A New Weapon for Wal-Mart: A War Room [Hires Ex-Bush,Reagan,Clinton,Gore,Dean,Kerry Staff]

NYTimes ^ | November 1, 2005 | MICHAEL BARBARO

[fight_truth_decay]

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 26 - Inside a stuffy, windowless room here, veterans of the 2004 Bush and Kerry presidential campaigns sit, stand and pace around six plastic folding tables. Open containers of pistachio nuts and tropical trail mix compete for space with laptops and BlackBerries. CNN flickers on a television in the corner.

Spencer Tirey for The New York Times Wal-Mart's team of marketing specialists works in a second-floor conference room at the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.

A documentary about Wal-Mart Stores is to open today in theaters. The phone rings, and a 20-something woman answers. "Turn on Fox," she yells, running up to the TV with a notepad. "This could be important."

A scene from a campaign war room? Well, sort of. It is a war room inside the headquarters of Wal-Mart, the giant discount retailer that hopes to sell a new, improved image to reluctant consumers.

Wal-Mart is taking a page from the modern political playbook. Under fire from well-organized opponents who have hammered the retailer with criticisms of its wages, health insurance and treatment of workers, Wal-Mart has quietly recruited former presidential advisers, including Michael K. Deaver, who was Ronald Reagan's image-meister, and Leslie Dach, one of Bill Clinton's media consultants, to set up a rapid-response public relations team in Arkansas.

[fight_truth_decay]

Robert Greenwald Film

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

PREMIERE WEEK is November 13th-19th. 3000+ screenings in 19 countries and all 50 states are already in the works for the largest grassroots mobilization in movie history.

Confessions of a Walmart Hitman

Betty's Employee Discount

Extended Movie Trailer

"The NY Post trashes the film after watching the trailer, which is more research than they normally do for an article. Sure, we understand why Murdoch's rag doesn't like us, but to go out of their way to disparage New Yorkers claiming they care more about "cheap cereal" than justice? Someone's out to lunch." (10/22) Full Article »

[fight_truth_decay]

she doesn't care about the rich in this country. Evil corporations, etc. sigh

So, she is against jobs and job creation? Ask her if she has ever been offered a job from a poor person.[well you know what I mean.........]

[fight_truth_decay]

I wondered how this described Wal-mart "Developing Story" appearing last night on Raw Story, a Left wing news site, was able to be released prior to MICHAEL BARBARO 's piece in the NYTimes this morning.

I had tried to place it on FR at that "developing" time (true to word); but Raw was not welcomed, so googled, found no other source; therefore looked in the Times this morning to verify as I was unfamiliar with Raw.

[rwilson99]

Who should clean it up?

A few ideas in no particular order...

1. You
When I see trash that offends me at my condo I pick it up and throw it out.

2. Young Offenders
Does your small town have a few good kids that did something dumb. Great way to have them pay off a small debt to society.

3. The Litterers themselves.
Most states have steep fines for litering. It shouldn't be hard to post a police officer inconspicously to enforce the law. Litterers get a choice $500 fine or a couple days cleaning up the road side.

Walmart and McDonalds are not responsible for the litter of their customers, any more than a car manufacturer is responsible for a collission involving one of their cars.

[reformedliberal]

In my rural area, complete w/Walmart, McDonald's, Subway, Kwik Trip, a soon-to-be Walgreen's, etc, we have a program called "Adopt A Highway". Various groups/schools/churches volunteer to pick up the trash along a stretch of highway/both sides of the road. Our roadsides are usually quite tidy.

I am pretty sure this is a national program. There are signs announcing which groups are responsible for the litter removal on a particular road.

I have lived here for 32 years. The ma & pa operations gouged, gave poor service, were always the richest folks in town and interfered in the lives of their customers in obnoxious ways, usually by loudly mentioning personal happenings in front of anyone who was within earshot. Some stores would gloat that not only did they not have what you wanted, they were not ever going to carry it and they charged extra, believing you were a captive customer. The greasy spoons were actually places with greasy utensils and poor quality food. The young people left as soon as they could and those remaining were often poor.

Life is better today. Our town and county have increased in population and income. Add in the Internet and we are better educated, have more opportunity and a wider choice of goods/services. The local social services programs have to advertise for food stamp clients! Many run down places have been rehabbed. And the people who moan the loudest about these changes are the Democrats, most of whose families ran the former family-owned stores.

[MontanaBeth]

So, she is against jobs and job creation? Ask her if she has ever been offered a job from a poor person.[well you know what I mean.........]

I did mention something to that effect, there was just silence from her. She doesn't want to hear an opposing view of her union.

[rwilson99]

Adopt a Highway is here in Tampa too.

Regarding, mom & pop's. Good and bad are here in Tampa. One of the worst mom and pop convienence stores is right around the corner from my condo. They price gouge and treat customers poorly.

However our mom and pop restaurants are to die for. Bella's, Bern's, Ceviche, TQ's Cicco & Tony's are great places all within walking distance and locally owned.

If you're good at what you do, that will create customer loyalty. Small town or big city.

[GOPJ]

Way to go Walmart. It's about time some professionals helped deal with the critics.

Those of us who shop there are getting tired of also having to defend the company. Not that customers Vs Union goons isn't a fair fight.

We've got the edge 'cause unions are the original "stuck on stupid". Still this is nice. Customers and conservatives could use the help... Thanks Walmart.

[kcvl]

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 11, 2004; Page D01

Robert Greenwald, an admirer of Michael Moore, is trying to give Fox News Channel the kind of cinematic spanking that Moore just delivered to President Bush in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

But Greenwald, whose last movie was "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War," makes no effort at fairness or balance himself. Not only did he avoid contacting Fox, and indulge in some misleading editing, but the film also features a parade of the network's liberal detractors -- including Al Franken, Vermont Rep. Bernie Sanders, the group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and out-of-the-closet liberal columnist Walter Cronkite.


http://www.robertgreenwald.org/timages/robert_greenwald.jpg


Greenwald is the recipient of awards and honors for his political work by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California; the L.A. chapter of the National Lawyers Guild; Physicians for Social Responsibility; and the Office of the Americas. He is a co-founder (with Danny and Victor Goldberg) of RDV Books, as well as the co-founder (with Mike Farrell) of "Artists United," a group of actors and others opposed to the war in Iraq, which continues to work toward publicizing progressive causes.

[kcvl]

Dear activists, colleagues and friends,

Well the attacks have begun, no surprise there, but the fact they are attacking so hard, so early and so personally vicious is a sign of how seriously they are treating the film [Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price]. And they should, the film combined with the expose in the New York Times about their duplicity, they say one thing, they do another, should be a one two punch in the butt of corporate hypocrisy.

And we need your help, they have a high priced, expensive PR machine that is in full throttle. But we have you, so write, call, visit your local newspaper, radio, tv station. Tell them how Wal-Mart has affected you, your family, your job, your health care, your community. Tell them why you are working to host a screening and spreading the word. Show them the trailer and talk them through why Wal-Mart is DEAD WRONG. You can find all the latest on Wal-Mart's Fear and Smear Campaign here.

They just released a video smear job and backgrounder, ON THE TRAILER. And they don't even get the attacks right, claiming snowfall in Ohio proves Wal-Mart did not crush H&H Hardware. The movie is quite clear on what crushed H&H Hardware, and it's got nothing to do with snow. It's a poignant example of the Wal-Mart effect, and you'll all get a chance to see it soon.

The other two attacks on the trailer are nothing but Wal-Mart's multi-million dollar spin machine at work trying to refute very well documented facts about Wal-Mart's discriminatory practices against women and minorities, and their stubborn refusal to pay a living wage.

And now Wal-Mart wants us to take down the trailer! Send a message to Wal-Mart by sending the trailer to everyone you know, and inviting them to a screening.

This is the perfect time to counter them, quickly, strongly and completely. They are spending millions hiring expensive PR firms to fight us because they are scared out of their minds at what you can do. They are messing with the wrong folks, and lets go right back at them. Thanks for your support and your efforts. We have aleady made an impact, and it will grow.

Robert Greenwaldproducer/director, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

P.S. Just 6 weeks ago, Wal-Mart's top spokesperson, Mona Williams said: "I guess we will pretty much ignore it -- because to all but a handful of anti-Wal-Mart activists, it simply will be irrelevant." Mona guessed wrong.

P.P.S. Check out some extended bonus scenes with a former Wal-Mart manager Weldon Nicholson. He talks about the culture of fear and retaliation. Confessions of a Wal-Mart Hit Man.

******


I must go shopping at WAL-MART!!! I have a few more items to add to my shopping list!

I think I'll stop by Sam's Club on the way back from WAL-MART also!

There is nothing worse than a liar who can't mind his own business, besides an admirer of Michael Moore! I'll shop where I damn well please!

[kcvl]

The ACLU and Robert Greenwald to Tell the Stories Behind the Headlines in New 10-Part Series: The ACLU Freedom Files

August 16, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@aclu.org

Series To Reach National Audience Via Satellite Link TV, New Media, Technology And Grassroots Networks

Preview on http://www.aclu.tv

NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and award-winning producer/director Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films today announced an unprecedented new series entitled The ACLU Freedom Files.

In ten 30-minute episodes produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Jeremy Kagan, the series will explore pressing issues that are threatening the civil liberties of all Americans, regardless of political affiliation. The show will reach millions of viewers via satellite network Link TV, on college campuses across the country on Zilo TV, and via new media, technology and grassroots networks such as video blogs, podcasts, streaming video, viewing parties, screenings and more.

Aiming to strip away the sound bytes to reveal how civil liberties affect real people everyday, The ACLU Freedom Files features real clients and the attorneys who defend them, as well as well-known actors, activists and comedians.

"Effects of overreaching laws like the Patriot Act or Supreme Court decisions are often talked about in abstract terms, but there is a very real human face to these issues that tends to get lost in the rhetoric," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "The ACLU Freedom Files will go behind the headlines to tell their stories."

"The critical work that the ACLU is doing is the stuff of real drama," said Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films, executive producer of the series. "These are regular people, people who could be a neighbor, who have found themselves fighting to defend their constitutionally-guaranteed rights. These are important and powerful stories that we need to tell."

During the first week in September, The ACLU Freedom Files launches with the premiere episode "Beyond The Patriot Act." As the House and Senate versions of the Patriot Act go to conference to create a final bill to be presented to the President, "Beyond The Patriot Act" highlights the importance of this legislation and urges members of Congress to take the time to act sensibly and bring the law back in line with the Constitution by restoring proper checks and balances.

The ACLU Freedom Files will air the second Thursday of each month across the country at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and again at 8:00 p.m. on the West Coast. Utilizing what Greenwald refers to as "moving media," the dynamic new series will use interviews, documentary, comedy, drama, music and animation to directly engage and alert viewers to the importance of the issues currently facing the American public. Greenwald serves as series executive producer and Jeremy Kagan as co-executive producer. Series topics will include the Patriot Act, the Supreme Court, free speech and dissent, religious freedom, gay and lesbian rights, drug policy, racial profiling, women's rights, and youth freedoms. The ACLU Freedom Files will premiere on Link TV, the first nationwide television channel dedicated to providing Americans with global perspectives on news, events and culture. Link TV is available to over 26 million U.S. homes that receive direct broadcast satellite television through DIRECTV and DISH Network satellite services. The ACLU Freedom Files will also be broadcast on Zilo TV, the college television network that provides programming to over 5.5 million college students nationwide.

On the Web, The ACLU Freedom Files will foster a new kind of "information activism" with the launch of its website http://www.aclu.tv. Like a DVD with extra features, the site will provide vital issue information for viewers, advocates and anyone who wants to learn more about civil liberties. It will also foster grassroots activism online and offline and educate teachers and students through curriculum guides and campus coordinator toolkits. The ACLU Freedom Files will also cultivate a grassroots network of podcasters, video bloggers and other web-savvy multimedia producers, to help pioneer new forms of "Do-It-Yourself" audio and video activism online.

Combining real stories and dynamic storytelling will create a powerful emotional effect that, Greenwald and Romero predict, will motivate viewers to action. Around each episode, the ACLU will hold screenings, house parties and events across the country. In addition, Zilo TV will produce and promote viewing parties featuring the series at select colleges and universities across the country.

DVDs of individual episodes of The ACLU Freedom Files will be made immediately available for purchase and information about each episode will also be available to the 1.2 million unique visitors to the ACLU website and more than 300,000 subscribers to its bi-weekly newsletter and Action Network alerts.

The ACLU Freedom Files features personal stories of average Americans, an entertaining format and the guiding vision of a respected and award-winning filmmaker. Through the powerful reach of satellite TV, blogs and the Internet, the ACLU hopes to introduce more Americans, in particular young people and people living in rural America, to the ACLU's message of individual freedom and liberty.

For more information, visit:

The ACLU Freedom Files: http://www.aclu.tv

Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films: http://www.bravenewfilms.org/who.php

Jeremy Kagan: http://www.swanllc.com/jeremykaganbio.html

Anthony Romero: http://www.aclu.org/About/About.cfm?ID=9321&c=187

Link TV: http://linktv.com/about/background.php3

[kcvl]

Robert Greenwald is a movie producer and sometimes director. His parents were both psychologists, as are his brother and sister.

Early in Greenwald's career, he made TV schlock like Sharon: Portrait of a Mistress and Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold. On the big screen, he brought you Gene Kelly's last musical, Xanadu (1980), for which Greenwald won a Golden Raspberry as Worst Director.

Long driven to make political "message" films, he brought Farrah Fawcett respect in The Burning Bed, a critically-acclaimed 1984 melodrama wherein Fawcett took vengeance on her abusive husband. Greenwald also directed Steal This Movie (2000), based on Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book, with Vincent D'Onofrio in a frizzy wig playing Hoffman.

Greenwald and Hoffman's wife Anita had been friends and neighbors in the 1970s. When Abbie Hoffman became a fugitive from justice on cocaine charges, Greenwald was one of the few people Hoffman occasionally called on the phone.

In recent years, Greenwald has been making leftist political documentaries, like Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election (yes, that election was stolen), Uncovered: The War on Iraq (yes, the 2003 war was sold to Americans with distortions of U.S. intelligence), and Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties (yes, with the so-called PATRIOT Act, people are being 'detained' without charges by police agencies in America).

Greenwald's documentaries are generally outraged instead of objective. They're rarely screened in movie theaters, and are sneered at if they're mentioned at all by the mainstream media.

[kcvl]

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald admires Michael Moore.

[kcvl]

Greenwald, who began his career as a mainstream Hollywood filmmaker, has started a new production company aimed at producing socially relevant films on a relatively small budget, through collaborative outreach, and then distributing them through the Internet, in house showings, as well as in traditional theater screenings.

HE (Mr. Filmmaker/Producer) THINKS YOU ARE STUPID!!!

Greenwald: why are the people voting against their self-interest? Why aren't people recognizing that the progressive positions are good for them?

[kcvl]

Robert Greenwald: It was very, very hard. We encountered in the Wal-Mart employees a tremendous culture of fear, which I had not anticipated. But it was an extended process of research, talking to people who knew people, who had heard of somebody. It was literally having co-producers go and live in certain communities for a period of time, and spending time there, and cultivating local contacts. It was working the phones. It was using leads that came about in articles from journalists. It was working with some of the terrific heroes in D.C. who do these really important studies – these papers from think tanks. For example, I learned about subsidies, the corporate subsidies, in the states where it was more prevalent. So we guided our research. We were able to work with someone who's done this amazing work around sweatshops around the world, and others, who pointed us in directions that led to our ultimately getting the story in China. It was lawyers who were cooperative in making some of the whistle-blowers available to us. So it was a very wide, complicated and consuming endeavor to find all these stories.

[reformedliberal]

I agree that if you are good at what you do, customers follow.

However, there is no way to compare a large city like Tampa, with the addition of tourists, with a small town in the upper Midwest. We had one top notch restaurant w/ambiance and creative menus within 10 miles. They replaced a quality steakhouse. The steakhouse closed; I have no idea why. The replacement, under the same name, has now also closed and moved 26 miles to the nearest city of 50k, which also has a small tourist and business conferencing population.

Sadly, all our local restaurants are typical Midwestern supper clubs. One is better than the others, but the differences are minute. Even the city of 50k has only a very few restaurants that are above average and none that are, IMO, "to die for". For that, we have to travel 90 to 250 miles. Because of that, many of us learn to cook a variety of cuisines, order unavailable gourmet foods over the Internet or just wait until our vacations to experience top quality food and service.

I think the sticking point here is price.