11.10.2008 4:41 pm
Bargain bin: Wal-Mart gives to Nixon — two days after election
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Political donors will often hedge their bets by giving to both candidates in a competitive race.
But, in this month’s contest for Missouri governor, Wal-Mart found a way to make sure it was backing the winner: Wait until the polls close.
Campaign reports for Gov. elect Jay Nixon show that the retail giant gave the Democrat’s campaign $10,000 on Nov. 6 — two days after the election.
Though based in Bentonville, Ark., Wal-Mart has strong ties to Missouri — founder Sam Walton went to high school in Columbia, Mo.
However, that bit of history may not hold much sway for members of organized labor — early and active supporters of Nixon — who for years have battled Wal-Mart’s attempts to keep unions out of their stores.
Not to mention WalMart’s first Supercenter was in the exurb of Washington and Bentonville’s a stone’s throw away from the Missouri border. In fact, owing to Benton County’s dry status, the closest Wal-Mart to the hone office that has liquor sales is the store right across the border in Jane!
As for the $10,000, looks more like a effort to establish two minutes of mutual back-scratching.