Posted on 10/27/2006 7:50:28 AM PDT by SmithL
Wal-Mart’s first company-wide voter registration drive has become entangled in national politics as a union group and the Rev. Jesse Jackson demand that the retailer fire a Republican consultant connected to a U.S. Senate campaign television ad that critics call racist.
Veteran Republican strategist Terry Nelson is the head of an outside group that created the Tennessee ad for the Republican National Committee against Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Harold Ford Jr.
Nelson is also one of two political consultants —— the other is a Democrat — that Wal-Mart hired last month to help get voter registration information to its more than 1.3 million U.S. employees.
Union-funded WakeUpWalMart.com and Jackson, in a joint statement, said Wal-Mart has a responsibility to fire Nelson to show that it has no tolerance for racism.
Wal-Mart rejected those calls.
"This has nothing to do with Wal-Mart, so it would be absurd for us to comment on it," Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar said.
"This has nothing to do with our commitment to diversity," he said.
Wal-Mart has bolstered its diversity efforts in the past year, including expanding targets for managers to increase diversity in the work force, doing business with more minority and women-owned companies and putting money into programs for minority small businesses and job creation programs.
The Tennessee political ad in question targeted Ford, a black Memphis congressman, in a way that critics — including the NAACP — called a racist sexual innuendo about a black man and white woman.
The RNC, which paid for the ad, denied that it had any racial subtext. Party chairman Ken Mehlman said it was produced by an independent organization.
Nelson, the RNC’s deputy chief of staff in 2002 and the Bush campaign’s political director in 2004, is the head of that independent unit, RNC spokesman Danny Diaz said.
The ad began a five-day run Friday, and the RNC said Wednesday the commercial would no longer air, although it was still seen in some Tennessee markets Thursday.
Wal-Mart’s critics said the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer must prove that it can live up to its stated goals of promoting diversity.
"If Wal-Mart is truly interested in changing for the better, we implore you to send a message to all Americans, especially African-Americans, that Wal-Mart will not do business with consultants who use race as a political tool to divide our nation," WakeUpWalMart wrote in a letter faxed to Chief Executive Lee Scott.
Jackson said Wal-Mart owed an apology to Ford and the American people for Nelson’s involvement in the ad and in its voter registration effort.
"Wal-Mart will determine what it will do based on how they view the gravity of the situation. It will be a reflection of their values — will they coddle him or dismiss him?" Jackson said.
This is ridiculous. So Walmart's Republican advisor also worked on the Ford ad. I bet their Democrat advisor has worked on attack ads against Repulbicans. But do you see the Republicans whining?
I detect a whiff of Dem desperation in the air. It smells like...victory for Republicans.
End of story.
Neal Boortz had a caller on yesterday morning who went on a major rant about how this ad was racist.
The call was a hoot. After the caller finished each paragraph of his rant, Neal asked, "What is racism?" Neal asked the question several times. Turns out the caller had a very poor understanding of what racism actually is. As you might imagine, Neal set him straight.
I'm just headed to Sam's...:O)
Unfortunately there is no Sam's around here.
I'm disappointed in Jesse! It took his waaaaaaay too long this time around to get his fingers into the Wal-Mart pie.
Is Jesse finally losing his 'Extortionist Midas Touch?' *Snort*
ROFL!!!!!!!!!
Well I've got my WalMart list and hubby just started the car.........baking/jelly making supply run, and I need a piece of pink fuzzy fabric to finish Jax' Halloween costme..........jeez, not a single piece of cheap china crap on the list - ain't it amazin'????
Catchya later!!!
Democrats are always going on Witch Hunts, trying to get people fired from their jobs because the democrats don't like their politics.
I'd better get that 527 paperwork completed.
Yup.
Did anyone else get the memo that Harold Ford was black? Why didn't anyone share this information? All this time I thought he was the Democrat candidate. Now thanks to Jessie Jackson, I find out Harold Ford is really the Black Candidate.
(/s)
That is the Jessie Jackson shakedown.
Unless you use people he sanctions you will be punished.
This is why Nissan did those racist commercials during black history month in 2005. Jackson shook them down and forced them to use one of his favored ad agencies (who happened to be Jackson donors)
I did my Wal-Mart run yesterday. Try as I might, I could NOT find Snickers Bars (for DH) Made in China! Nor pet food and cat litter, shampoo, razor blades or rat poison (not for DH), LOL!
LOL!!!!
No sugar, corn syrup, molasses, flour, meringue powder, steak sauce, bacon, hot dogs, butter, potatoes, or cream cheese made in China to be found in my WalMart.......not even the fabric or paint brushes I bought were made in China - whatever is a girl to do?????
Oh, goody! You got your meringue powder! Let me know how that icing turns out. ;)
But...but...the toothpaste you buy from Wal-Mart is of lesser quality than had you bought it at the snob downtown boutique store! I bought beer from Wal-Mart - Wal-Mart took out some of the hops out of it no wonder it was a couple of dollars cheaper....
I grow hops; I'll Freepmail you some hops, LOL!
Kidding aside; it's just ridiculous. The more I know about The Opposition, the Unions, and those that flunked Economics 101, the more transparent they become.
But wait! I hear the faint keyboarding of a Freeper who will "set me straight" about Wal-Mart ruining life for us all.
*Smirk*
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