Lee Scott On Barack Obama

This just in: Lee Scott responds to last week’s election results.

It goes something like this: He says that it’s unfortunate that Obama won, despite strong efforts by his company to get associates to vote for John McCain. He rages further: Wal-Mart is lining up its lobbyists and lawyers, and emptying its pockets to ready for an all-out fight with Unions and the Obama Administration over possible labor reforms, which might give his employees a little more of a voice, and might possibly require the company to (gasp!) spend more on its workers and/or treat them a little more fairly.

Ah, just kidding. It’s actually all pretty generic and obvious. We’re going to work harmoniously with the new president, we need to improve health care and decrease energy use (as long as someone else foots the bill for it), solve all of the world’s ills, etc., etc.

Lee Scott Memo Regarding 2008 Presidential Election

Dear Associates,

Last week America elected Barack Obama as our 44th President. In many ways this was a historic election. Our country elected our first African American President, and more Americans voted than ever before. As I travelled to stores and clubs after the election, I saw the desire of our associates and customers to rally behind our new President and make real progress on the critical issues that confront this nation.

A number of associates asked me how our company viewed the election and what our post-election plans were. I told those associates that this is clearly a time of great opportunity for our country, and also a time of great challenge. I reminded them that last June I said that Wal-Mart looked forward to working with the new President and Congress, regardless of party, to find solutions to our challenges. We are even more committed to that objective today.

We have been reaching out to our elected officials and the new administration to tell them that we want to work together on issues like energy, health care, and rebuilding the economy. We believe that progress on these issues will be good for our customers and good for the country. It will also be good for our business.

If America can make its health care system better, more affordable, and more accessible, it will make our country more competitive and, over time, reduce the increased costs of health care for you and our company. If we can pass an energy bill that significantly reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and encourages conservation and renewable energy, it will ultimately help moderate the rise in the cost of energy for all of us and improve the environment. And if we can rebuild our economy and put more money in the pockets of our customers, we will all benefit. I believe these accomplishments will not only be important for this country and our business here, but ultimately they will benefit the rest of the world and our business outside the United States.

I also believe, as I know you do, that your company has much to offer. We understand the plight of our customers who have been hurt by the current economic events. We see this every day in the stores and clubs. We must continue to be an advocate for our customers, as they expect us to help them save money so they can live better, especially in today’s difficult times.

Thank you, as always, for your dedication and for your passion. Have a great holiday season!

Posted by Eric Bull on Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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