obama's wife and walmart:

[BenDavid]

Mrs Obama earned $51,200 for her work with Treehouse's board last year, on top of
the $271,618 salary she was paid as a vice-president of the University of Chicago Hospitals.
She also received 7,500 Treehouse stock options, worth a further $72,375, as she did the
previous year, when she banked a $45,000 salary from the company.

The apparent contradiction between Sen Obama's political calculation to join the
Wal-Mart-bashing lobby, and his wife's profitable role with a company that makes money
from Wal-Mart, is being closely scrutinised by "opposition" research teams.


But if they point out that Obama's wife make big bucks from Wal-Mart,
that'll be just one more racial slur of which the Clintons are guilty, right?

Is there anything that can stop the Clintons from making this all about race? :sarcasm:

[kirby]

1. Already a thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4153353&mesg_id=4153353

[AX10]

2. It's the Obamas, so it doesn't matter.

:sarcasm:

[MethuenProgressive]

3. I posted about this a while back, and the ObamaBots flamed up the thread so bad

it got locked.
It's their standard tactic.

[goodgd_yall]

19. Well, it's flaming now too!

[ProSense]

4. She was on the board of a supplier to Wal-Mart is the same as Hillary being on the board of Wal-Mart

More twisted logic!

[goodgd_yall]

7. Well Michelle apparently thought it was similar enough

to resign form Treehouse.

[ProSense]

10. She resigned? So that makes it the same thing? n/t

[goodgd_yall]

16. What I mean is

Michelle thought it wouldn't do her husband's campaign any good to be associated in any way with Walmart. So to say being on the board of Treehouse is totally OK does not seem to be the opinion even of Michelle.

[goodgd_yall]

5. Too bad Clinton didn't take a jab at Michelle's ties with WalMart as an answer to Obama's remark

Maybe she thought it wouldn't be cool to bring his wife into it. But I think it would have been a better response than his law firm working on behalf of Rezko. If she did mention Rezko she should have just made a general mention of Obama having connections with this guy (Rezko)and then mention some of his background.

[NYCGirl]

11. I wish she had. Then Obama could point out that Treehouse made pickles and

Clinton would've gotten laughed off the stage.

[goodgd_yall]

13. And then she could have exposed Treehouse's contribution to Walmart

[NYCGirl]

20. Yeah, PICKLES!

I think they might've sold peppers, too.

[Riverman]

24. Hillary's retort: Yeah and we know pickles are very sour, like the grapes

coming from the Obama campaign" Neennner, Neennner, Neenner, and your ear's stick out!

[NYCGirl]

25. Well, she hasn't quite gotten there yet, but the campaign season isn't over.

:evilgrin:

[goodgd_yall]

29. Pickles and peppers may sound funny

But there is profit made on those products---whatever it is, in its small way, supports the existence of Walmart.

Let me say, that I'm not the one who finds that someone on the board of WalMart as being necessarily unethical. It was Obama who brought up the issue in the debate. What I'm saying is, if he sees Walmart as a particularly bad company that no self-respectin Democrat should have any connection to, then he he is being inconsistent because his wife, and he, presumably, profit from Walmart's existence.

[DJ13]

6. "But if they point out that Obama's wife make big bucks from Wal-Mart"

Hillary had a pay stub from Walmart themselves.

Mrs. Obama had a pay stub from a company that sold to Walmart.

Are you too dense to see the distinction?

[goodgd_yall]

9. Whatever---it's still helping WalMart

[DJ13]

15. "---it's still helping WalMart"

Tell me how its possible in todays retail enviroment to work for any manufacturer and not do business with Walmart.

Go ahead, I want to hear this.....

[goodgd_yall]

17. You tell me

I'm not in retail, but I imagine you can "not do business with Walmart." If your company had certain ethical standards, it might refuse to deal with Walmart.

[Riverman]

23. Next : The Clinton Campaign will be posting video on YouTube

showing black people actually entering and leaving the "Employee" entrance out behind the WalMart stores in key Feb 5th states and interviews with Black men coming out of WalMart carrying Big Screen TV's the day before the Super Bowl that they just bought with the rent money!

Next Morning: CNN: cuts in "Breaking News" "Live Video and interviews with Black People Supporting WalMart: Can Obama Survive this latest Revelation about his Ties to the Corporate Giant!"

Stay tuned Wolf Blizer will be live after the break with this blistering story, that may change the course of the Democratic Super Tuesday Primaries.

Wolf Blitzer: "We're bacl and can now go live with Dana Bash who is talking to Hillary Clinton about this major breaking news about the Democratic Presidential primary race."

Cut to Hillary - interviewed by Dana Bash: "Senator Clinton - Do you have any comments on this revelation about Barack Obama's ties to WalMart? After what Senator Obama said of your role on the WalMart Board of Directors, do you feel that you are now off the hook?"

Senator Clinton: "I never felt anymore on the hook than Michelle Obama did for her work with WalMart"

Cut to Wolf Blitzer: "There you have it, Senator Clinton is off the hook after live video reveals Senator Obama has received income from his wife's paycheck from WalMart! - Now to our panel with the Best Political Team on TV. Panel: "John King: Is the final straw that will break the back of the Obama campaign!"

[Sanctified]

8. Is Mrs Obama running for president? n/t

[goodgd_yall]

12. It's fair to bring up if Obama finds Clinton's connection with Walmart less than ethical

Yet he too is profiting from his wife's involvement with WalMart. Her income probably helped them buy that nice house in Chicago.

[Sanctified]

14. His wife is her own person, if she decides to take money from wal-mart that is her decision not his

Mrs Clinton is running for President and made her own decision to work for Wal-Mart.

[goodgd_yall]

18. I imagine as a married couple, Obama benefits from Michelle's income. n/t

[Sanctified]

21. What is he supposed to do, tell her to be a good wife and stay in the kitchen?

He may benefit from her income but he has no business dictating her career choices.

[goodgd_yall]

27. It's Obama who brought up the Walmart business with Hillary

To Obama, being on Walmart's board is a BAD thing. If that's his ethical stance on Walmart, then it's up to someone, preferably Clinton, to underscore that his wife has dealings with this company that he judges as unethical. I couldn't care less that she was on the board or that Michelle was on the board of a company that supplied Walmart. If we were all purists, we'd most likely be out of work. But it was a point that Obama made to attack Hillary. An appropriate counterattack would be to point out that he also is "tainted" by a connection with Walmart.

[Sanctified]

31. She works for a company that does business with Walmart, Hillary worked for Walmart.

Walmart is one of the biggest companies in the United States there is a really good chance that a lot of Americans work for a company that does business with Walmart.

[pdxmom]

22. Are we sure that the entire amount of her salary came from Wal-Mart, or did

some of it come from Kroger, who also is supplied by Treehouse? Or maybe McDonald's, who also uses Treehouse products paid a portion of her salary as well.

[China_cat]

26. I hate Wal-Mart. Won't shop there for anything

But if I had the money, I would buy their stock. Not for my own gain but for the entry into stockholders' meetings and the ability to call bullshit when they say their tactics are to keep the shareholders happy. And donate any dividends from the stock to union organization efforts.

[KoKo]

28. $271,618 salary she was paid as a PR Person for U of Chicago Hospitals is Shocking.

Seems an outrageous salaray. What does the Hospital Administrator make? And what about the staff.

Sounds like what those Wall St. Execs make and they probably do more work...

[goodgd_yall]

30. Watch it, here come the Barack-can-do-no-wrong brigade. n/t

[KoKo]

33. I don't see how "Obama Brigade" can justify this..Rezco and the Wife who Makes that much money from

being a "PR" person for Chicago Hospitals...in ADDITION to her money from her other Board Room Deals. I thought we Dems wanted to clean up this stuff? :shrug:

[hfojvt]

32. so you are gonna pretend

there's no difference between a supplier to Wal-mart (and others) and Wal-mart itself, or that you don't understand the difference?

[KoKo]

34. Forget the "WallMart" crap...it's about BIG BUSINESS and ANOTHER DEM who

doesn't get why all this is sucking the life out of Average Americans. Whether it's Hillary or Michelle...if you "go as a team" what's the difference between Obama's and Clinton's....when it comes to Influence and Payola?

Give me "Pretty Boy Edwards." At least Elizabeth and John aren't involved in this kind of crap.

[Riverman]

35. Right On