Latest Headlines
Wal-Mart Sells Hammers And Buys Them Too
On September 28, 2005, GOP House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, known as “the Hammer” for his hard-nosed political tactics, was forced to step down from his leadership post after he was indicted by a grand jury for his involvement in an illegal scheme to funnel corporate money to Texas Republican legislative candidates. How does Wal-Mart react to DeLay’s indictment and possible jail time? They cut him a check!
There are some discrepancies concerning Wal-Mart’s latest foray into “pay to play” politics. According to the Wal-Mart PAC’s monthly filing, the transaction with DeLay occurred on September 23, 2005. However, according to the quarterly filing of Tom DeLay’s Congressional Committee, the check was received on September 30, 2005 - two days AFTER the indictments.
When did Wal-Mart write their check to “the Hammer”? When did the “exchange” occur? Did the world’s largest corporation have any qualms about funding criminal politicians?
Wal-Mart Watch calls on Wal-Mart’s PAC, notably called the “Responsible Government PAC,” to cancel its donation and to pledge to stop funding criminals.
Background: According to the National Center for Responsive Philanthropy, the Wal-Mart PAC has rapidly increased its activity in the past decade. In the 1994 cycle, they doled out $110,000 to political candidates and organizations in 1994. In the 2004 cycle, the PAC’s contributions totaled $2.1 million, with $1.6 million going to Republican candidates or organizations.
Posted by Media Team on Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Click Here for a Printer-Friendly Version
SEARCH WAL-MART WATCH
Most Popular Tags
associates benefits chicago employees jobs labor news profits stores wages walmart workersTop Posts
- Chicagoist’s Three-Part Series on Working at Walmart
- Good Jobs Chicago, Living wage, Wal-Mart
- A Walmart in Your Backyard
- Wal-Mart Exposed For “Outdated and Sexist” Hiring Practices
- John Perkins on Walmart’s Donation to Chile
- The Oakland Tribune on Our Week of Action
- Wake Up Walmart on Huffington Post
- WakeUpWalmart.com and Activists Demand Walmart Change its Sick Day Policy
Archive
Subscribe to this blog
Subscribe to the Wal-Mart Watch RSS Feed
![]()







View Wal-Mart Watch's videos on YouTube
Contact Us
Have a tip? Contact us.










COMMENTS
Which is sleazier… Wal-Mart or DeLay? Those two deserve each other!
Ben in Raleigh, NC
Tuesday, October 18 at 03:10 PM
Donnie Earle beats them all. I am no fan of Delay, but the prosecutor is rididulous. He went to the first grand jury and got an indictment for a conspiracy law that did not exist at the time of the offense. He then went back to the same grand jury on their last day in session (Friday) and they would not issue an indictment for money laundering. He then went to a new grand jury on Monday, their first day. This time he got an indictment for money laundering. My bet is that Donnie Earl will get indicted, but Delay will get the charges dropped. Earle openly bragged that he was going to get Delay.
Looking at the time line, it is entirely possible that WM cut a check on September 23 and it was not received until September 30. That is one week from the time the check was cut until it was received, which is not unreasonable.
David in Zack AR
Tuesday, October 18 at 03:20 PM
I think pretty much everyone understands that Mr. Delay is something of a crook. That is not something new in politics nor is it confined to one single party. I have no problem with him being prosecuted and if proven guilty he should pay the penalty like any other citizen would. This does not happen all that often though but it’s not good to make excuses for someone who thinks he’s above the law just because he happens to be a ‘mover and shaker’ in the ‘world’. To me it would be a good thing for the GOP because his actions certainly taint his party.
larry in elmira, ny
Tuesday, October 18 at 03:54 PM
Larry - “I think pretty much everyone understands that Mr. Delay is something of a crook”
If he is, then so is much of Congress. Representatives like Bernie Sanders (Ind. USSR) do the exact same thing with funneling campaign funds to whatever personal use they want. Yet they hammer on the Hammer. If what DeLay does is really so bad, his critics who do the same thing should resign as well.
ND in sidious
Tuesday, October 18 at 05:04 PM
One of the major problems with politics is that it is almost impossible to determine whether a person is a crook or just being attacked by the other party. I don’t like Delay for his strong arm tactics. I am not sure he has done anything illegal. If Ronnie Earle can’t indict Delay without resorting to shady tactics, then it makes me wonder whether Delay is breaking the law or whether it is just politics as usual.
Maybe it is legal in Texas to shop around for a grand jury to obtain an indictment, but it is certainly unethical.
David in Zack AR
Tuesday, October 18 at 06:31 PM
Delay was indicted for something that was not a crime at the time he did it. In fact, I would go so far as to say McCain-Feingold is unconstitutional. That said, the prosecutor went back for a 2nd indictment after the 1st was thrown out. Now, the jury foreman and 1 other juror in the 2nd grand jury say they were pressured by the prosecutor to come back with an indictment. They say Earle put pressure on them to indict. I think what may happen is, Delay’s 2nd indictment will also be thrown out and Earle will be forced to resign. Serves him right.
Delay does seem rather sleazy but maybe that is because he doesn’t play the compromise game (nor should he). The Republicans are in power but you woulnd’t know it. They are afraid to act. They had a chance to finish the Democrats for good after the last election and they’re letting it slip away. They are cowards.
BY THE WAY, SPEAKING OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, THE AFL-CIO SPENT MORE THAN $100 MILLION TO DEFEAT PRESIDENT BUSH LAST YEAR. THEY FAILED, OF COURSE. WHERE IS THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS?
Nick in Wheeling
Wednesday, October 19 at 07:49 AM
Do any of the people who have made comments so far specifically know what Delay is accused of doing? He allegedly gathered money from CORPORATE donors to redraw the House district lines in Texas two years after they were already decided because he (and the GOP) wanted to add new seats to the House of Representatives for Republicans. This is wrong, and it doesn’t just affect Texans, it effects the entire balance of Congress, and yet GOP-supporters are quick to whitewash it away with a shrug. Ironically, you would never hear the end of it from this bunch if a Democrat were doing it! You would still be hearing from me though, because I’m Proud to Be Independent. Some people still stand up for principle, but usually (but not always!) those people are not affililated with either party.
Brian in Florence, KY
Wednesday, October 19 at 03:40 PM
Just a little information to add to Brian’s comments. Texas has been voting republican, yet their districts were Gerrymandered so that there were more democratic representatives than republicans. That condition does not seem fair to me. Delay corrected that condition.
David in Zack AR
Wednesday, October 19 at 03:56 PM
Brian - “Ironically, you would never hear the end of it from this bunch if a Democrat were doing it! “
Democrats “Gerrymander” all over the place. No one has mentioned it here. I’m only mentioning it since you raised the topic. There have been instances of Democrats pushing racist gerrymandering going to the courts. Your false claim belies any pretense you have of not being partisan: I guess gerrymandering is good if your side (the Democrats) do it.
ND in Sidious
Wednesday, October 19 at 06:59 PM
ND: I’d like to hear specific facts you have that “Democrats gerrymander all over the place.” Even one would do for now. If you make a statement, you should back it up with at least one fact, though “all over the place” implies many more than that. What is the racist gerrymandering you speak of?
Ellie in Portland, OR
Thursday, October 20 at 02:24 PM
Nick in Wheeling wrote: They [the Republicans] had a chance to finish the Democrats for good after the last election and they’re letting it slip away. They are cowards.
BY THE WAY, SPEAKING OF CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, THE AFL-CIO SPENT MORE THAN $100 MILLION TO DEFEAT PRESIDENT BUSH LAST YEAR. THEY FAILED, OF COURSE. WHERE IS THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS?
That’s right, Nick. We should have a one-party government in the US. That way all those lazy “working people” would no longer be an impediment to all those worthy rich people who sit around all day drinking at their golf clubs or give their trophy wives money to buy baubles to keep the dumb gals happy. Destroy the unions, they are a bunch of commies. Why have a middleman like the IRS to take the slobs’ money and redistribute it to the big shots? Why don’t the wealthy provide dormitories with racks of wooden bunks for the slobs who produce wealth for the overlords. Ach, vy donn’t zee uberlorden maken zure zat zee slaves never leaf zee kamps? And any who try will be immediately shot with legal rifles. But you do have to save a few to produce future generations of slaves, korrect?
Rob in NYC
Friday, October 21 at 09:19 AM
Rob
You are way out of line talking to me in that manner. To imply that those who favor personal responsibility are somehow enslaving the rest is ridiculous. I do not believe in one-party government. What I meant was, the liberal-Democrat way of thinking was harshly voted down by the people last year. I think the average American is tired of being taxed to death, tired of being called a racist, tired of politicians with less morals than a serial child rapist. The Republicans used to be the party of limited government, personal responsibility and moral values. Now they have been hi-jacked by the EXTREME nuts and by that I don’t mean people like myself who favor a 100% strict interpretation of the Constitution. The average American is patriotic, charitable, hard-working, decent, neighborly and intelligent. Only the extremes at both ends (who shout the loudest) are heard in the media and we are supposed to believe that we are a country of Capital vs. Labor. That’s a bunch of BS.
In case you weren’t aware, the top 1% of taxpayers in this country pay nearly 36% of all taxes. The top 10% pay more than 60%. The top 50% pay more than 90%. To make the top 1%, you only needed to gross a little over $100,000 last year. That being the case, there are more than 200 UFCW employees in the top tax bracket!
Workers do not produce wealth for the stockholders for free. You make it sound like workers are enslaved. Workers are paid a mutually agreed upon wage. Those who feel they are ill-served by such a wage offer are free to reject it before they begin employment. Those who feel they can do better after they are employed are free to leave. No one is chained. Without capital, there would be no factories or other businesses for the working class to work in. We would all be living in huts for 10,000 years, making no effort to improve our situation, like most of Africa.
Yes, unions were for many years controlled either by the Communists, the Anarchists or The Mafia.
And you mention rich conservatives? I would be willing to bet that the average American can name twice as many wealthy liberals as he could wealthy conservatives. Most of the liberals are in Hollywood and in the entertainment or porn industries. Most of the wealthy conservatives are people who have had to work real jobs to get rich. So, while you are attacking the rich, remember to attack Moves, Music, Porn and such.
Nick in Wheeling
Friday, October 21 at 03:19 PM
Just a note on wicked Wal-Mart, whcih last Thursday in Cheyenne opened its first area gas station. The day before it opened regular was universally in the greater Cheyenne area $2.79.9 a gallon. Today, Wal-Mart’s price is $2.52.9 a gallon and almost every area gas station has dropped its price to $2.56.9 a gallon. They didn’t Delay a minute.
Joe
Joe in Cheyenne, WY
Monday, October 24 at 12:01 PM
Just to let you know that I think the website is great and I wish you all of the best for the future. http://cheapest-valium.vidanal.com
Freddy in USA
Saturday, January 28 at 10:52 AM
I am impressed with this page...setup really nice. Doesn’t take forever to load pics, like mine… Very impressive.. http://little-tykes.ziarc.com
Sam. K in USA
Tuesday, January 31 at 03:42 PM
Good site!!! I found your site in the google. http://adipex-cheap.adyxx.info/adipex_cheapest/
Bob in Australia
Wednesday, February 01 at 08:51 PM
Nice site. Hope yoy visit http://buy-nasonex-online.gottaoh.com soon. You are welcom!!!
Pieter Bas in Netherlands
Monday, February 13 at 02:08 PM
Hello.Your site is very good.I like what i can find your site.I say to all my friends about your site.Very interesting and informative site.Thanks.
Odin in USA, New York
Thursday, April 20 at 06:08 AM
This is very interesting site…
Ivan in France, New York
Saturday, April 22 at 08:58 AM
legs recall
get Generic Meridia
buy Generic Meridia
ViagraSoftTabs
buy Generic Celebrex
Viagra Soft Tabs
GenericMeridia
buy Viagra Soft Tabs
get Generic Celebrex
get Generic Lipitor
Generic Meridia
get Viagra Soft Tabs
GenericLipitor
buy Generic Lipitor
Generic Celebrex
get Generic Paxil
GenericPaxil
GenericCelebrex
Generic Paxil
buy Generic Paxil
Generic Lipitor
Y52GassOv0 in Y52GassOv0
Sunday, April 23 at 01:56 AM
sunflower quite
viagra Preissturz
viagra empfangen
viagra kriegen
viagra kostenlos
viagra Zustellung
viagra Preise
viagra Selbstkostenpreis
viagra sich
viagra bestechen
viagra unentgeltlich
viagra Sinken
viagra Lieferung frei Haus
viagra Lieferung
viagra anschaffen
viagra bekommen
viagra erhalten
viagra Austragen
viagra Preissenkung
viagra morgen
viagra erwerben
viagra niedrigen
viagra kaufen
viagra Preis
viagra zuziehen
viagra heute
viagra gewinnen
viagra billig
viagra herausbekommen
rwMmrlTyxo in rwMmrlTyxo
Sunday, April 23 at 12:50 PM
Often times
Mamadshah in USA, London
Monday, April 24 at 04:59 AM
entered c chair
Herbal Viagra
Cialis Generic
kt7j8YjZVC in kt7j8YjZVC
Monday, April 24 at 02:30 PM
Very cool design! Useful information. Go on!
Ahmed in France, London
Monday, April 24 at 03:50 PM
Comment Policy
WalmartWatch.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove or refuse to post blog comments.