Sen. Joe Biden on the attack Iowa on the front line in attack on Wal-Mart

[Omaha Steve]

Full story reg req: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=2225312

Published Thursday
August 17, 2006

Iowa on the front line in attack on Wal-Mart

I could not find this on the NYT pages.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

DES MOINES - Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, a likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, delivered a blistering 15-minute attack Wednesday to warm applause from Democrats and union organizers.

But Biden's main target was not Republicans in Washington, or even his prospective presidential rivals.

It was Wal-Mart, the nation's largest private employer.


Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., calls on corporate giant Wal-Mart to own up to it's responsibility to it's employees concerning health care and wages Wednesday, during a news conference at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines, Iowa.


Among Democrats, Biden is not alone. Across Iowa this week and across much of the country this month, Democratic leaders have found a new rallying cry that many of them say could prove powerful in this year's midterm elections and into 2008: criticizing Wal-Mart for what they say are substandard wages and health benefits.

"My problem with Wal-Mart is that I don't see any indication that they care about the fate of middle-class people," Biden said, standing on the roof of the State Historical Society Building in Des Moines. "They talk about paying them $10 an hour. That's true. How can you live a middle-class life on that?"

The focus on Wal-Mart is part of a broader strategy of addressing what Democrats say is general economic anxiety and a growing sense that economic gains of recent years have not benefited the middle class or the working poor.

Their alliance with the anti-Wal-Mart campaign dovetails with their emphasis in Washington on raising the minimum wage and doing more to make health insurance affordable. It also suggests that they will go into this fall's congressional elections and the 2008 presidential race striking a populist tone.

[xchrom]

1. good -- they SHOULD be talking about wal-mart.

wal-mart is a blight on america.

[primative1]

2. Wal Mart Isnt The Problem ...

You know what? 10 bucks an hour isnt all that bad. Wal*Mart isnt the problem (although I hate their monopolistic practices which are all so common these days ... dunkin's comes to mind and they pay far less)
The problem is, no one has ever made a middle class living working in retail. "Free trading" democrats like BIDEN have forced us into working retail because they have enabled all of our MIDDLE class jobs to be exported. Wake up BIDEN. You are a bright boy. Look a little harder and you will see what the actual problem is.

[Virginia Dare]

6. I totally disagree with that...

when I was growing up I did know some kids whose parents lived a middle-class lifestyle working for union grocery chains. I've knew a gentleman who lived a middle class lifestyle selling shoes, and even received a retirement afterwards. Those jobs don't exist anymore, in large part because of Wal-Mart.

Americans need to wake up and realize what has been taken from us. For every dollar that we save shopping at Wal-Mart we lose hundreds in pensions, wages, and benefits. It effects all of us.

[chieftain]

8. Wal-Mart is more of a symptom of the decline of the middle class

than a cause.Free Trade and unchecked immigration among other things are the tools of today's union busters. We are in a race to the bottom where products manufactured in the sweat shops of Saipan and sold in Wal-Mart are the only items that Americans will be able to afford.
We have outsourced our jobs, opened our borders and transferred our wealth. The social compact that the Democrats were able to enact during the 4o's and enhance in the 50's and 60's is under successful attack by conservatives who have vilified the true human progress that Democrats and Labor won .
So I am all for criticizing Wal-Mart's miserly compensation and benefit packages.We should not delude ourselves into thinking that throwing rocks at the house Sam Walton built is anything other than personally cathartic. We need to address the real problems created by the reconcentration of wealth that is sponsored by Republicans and enabled by passive Democrats like those that voted for the abomination of a bankruptcy bill.

[OhioBlue]

16. I can agree with much

of your post, however, Wal Mart is very much a cause. They encourage and sometimes require their vendors to outsource. This isn't the empire that Sam Walton built anymore. It has taken on an evil life of its own.

The goal of Wal Mart is to destroy it's competition - especially small mom & pop shops in the community. The beastly super centers that they construct are environmentally damaging, ugly and filled with cheap, imported crap manufactured in Countries with no labor, health or environmental standards (which they encourage) They construct these monstrosities and abandoned an older facility in the same community, still pay the lease to prevent a competitor to move in and contribute to blight. They are truly despicable.

Actually, I see changing the Wal-Mart mania as a giant step forward for the working class.

[Solon]

11. 10 bucks an hour?

What Wal-Mart pays THAT amount? 6-7 dollars an hour is more like it.

[CrazyForKucinich]

3. This guy should just go away.

Less talk...more action buddy.

[acmavm]

4. Senator Credit Card Corporations is going to run again.

For the presidential nomination that is.

**Sigh**

[harlinchi]

5. If this democratic senator cannot support and help elect democratic...

...senatorial candidates than his campaign to become the democratic nominee for president is doomed from the start.

[LynneSin]

12. Biden supports Lamont

it's the OTHER Delaware senator that is supporting Lieberman and believe me, I'm pissed too

[Virginia Dare]

7. I support Biden's message here...

I'm glad he is talking about it I don't support his candidacy for president, but that's another story. I hope more Democrats start using these types of populist messages and slamming these points home.

[harlinchi]

10. I agree!

An anti-Walmart message from almost anyone is a good thing. But Biden has lost any chance of support for president by his statements on Lamont's senatorial campaign.

[LynneSin]

13. Exactly - we need to start pushing the Wal-Mart issue

it's our Tax Dollars being used to pay for the Wal-Mart Healthcare program and personally I'm fed up with it. Trust me, I don't want anyone to not get adequate healthcare but the Waltons are fricking BILLIONAIRES and clearly do not need the money as much as a mother working 50+ hours a week at Wal-mart making minimum wage and no benefits.

I'm a big Joe Biden fan but even I don't want him as my nominee in 2008

[1932]

9. So, does he care about workers, or does he want to protect his banking

friends from having to compete with WalMart (they're trying to get into the banking business).

[Greeby]

14. Corporations are only really as bad as the government allows them to be

Start there

[Sparkly]

15. Maryland took the lead on this -- wonder why so many keep going to Iowa??

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/12/AR2006011201251.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/19/AR2006071901145.html

[OhioBlue]

17. I'm really glad to see Dems taking a stand

against Wal Mart - I heard Wal Mart was launching a campaign against the politicians that spoke out against them. My opinion is the Dems should say F-you, stay on message, get louder and fight back harder. Be the leaders that we need you to be.

Speak out, speak loudly and speak often, educate the public and don't waffle on it because you're afraid of what the possible backlash could be. We need to start ignoring the RW fuckwads, slam down their every BS tactic, propaganda campaign, etc. And just freakin' lead.

Great for Biden and the other Dems that are doing this.