And you think Obama will.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

The man who thinks it's O.K. to make nice with bush and work with Fascist Publicans.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Barack_America]

36. Yep. I do.

He knows that change in this country requires a majority.

He's willing to reach out to people he doesn't agree with in order to get that majority. But the agenda will be his own, not theirs.

[SIMPLYB1980]

47. You can forgive them and pander for their vote if you want.

I will not, and I do not believe that those voting for him now will all vote for him in the GE, they just want him to take Clinton out.

His blatant pandering to homophobes, and Regan democrats disgusts me. They are the same people that voted for Bush not just once but twice, and you think they will vote for Obama in the GE? I hope you are right if he is our nominee.

All that said I will hold my nose and vote D and after that it's out of my hands.

[wintersoulja]

40. Wal-Mart, the Achilles Heel

Anyone dumb enough not to see what her Wal-Mart connections are going to do to perceivable public support, ESPECIALLY among swing voters, has got one heck of a reality check in store.
Low prices, low principles, low wages, always.

[george_maniakes]

43. I dont think you win elections by putting a pro-wal-mart label on someone...

you win by giving them something to vote for.

[rucky]

46. Wal-Marts will shut down before they unionize.

Hillary would've been removed from the board.

I see your point, though, that she could've spoken up and risk being outsed as a result. But the end-result would've been the same: No unions for Wally World. The difference would've been: No Hillary around to push for those other positive changes.

[wintersoulja]

48. postive change

Hillary is of, by and for the uber-rich.
Get to know her friends if you can.
Certainly blew my eyes wide open.
Pretending she is anything but
Wal-Mart in a blue dress is
really putting a spin on it.

[george_maniakes]

49. Didnt a walmart in canada actually close after it was forced to allow workers...

to unionize?

[SIMPLYB1980]

51. Yep.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0210-13.htm

[Barack_America]

53. Exactly. The workers needed a voice more than she needed the "job".

She was the governor's wife and a corporate lawyer at the time. She wasn't hurting for money.

Wal-Mart employees, on the other hand....

[SIMPLYB1980]

55. Agian should she get herself thrown off the Board,

Or do what she can to have a positive impact?

[Barack_America]

56. Considering she had very limited impact while she was there anyways...ABSOLUTELY! n/t

[SIMPLYB1980]

63. But she did have a positive impact right.

So she accomplished what she could what is wrong with that?

[Barack_America]

66. No she didn't, see below. n/t

[wintersoulja]

61. they werent gonna throw her off

because she wasnt gonna ask for any such thing.

[Barack_America]

62. She was also on the board because she was the governor's wife....

...So, if anyone was in a safe enough position to express criticism, it was her.

[SIMPLYB1980]

64. Did she have a positive impact?

[Barack_America]

65. She had a net negative impact, neutral if you're being extremely generous...

The decline in workers rights completely negates the minimal changes she effected on environmentally friendly Wal-Mart stores (one built) and promotion of women (one promoted during her tenure).

[SIMPLYB1980]

67. I see what she did as positive.

And the decline in workers rights took place after she left and Sam Walton died, but that means nothing to you does it.

[Barack_America]

69. The decline in workers rights happened later?

So they were allowed to unionize when Hillary sat on the board?

[SIMPLYB1980]

70. Were they alowed to before or after?

Will it ever happen? Moving closer to the position people like you point out on here. Maybe I shouldn't vote Democratic in the GE just stay home if he wins.

[Barack_America]

73. My point was that if they weren't allowed to unionize...

...while she was on the board, then their rights were already poor.

I'm a little confused by your post. All I can say, is that I do hope you decide to vote in the GE. Few of us will get our top choice of candidate, but I hope that we all eventually decide that the Republicans are worse.

[Bonobo]

71. She does not care about the average worker.

[ErnestoG]

72. Hillary, the Pitbull for the Working American!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!. Great.

[workinclasszero]

74. Clinton looked the other way.....

Clinton Remained Silent As Wal-Mart Fought Unions
Tapes Reviewed by ABC News Show Clinton As a Loyal Company Woman

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4218509&page=1

Read it and weep union members.

[goodgd_yall]

75. More importantly, did she have any success in pushing for environmental policies and

better treatment of women? Why automatically look at what she DIDN'T do? It seems to me a matter of picking your battles. Anyone who has ever worked in an environment where an issue would be totally off the radar understands why she didn't try to change the company's minds about unions.

[wintersoulja]

79. No, but she SURE tried to stop NAFTA and MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS

right

[Radical Activist]

80. The story of the Clintons. They fail for lack of trying.

And she's proud of the WAY Walmart does what it does. How damaging.