Union President Defends Clinton From Attack Over Wal-Mart Ties

[KennedyGuy]

http://www.observer.com/2008/union-defends-clinton-wal-mart-attack

Although Hillary Clinton severed her ties with Wal-Mart years ago (she sat on the board when Bill Clinton was Governor of Arkansas, but now refuses to accept contributions from the company), Barack Obama raised the issue of Clinton's past relationship with retail giant during the debate in South Carolina.

Now, hours before another Democratic debate, Clinton supporter Stuart Appelbaum, who is also 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.”

[neutron]

1. Wow! Another Obama smear laid to rest!

[rodeodance]

2. as in the Obama campers who constantly put up the 20 year old article.

1. Wow! Another Obama smear laid to rest!

[redqueen]

3. I wonder why this hasn't got so much response...

[KittyWampus]

4. Isn't it nice Walmart owners gave Clinton Library millions?

[KennedyGuy]

5. Because its too fact based..and Obama folks are in the false Wal mart thread

[rodeodance]

9. ha ha

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. This is a very helpful statement of support for Hillary Clinton

No point in trying to spin it otherwise, it simply is.

[emilyg]

7. **

[jakem]

8. ...

And the Clintons depended on Wal-Mart's largesse not only for Hillary's regular payments as a board member but for travel expenses on Wal-Mart planes and for heavy campaign contributions to Bill's campaigns there and nationally. According to reports in the early '90s, before Bill and Hillary moved to D.C., neither was raking in the big bucks, but prominent in their income were her holdings of between $50,000 and $100,000 worth of Wal-Mart stock.

A press report on the Clintons' finances during the early stages of Bill's 1992 run for the presidency showed that most of their income came from her $109,719 annual salary from the Rose Law Firm and tens of thousands of dollars in fees she received from serving on corporate boards. (She was on two others besides Wal-Mart's.) Her honoraria and director fees grew almost as fast as Wal-Mart's profits during the '80s—rising from $111 in 1980 to $6500 in 1986 to $64,700 in 1991, according to the same source.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0021,harkavy,15052,5.h...

[Zodiak]

10. There is no record affixed to that statement

The overwhelming opinion of her position on that board was that she advocated for women and ran away from union issues....silent.

The assertion of someone who already supports her in the absence of evidnce does little to convince me. I am not authoritarian enough to take the words of a "labor leader" over the historical record. "Labor leaders" sell out their constituents all of the time.

[LostinVA]

11. k&r

[BlackVelvet04]

12. That's a great public statement for her. n/t

[rinsd]

13. Obamatons don't care.

[LostinVA]

15. Notice how little traffic this has gotten

Yet, the attack threads just flame away.

[Rageneau]

14. Hillary was the first woman CAPABLE of sitting on the board of Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is not exactly diversity-conscious. Hillary was a woman, a yankee, and a well-known liberal ... and yet she was so competent, intelligent and able that the Good Old Boys Club relented for the very FIRST time, and allowed a woman to sit in the room with them.

Considering that, and considering how much influence Wal-Mart has in Arkansas, there is no way Hillary was going to accomplish big changes in the face of traditional conservative business predudices. So it is stupid to chide her for not bringing unions into a non-union state via one seat on one board of one company.

What she DID do, was work for fairer treatment of women and better better healthcare for employees.

She showed immense ability getting on Wal-Mart's board, immense capability once on it, and caused good things to happen that otherwise would not have.

Like Bill, Hillary is a better human being than most, if not all, of her critics.

[juajen]

16. I am glad to see this. I have read before this of a very good

pro and con of her years on the board of wallyworld, and though still had a few misgivings, overall I am satisfied that serving on that board she was a voice for disenfranchised workers, in particular benefits for minorities. I doubt that this will change any of the kool-aid drinkers, but perhaps it will shed some light for those on the fence.

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. Kick (to complement another Walmart theme thread) n/t

[Lebam in LA]

18. K&R