New Hillary Ad Stars John Breaux, Former Senator And Wal-Mart Lobbyist
Former Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) stars in a new radio spot for Hillary Clinton in the state he represented, promoting her record on securing health care for children and National Guardsmen. "So when Hillary Clinton says she'll get health care for every American, I know she'll do it," Breaux says. "And boy, do we need it."
There is one wrinkle with Breaux's presence in the ad, and his talk about health care: Breaux became a lobbyist since leaving the Senate three years ago, first with Patton-Boggs and now his new firm with Trent Lott. Among Breaux's clients, according to media reports as recent as December 2007, is none other than Wal-Mart.
Besides the intended effect of motivating voters who remember Breaux favorably, the presence of a lobbyist for Wal-Mart in a Hillary spot is a potentially sensitive situation, since Wal-Mart is seen as a symbol of corporate greed and unfair labor practices by many Democratic activists.
The Hillary camp has pointed out that Hillary has shown sustained and aggressive support for organized labor in general and for the rights of Wal-Mart workers to organize in particular. They also argue she tried to change Wal-Mart's policies when she served on the board of directors.
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