Why does Obama hate Wal-Mart?

In the now infamous exchange between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during the SC debate Senator Obama tried to smear Hillary Clinton with her time on Wal-Mart's board. Most viewers watching though probably didn't laugh as hard as I did at Barack Obama's hypocrisy.

When it became politically expedient Senator Obama had his wife quit the board of TreeHouse Foods back in May. Now, why would Senator Obama make the Mrs. quit a job when they have a mansion to pay off? Could it be because the biggest customer of the IL based company is Wal-Mart stores?

"In a statement issued by the campaign, Obama said, “As my campaign commitments continue to ramp up, it is becoming more difficult for me to provide the type of focus I would like on my professional responsibilities." She said it was in “the best interests of my family and the company” she quit."

Surely Senator Obama wouldn't be so hypocritical as to cut his ties with a company that has been helping him pay the bills just because their number #1 customer is Wal-Mart. Sadly, it seems that it is indeed the case. You can't go around preaching against how Hillary Clinton's house is dirty when your wife is being paid $51,200 for sitting on the board of TreeHouse Foods, a Wal-Mart supplier.

I guess the Senator thinks that having his wife quit the board of a large Wal-Mart supplier would wash away the Wal-Mart stank. Unfortunately for him he can't so easily erase the memory of us Chicagoans who remember his other Wal-Mart connection.

When Chicago Alderman Dorothy Tillman was caught in a run off election for control of the 3rd ward she was feeling the heat from a young upstart by the name of Pat Dowell. Saying that Dorothy Tillman was a controversial figure in Chicago politics is a bit of an understatement. She's famous for her big fancy hats but she's also known for allegedly carrying a gun (for self-defense) and supposedly brandishing it while on the job. In 2000 she made headlines for requesting that the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago replace white waiters with black waiters for a functions she was having at the hotel. She was also a big supporter of allowing Wal-Mart to enter the Chicago market Pat-Dowell was the candidate who was backed by labor groups and opposed Wal-Mart and Big Box stores not paying a living wage.

At a debate the two candidate were scheduled to appear at Tillman didn't show up, leaving Dowell to debate the issues with a surrogate. “I will be the change agent,” said Dowell said at the debate. Sound familiar? Tillman’s daughter and staffer Ebony Tillman shouted back, “A white man agent!”

Which candidate do you suppose Senator Barack Obama would side with and support? Did Senator Obama endorse the racist candidate that was part of the establishment, supported Wal-Mart and Big Box Stores in the area not paying a living wage? Or did Senator Barack Obama side with the "agent of change" for the 3rd ward that was going to clean up the nepotism and crime that had flourish under Dorothy Tillman?

If you think his current stance on Wal-Mart and his pro-labor views are a core belief he's stuck with since his entrance into politics, you'd be mistaken. Senator Obama sided with the Daley machine, Wal-Mart and endorsed Dorothy Tillman.

"Fresh, independent-minded candidates, most helped by labor unions, forced 10 Machine aldermen into runoff elections this year. But now the "Empire" is striking back, and liberal icon Barack Obama is helping the Old Guard in at least one of those races.

Obama is set to endorse the always controversial 3rd Ward Ald. Dorothy Tillman in her runoff against hard-charging independent Pat Dowell. Obama isn't alone. Almost every black political, religious and civil rights leader in the city is lending support to Tillman, who scored just 43 percent in the first round of voting, finishing a mere 400 votes ahead of Dowell..."

Fortunately for Pat Dowell and residents of the 3rd ward Pat Dowell won even without the backing of someone as influential as Senator Barack Obama.

Now what of the Wal-Mart connection with Hillary Clinton? Author Bob Ortega says Senator Hillary Clinton:

"...used her position to urge the company to improve its gender and racial diversity. Because of Clinton's prodding, Walton agreed to hire an outside firm to track the company's progress in hiring women and minorities, Ortega said.

Clinton proved to be such a thorn in Walton's side that at Wal-Mart's annual meeting in 1987, when shareholders challenged Walton on the company's lack of female managers, he assured them the record was improving ''now that we have a strong-willed young lady on the board."

Clinton was particularly vocal on environmental matters, pressing the company to boost its sale and use of recycled materials and other ''green" products."

In the same article the Clintons are credited with convincing Sam Walton with keeping jobs in America:

"Throughout the 1980s, both Bill and Hillary Clinton nurtured relationships with Walton, a conservative Republican and by far Arkansas' most influential businessman. Among other things, Hillary Clinton sought Walton's help in 1983 for Bill Clinton's so-called Blue Ribbon Commission on Education, a major effort to improve Arkansas' troubled public schools. The overhaul became a centerpiece of Clinton's governorship. And Wal-Mart's Made in America campaign, which for years touted the company's sales of American products in its stores, was launched after Bill Clinton persuaded Walton to help save 200 jobs at an Arkansas shirt manufacturing plant. The Made in America campaign has virtually vanished in recent years, as the company's manufacturing has gradually moved overseas -- another point of criticism by many Wal-Mart critics."

Considering how he didn't mind collecting a paycheck from a Wal-Mart supplier and how he didn't have any qualms with endorsing the Wal-Mart Alderman I find his current position and accusations ridiculous. But that's Barack Obama for you.

Michelle Obama Attacks Hillary

One thing I've found interesting in the narrative the media promulgated on who got dirty and personal first in the Democratic Primary is how the Clinton's have come out looking like the heavy. I remember seeing Michelle Obama on television talking to supporters on the south side of Chicago. The reason her speech here stood out in my mind is because of something totally ridiculous and classless that came out of her mouth.

In her speech she said one of the important things about the '08 election was being a role model for families and in the next breath she says that if Hillary can't run her house she can't run the White House. This video clip was uploaded back in August of 2007, do you remember hearing about this like you've heard of Bill supposedly attacking or getting personal with Barack?

Michelle keeping it classy.

I love that Michelle Obama clearly thinks that because a woman has been cheated on that somehow is a sign of something being wrong with her. Because Bill cheated on Hillary that disqualifies her from important jobs. This quick look into the psyche of Michelle Obama is very telling for a couple of reasons.

• Like an intellectually bankrupt Republican hack she has to bring up Bill's cheating.
• To Michelle Obama a woman's worth is dependent on her husband not cheating.

As a man can't understand her ridiculous leap in logic and can only think that her comment and belief stems from some serious issues of self-loathing and antiquated ideas of a woman's place that even a college degree didn't rid her of. Since she thinks the sins of Bill Clinton reflect on Hillary Clinton maybe Michelle Obama thinks that the sins of a father should reflect on a son too and keep him from reaching the White House.

Barack Obama dismissing Latino Vote.

One of the reasons I've decided to support Senator Hillary Clinton is because Senator Barack Obama has basically dismissed the Latino vote. While Senator Hillary Clinton has the name recognition in our community she's trounced Senator Obama in efforts to shore up key Latino endorsements and created grass-roots efforts to get the Latino vote in Nevada. Nevada also showed me a sign of Senator Obama's team that I found very troubling. Surrogates for the Obama campaign in Nevada placed the race-card and tried to sway the Latino vote with a Spanish radio ad that can only be described as racist.

The ad by the pro-Obama group UNITE HERE:

UNITE HERE Negative Ad
(Translation)
Hillary Clinton does not respect our people. Hillary Clinton supporters went to court to prevent working people to vote this Saturday — that is an embarrassment.

Hillary Clinton supporters want to prevent people from voting in their workplace on Saturday. This is unforgivable. Hillary Clinton is shameless. Hillary Clinton should not allow her friends to attack our people’s right to vote this Saturday. This is unforgivable; there’s no respect

Sen. Obama is defending our right to vote. Sen. Obama wants our votes. He respects our votes, our community, and our people.

Sen. Obama’s campaign slogan is “Si Se Puede” (“Yes We Can”). Vote for a president that respects us, and that respects our right to vote. Obama for president, “Si Se Puede” (“Yes We Can”).

Paid for by UNITE HERE Campaign Committee

(Spanish language)
Hillary Clinton no respeta a nuestra gente los partidarios de Hillary Clinton fueron a corte para evitar que la gente que trabaja pueda votar este sábado, eso es vergonzoso. Los partidarios de Hillary Clinton quieren evitar que la gente que trabaja el sábado pueda votar en sus lugares de empleo. ¡Imperdonable! Hillary Clinton no tiene vergüenza.

Hillary Clinton no debería permitir que sus amigos ataquen el derecho de nuestra gente de votar este sábado. Es imperdonable! No hay respeto el senador Barack Obama esta defendiendo nuestro derecho de votar.

El senador Barack Obama quiere nuestros votos, el respeta nuestros votos, nuestra comunidad y a nuestra gente. El lema de la campaña de Barrack Obama es “sí se puede, si se puede”. Vote por un presidente que nos respeta y respeta nuestro derecho de votar. Obama para presidente. Si se puede.

Pagada por UNITE HERE.

While many bloggers like Politico covered the racist radio ad against Hillary Clinton the news media was rather silent on the subject. Had this been a radio ad by a pro-Hillary group and was targeting Senator Obama with such vitriolic attacks and trying to influence race based votes we would never have heard the end of it. Both John Edwards and Hillary Clinton called on Senator Obama to denounce the ad and ask for it to be removed.

"It’s pathetic and it's sad and it's unfortunate that they have to stoop so low," was the reaction of Dolores Huerta and I couldn't agree more with her. This isn't the politics of hope that Senator Obama preaches about to the cameras this isn't transcending the politics he castigates from the pulpit of the campaign stop. This is the kind of dirty tricks and smears I'd expect from a Republican but not one that I would accept from a Democrat. The ironic thing is that if you watch major media outlets you're given the impression that it is the Clintons playing the race card and trying to divide people, while Sen Obama says nothing while his surrogates play dirty politics.

But this post is about how he's dismissing the Latino vote...

Even the token Latinos that Sen. Obama has tapped to help him reach Latino voters are finding it very frustrating. Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez seems to be twiddling his thumbs looking for something to do while Senator Obama is busy in South Carolina.

“When you are washing dishes and waiting tables and are working these kinds of jobs, you don’t pick up Newsweek and find out the phenomenon about Barack Obama...”

“She’s running a good campaign,” Gutierrez said of the New York senator. “Don’t blame Latinos and blacks with prejudice. There are a lot of other reasons” for Obama’s low Latino support, he said to Politico .

I'm not sure what the Congressman expects from someone who is trying to be so many thing to so many people. When did Senator Obama ever express an interest in Latinos before it became politically necessary to do so? Senator Obama hosted his first Latino themed Town Hall in October of '05. All of the years he was a "community activist" and served as a Senator in Illinois and he has his first Town Hall meeting in '05? Give me a break! I'm thinking the Congressman backed the wrong horse in this race. It wouldn't surprise me if he took this marching order directly from Mayor Daley or if he hopes that one day a President Obama could come back to Chicago and help him dethrone Mayor Daley.

Senator Obama and his people seem to have a really low opinion of Latinos and how we vote. Just read this quote from Steve Hildebrand, an advisor to Senator Obama:

"The Clintons have always put people in a box - they look at everything through racial lines, gender lines, geographic lines; they tend to segment people," said Steve Hildebrand, a senior Obama adviser who spearheaded his Iowa effort. "She goes to Nevada and sits with Latinos in their living room to court their vote - that's not the way Barack approaches people." If the Clintons paint him as the black candidate, no one's going to stop them from doing that. They are playing the same old-style games."

Apparently everyone deserves to be pandered to except for us lowly peasants that make up the Latino Vote. Just to point out how ridiculous and hypocritical the groups of people Senator Obama has surrounded himself with check out "Old-Style Politics," In Pictures. If you follow that link you'll see Senator Obama not pandering to us in our living rooms but in our back yards. During the SC debate Senator Obama smugly said that Latinos had no problem voting for him in IL. I'd like to point out to him that I didn't vote for him because he'd done anything particularly noteworthy but because he was running against Alan Keyes. This Latino voter won't be making the same mistake again.

About Latino Vote

I'm a Democrat and I'm Latino. Among the three candidates that are currently seeking the nomination of the Democratic party I'm supporting Hillary Clinton. I wish I would have started this blog earlier and added my voice to the process but certain events recently have lead me to finally get fed up and speak up in the Blogosphere in support and defense of my candidate.