RACIST POLITICAL AD IS THE WORK OF WAL-MART TOP CONSULTANT TERRY NELSON
Randy L. Harrington
October 27, 2006
October 27, 2006—Terry Nelson the President of Crosslink Strategy, and a top consultant to Wal-Mart is behind a racist TV advertisement that attacks US Senatorial Candidate Harold Ford, Jr. from Tennessee.
NAACP and other civil rights leaders, to include the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. have condemned the racist television ad. Leaders and politicians in a personal letter to Wal-Mart Chief Executive Lee Scott on Thursday called Wal-Mart to immediately condemn the ad and end its relationship with Republican operative, and Wal-Mart top consultant Terry Nelson.
Wal-Mart has used diversity as a tactic to repair its declining public image, and like most of Wal-Mart's policies that are supposed to be family oriented, and community friendly the diversity program appears to fall short of its target, and is nothing more than lip service from the largest corporation on earth.
Reverend Jackson said that “This is a reflection on Wal-Mart and the people that drive the right-wing, anti-worker family agenda. The same people that engage in race-baiting also support right to work laws that undermine working people...”
Nelson is a close and intimate advisor to Wal-Mart and created the strategy for the company's front group-Working Families for Wal-Mart, that launched a web site complete with smear tactics, and half-truths called PaidCritic.com that attacked hard-working families directing Wal-Mart's recently launched voter education program to target Democrat's who want Wal-Mart to be a more responsible corporate citizen.
Nelson's work for Wal-Mart consists of managing the company's Astroturf division that offered free coupons and a vacation to Atlanta Wal-Mart shoppers that signed his political action Petition in support of the Wal-Mart's front group “Working Families for Wal-Mart.” He was also alleged to have pressured Wal-Mart suppliers into contributing to “Working Families for Wal-Mart” according to a Cox News piece on April 4, 2006, as well as designing a controversial and despicable employee education campaign project according to the Washington Post article on September 30, 2006.
Nelson is also a campaign advisor and consultant for Arizona Senator John McCain who will be running for reelection in 2008. McCain, a Republican, is a strong supporter of Arizona's right to work laws.
Ford's Tennessee Senatorial Opponent, Bob Corker has renounced Nelson's ad. Congressman Jessee Jackson, Jr. in a statement said that he is calling on Wal-Mart and Senator John McCain to immediately end their relationship with Nelson, and to take a public position against the ad because it was so outrageous and offensive.
Nelson also served as the political director for the Bush-Cheney Presidential Re-Election Campaign in 2004, and he runs the Republican National Committee's independent expenditure unit. Republican National Committee Spokesman Josh Holmes confirmed Nelsons employment by the RNC.
Ford is a Democrat that is running to become the first black senator from Tennessee since the Reconstruction Period. Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman denied that the TV ad was racist, and denied that he had no control over the independent expenditure unit. He announced Wednesday that the controversial ad was being taken off the air.
Nelson, a former deputy chief of staff at the Republican National Committee now is the Chairman of Crosslink Strategy, a Washington consulting firm that also works for Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart, who has been feeling the heat of the unfair wages, health benefits, and poor job security given to their 1.39 employees created an executive public relations position for another former political public relations staffer last year, and hired Leslie A. Dach as an Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations.
Spin master Dach was Vice Chairman of Edelman, a large public relations firm in Washington, DC that Wal-Mart just fired for its unethical business practices in connection with the Wal-Mart account.
Press spokesman David Tovar on behalf of Wal-Mart told CBC News of Canada that “this has nothing to do with Wal-Mart so it would be absurd to comment on it.”
What's absurd is that Wal-Mart's revenues exceeds 2% of the U.S. GDP, and they employ more people than GM, FORD, GE, and IBM combined. While Wal-Mart executives explicitly argue as an employer that they should be treated as a simple retailer and not a “large company” the fact that their $315 billion in sales last year, and the fact that their sales exceeded the sales of the next five largest retailers combined, second only to Exxon Mobil they are not simply a retailer, but are a large monopolistic corporation. Wal-Mart has been referred to as the largest corporation on the planet. It's time that they embrace their moral responsibility which is missing in Wal-Mart today.
Wal-Mart established its Global Ethics Principles on June 4, 2004. These principles apply to all Wal-Mart employees, as well as their suppliers - Nelson supplies services to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart Spokesperson David Tovar is wrong in that Nelson is accountable to Wal-Mart under the current Wal-Mart Global Ethics Principles governing their suppliers and must be held accountable.
Of course Wal-Mart's ethics have been situational since Chief Executive Lee Scott has been at the helm, as can be attested to by the 1.39 million Wal-Mart employees who are working for substandard wages, living in poverty, with have no affordable health care while Wal-Mart executives enjoy billions of dollars in compensation, and retirement benefits.
Today is the day for Wal-Mart to stand up and as the largest employer in the United States show that their values, and commitment to diversity are more than just rhetoric - they've failed their millions of workers, and the American public in this respect let's just see how “committed” Wal-Mart, and Chief Executive Lee Scott are to their committed values.
SOURCES/CONTRIBUTORS: CNC; REUTERS; WALMARTWATCH.COM; WAKEUPWALMART.COM; WALMARTFACTS.COM; NASHVILLE POST; AP; RNC; www.freewebs.com/WalmartArizonaUnion; www.ArizonaWalmartUnion.blogspot.com
Copyright 2006 Randy L. Harrington. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NAACP and other civil rights leaders, to include the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. have condemned the racist television ad. Leaders and politicians in a personal letter to Wal-Mart Chief Executive Lee Scott on Thursday called Wal-Mart to immediately condemn the ad and end its relationship with Republican operative, and Wal-Mart top consultant Terry Nelson.
Wal-Mart has used diversity as a tactic to repair its declining public image, and like most of Wal-Mart's policies that are supposed to be family oriented, and community friendly the diversity program appears to fall short of its target, and is nothing more than lip service from the largest corporation on earth.
Reverend Jackson said that “This is a reflection on Wal-Mart and the people that drive the right-wing, anti-worker family agenda. The same people that engage in race-baiting also support right to work laws that undermine working people...”
Nelson is a close and intimate advisor to Wal-Mart and created the strategy for the company's front group-Working Families for Wal-Mart, that launched a web site complete with smear tactics, and half-truths called PaidCritic.com that attacked hard-working families directing Wal-Mart's recently launched voter education program to target Democrat's who want Wal-Mart to be a more responsible corporate citizen.
Nelson's work for Wal-Mart consists of managing the company's Astroturf division that offered free coupons and a vacation to Atlanta Wal-Mart shoppers that signed his political action Petition in support of the Wal-Mart's front group “Working Families for Wal-Mart.” He was also alleged to have pressured Wal-Mart suppliers into contributing to “Working Families for Wal-Mart” according to a Cox News piece on April 4, 2006, as well as designing a controversial and despicable employee education campaign project according to the Washington Post article on September 30, 2006.
Nelson is also a campaign advisor and consultant for Arizona Senator John McCain who will be running for reelection in 2008. McCain, a Republican, is a strong supporter of Arizona's right to work laws.
Ford's Tennessee Senatorial Opponent, Bob Corker has renounced Nelson's ad. Congressman Jessee Jackson, Jr. in a statement said that he is calling on Wal-Mart and Senator John McCain to immediately end their relationship with Nelson, and to take a public position against the ad because it was so outrageous and offensive.
Nelson also served as the political director for the Bush-Cheney Presidential Re-Election Campaign in 2004, and he runs the Republican National Committee's independent expenditure unit. Republican National Committee Spokesman Josh Holmes confirmed Nelsons employment by the RNC.
Ford is a Democrat that is running to become the first black senator from Tennessee since the Reconstruction Period. Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman denied that the TV ad was racist, and denied that he had no control over the independent expenditure unit. He announced Wednesday that the controversial ad was being taken off the air.
Nelson, a former deputy chief of staff at the Republican National Committee now is the Chairman of Crosslink Strategy, a Washington consulting firm that also works for Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart, who has been feeling the heat of the unfair wages, health benefits, and poor job security given to their 1.39 employees created an executive public relations position for another former political public relations staffer last year, and hired Leslie A. Dach as an Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Government Relations.
Spin master Dach was Vice Chairman of Edelman, a large public relations firm in Washington, DC that Wal-Mart just fired for its unethical business practices in connection with the Wal-Mart account.
Press spokesman David Tovar on behalf of Wal-Mart told CBC News of Canada that “this has nothing to do with Wal-Mart so it would be absurd to comment on it.”
What's absurd is that Wal-Mart's revenues exceeds 2% of the U.S. GDP, and they employ more people than GM, FORD, GE, and IBM combined. While Wal-Mart executives explicitly argue as an employer that they should be treated as a simple retailer and not a “large company” the fact that their $315 billion in sales last year, and the fact that their sales exceeded the sales of the next five largest retailers combined, second only to Exxon Mobil they are not simply a retailer, but are a large monopolistic corporation. Wal-Mart has been referred to as the largest corporation on the planet. It's time that they embrace their moral responsibility which is missing in Wal-Mart today.
Wal-Mart established its Global Ethics Principles on June 4, 2004. These principles apply to all Wal-Mart employees, as well as their suppliers - Nelson supplies services to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart Spokesperson David Tovar is wrong in that Nelson is accountable to Wal-Mart under the current Wal-Mart Global Ethics Principles governing their suppliers and must be held accountable.
Of course Wal-Mart's ethics have been situational since Chief Executive Lee Scott has been at the helm, as can be attested to by the 1.39 million Wal-Mart employees who are working for substandard wages, living in poverty, with have no affordable health care while Wal-Mart executives enjoy billions of dollars in compensation, and retirement benefits.
Today is the day for Wal-Mart to stand up and as the largest employer in the United States show that their values, and commitment to diversity are more than just rhetoric - they've failed their millions of workers, and the American public in this respect let's just see how “committed” Wal-Mart, and Chief Executive Lee Scott are to their committed values.
SOURCES/CONTRIBUTORS: CNC; REUTERS; WALMARTWATCH.COM; WAKEUPWALMART.COM; WALMARTFACTS.COM; NASHVILLE POST; AP; RNC; www.freewebs.com/WalmartArizonaUnion; www.ArizonaWalmartUnion.blogspot.com
Copyright 2006 Randy L. Harrington. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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