Blogger Response #7

The blog that I am commenting on right now is entitled Clinton Foundation Received $500,000 From Wal-Mart. The story talks about how Wal-Mart gave Bill Clinton’s global foundation a half a million dollars. The blog contains a link to the Wal-Mart Press release which was announced in New Orleans. It might have been announced there to highlight the fact that Wal-Mart gave a lot of money in hurricane relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The blog highlights the Clinton’s business relationship with Wal-Mart which Senator Clinton has been avoiding. Senator Clinton was a member of Wal-Mart’s Board of Directors as she served a six-year term. Mrs. Clinton was the company’s first-ever female board member. The blog has a link to a very interesting article of the New York Times. This article suggests that Sam Walton’s wife Helen was a factor in the decision to have a female board member. The article also shows that as a board member Clinton was determined to suggest that Wal-Mart get more females in management. The article also made comments that Clinton did not try to stop Wal-Mart from its anti-union labor policies.

These anti-labor policies have traditionally made Wal-Mart an enemy of the Democratic Party. It is because of this that Senator Clinton is trying to avoid talking about the six years she spent on Wal-Mart’s Board of Directors. This large donation is bringing the question up again, but it was noted that Clinton returned a $5,000 donation to her campaign by Wal-Mart in 2005.

The blog also has an article showing Bill Clinton praising Wal-Mart for its recent involvement in the fight against Global Warming. The environment is another topic that has made Wal-Mart an enemy of the Democratic Party, but not the Clintons. The question is being asked: Is the Clinton’s personal and business relationship with Wal-Mart clouding their judgment and is Wal-Mart giving money just to curry favor with the hopeful presidential candidate? The blog contains a quote from a Wal-Mart watch dog company called Wake-up Wal-Mart, their spokesperson Meghan Scott said "It follows in Wal-Mart's recent attempts to make themselves look like a responsible corporation with their environmental efforts, and then you have Lee Scott who is announcing at meetings that Wal-Mart is not sure when they will reduce their emissions," said Meghan Scott, a spokesperson for Wake-up Wal-Mart, a watchdog group for the organization. "It is important to look at two things; whether their press releases turn into action, or whether it is simply an attempt to curry favor."