Bd. Member Hillary did nothing while Walmart busted Unions

From ABC News:

In six years as a member of the Wal-Mart board of directors, between 1986 and 1992, Hillary Clinton remained silent as the world's largest retailer waged a major campaign against labor unions seeking to represent store workers.

[...]

Continued...

Wal-Mart's anti-union efforts were headed by one of Clinton's fellow board members, John Tate, a Wal-Mart executive vice president who also served on the board with Clinton for four of her six years.

Tate was fond of repeating, as he did at a managers meeting in 2004 after his retirement, what he said was his favorite phrase, "Labor unions are nothing but blood-sucking parasites living off the productive labor of people who work for a living."

[...]

ut Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton and other company officials often recounted how they relied on Tate to lead the company's successful anti-union efforts.

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.

The tapes, broadcast this morning on "Good Morning America," were provided to ABC News from the archives of Flagler Productions, a Lenexa, Kan., company hired by Wal-Mart to record its meetings and events.

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/"

Hillary was n the BARD of Walmart and did NOTHING. She sat there and remained silent when Walmart board members called unions "bloood-sucking parasites."

Expect this to become a BIG issue during the Pennsylvania primary. It hasn't received much scrutiny to this point. But Hillary's campaign team seems to insist on throwing mud, so this is how it's going to be for them.



Display:


Re: Hillary did nothing while Walmart (2.00 / 1)

he has already lost pennslyvania


When I speak I have a southern drawl.. When you come down here Stop and say hello I'm an American from south of the Mason Dixon line
by lori on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 09:31:26 PM EST

Re: Hillary did nothing while Walmart (1.00 / 2)

Why do you think he's already lost PA?

Too many racists?


by Hesiod Theogeny on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 09:32:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hillary did nothing while Walmart (2.00 / 2)

Well, mostly comments like yours. Nobody has hurt Obama more than his supporters.


by Little Otter on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 10:04:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yeah cause (none / 0)

comments by her supports gain her votes.

Like calling millions of people a cult.
Or calling huge amounts of states insignificant.


-- be excellent to each other
by kindthoughts on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 10:38:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Had a lot of differences with the WalMart board (none / 0)

She left because of them...


Universal healthcare IS a Democratic value
It's been defeated
Obama has the best $PIN that money can buy.
by architek on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:50:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I think the Obama folk are desperate.. (none / 0)

Obviously, Hillary does not support WalMart like policies..

BTW, the real issue is deisappearing middle class jobs and declining salaries, not proxies like WalMart or immigration.

People would not care about those issues as much if their country and future was not being taken from them.

Its more productive to get candidates to address those issues. For example, Obama's healthcare plan is not viable and Hillary's is, because of adverse selection. If it doesn't apply to everyone, it will by necesssity (because they both want to preserve the insurance companies 1/3 cut of the heathcare dollar) be very expensive for those who decide to buy it.

In 2012, thats when Obama says he wants it by..

By then, God knows how much we will be paying.. Meanwhile, thousands of lives will be ruined by the dysfunctional system.. 18,000 people die every year from not having healthcare or medicine they need.

Thats many September 11ths.


Universal healthcare IS a Democratic value
It's been defeated
Obama has the best $PIN that money can buy.
by architek on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:57:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hillary did nothing while Walmart (2.00 / 1)

You people have to stop this crap.  Hillary did this Hillary did that like children.  This is bad.  Now Obama admits he was more involved with rezko then he said  before.  Whats next.  There's no there right We thought we had to hold our head down with bush YIKES! This is way worse.


by bradydundee on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 10:53:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hillary did nothing while Walmart (none / 0)

Wait - people have to stop what crap? Bringing up anything that might hurt Hillary's prospects in the election? Of course people don't have to stop it. It needs to ALL come out ASAP. She said she's been vetted but she hasn't. She's refused to show her earmarks (Obama released his). And no tax returns (Obama released his). She is hiding things until she thinks it will be too late to stop her. No question about it. The Clintons are known for secrecy and this is a very big concern. Why the press is letting her get away with dragging her feet is beyond me.
by Becky G on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:37:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bd. Member Hillary did nothing while Walmart b (none / 0)

Oh no, this can't be true!

Yaknow what?  I don't care.  Obama deserves to win b/c he has run a better campaign and is far ahead in the votes.  I don't care about any scandals she gets outed in from her on out.  She's already going to lose this thing on the merits of the two candidates alone.


by Cycloptichorn on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 09:39:08 PM EST

Re: Bd. Member Hillary did nothing while Walmart b (2.00 / 1)

You have got to be kidding.  This man(Obama)and his Rev are history


by bradydundee on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 10:55:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bd. Member Hillary did nothing while Walmart b (none / 0)

It's already blowing over. In a few days no one will remember. Clinton will win Penn because she's supposed to, then Obama will win everything else.
by Becky G on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:39:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bd. Member Hillary did nothing while Walmart b (none / 0)

Its Clinton's problem to answer for. Anyone that thought the superdelegates will swing for her because she's vetted will figure out there's a lot of history to Hillary that isn't going to play so well.  


by upstate girl on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:42:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: (2.00 / 1)

they can't recall he saying anything? This is news? Please. they have only watched 4 meetings...and this is news? Please.

This is not going to distract people from the Wright story, but nice try.


by americanincanada on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 09:50:13 PM EST

Re: (none / 0)

Why does the ABC link go to nothing? Where is the story?


by americanincanada on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 09:53:30 PM EST

Re: (none / 0)

There's an extra space in the URL.  Here's the right one:  http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4 218509&page=1


by Brillobreaks on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:05:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Bd. Member Hillary did nothing while Walmart (none / 0)

"Expect this to become a BIG issue during the Pennsylvania primary."

Good luck with that one. Pffft.


Grumpy, reluctant, sore-losing, unhappy, irritable Hillary supporter for Barack Obama 2008
by DemAC on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:22:18 PM EST

Re: Bd. Member Hillary did nothing while Walmart (none / 0)

So while she sat on the board for 6 years, her board member said this about unions (those backbones of the working class that Clinton's support is firmly based in):

"Wal-Mart's anti-union efforts were headed by one of Clinton's fellow board members, John Tate, a Wal-Mart executive vice president who also served on the board with Clinton for four of her six years.

Tate was fond of repeating, as he did at a managers meeting in 2004 after his retirement, what he said was his favorite phrase, "Labor unions are nothing but blood-sucking parasites living off the productive labor of people who work for a living." "

Wow, Hillary. And you didn't speak up once. Why didn't she walk off the board when they were union busting?


by upstate girl on Fri Mar 14, 2008 at 11:44:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Pffft (none / 0)

There is a time and a place for everything. Are you positively sure that the best arena for empowering unions are in a corporate boardroom? You think anyone can accomplish much that way?

If so, and by the same logic, why aren't you over at the Republican sites campaigning for our Democratic candidates?

And she did walk off that board, btw.


Grumpy, reluctant, sore-losing, unhappy, irritable Hillary supporter for Barack Obama 2008
by DemAC on Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:01:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pffft (none / 0)

Good, glad we got the metric for what we can write off under conflict of principle and ethical questions out of the way. 6 years and "not the right place to make a stand".


by upstate girl on Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:05:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pffft (none / 0)

I'll look forward to your reports from all kinds of Democratic agitation on various Republican venues, then.


Grumpy, reluctant, sore-losing, unhappy, irritable Hillary supporter for Barack Obama 2008
by DemAC on Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:10:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Pffft (none / 0)

She did walk off the board because of their policies. DUH.

I'll expect to see that diary about Obama walking out of is church because of their views soon from you as well.


by americanincanada on Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 12:18:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]


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