The Tennessee ad for the Republican National Committee was created by an outside group that Wal-Mart hired last month to help get information to its more than 1.3 million U.S. employees in its first companywide voter registration drive.
Wal-Mart urged to fire consultant linked to GOP ad that caused racial uproar
Fri Oct 27, 2:08 AM
By Marcus Kabel
(AP) - A union group and Rev. Jesse Jackson demanded that Wal-Mart fire a Republican consultant connected to a Senate campaign ad that critics call racist.
Veteran Republican strategist Terry Nelson is the head of an outside group that created the Tennessee ad for the Republican National Committee. Nelson is also one of two political consultants - the other is a Democrat - that Wal-Mart hired last month to help get information to its more than 1.3 million U.S. employees in its first companywide voter registration drive.
Union-funded WakeUpWalMart.com and Jackson, in a joint statement Thursday, said Wal-Mart must fire Nelson to show it does not tolerate racism.
Wal-Mart declined to respond.
"This has nothing to do with Wal-Mart, so it would be absurd for us to comment on it," Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar said.
A message seeking comment was left Thursday at Nelson's office.
The ad targeted Democratic candidate Harold Ford Jr. in a way that critics - including civil rights group the NAACP - called racist sexual innuendo about a black man and white woman.
In the ad, a white woman with blond hair and bare shoulders looks into the camera and whispers, "Harold, call me," then winks. It doesn't mention that Ford is black.
The ad also drew fire from the Canadian government. It implied Canada is a global freeloader that doesn't pull its weight in international matters.
The RNC, which paid for the ad, denied it had racial subtext. Party Chairman Ken Mehlman said it was produced by an independent organization.
Nelson, the RNC's deputy chief of staff in 2002 and the Bush campaign's political director in 2004, is the head of that group, RNC spokesman Danny Diaz said.
Jackson and the union group said the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer must prove that it can live up to its stated goals of promoting diversity. In the past year, Wal-Mart says it has expanded targets for increasing diversity in the work force, doing business with more minority and women-owned companies and putting money into programs for minority small businesses and job creation programs.
"If Wal-Mart is truly interested in changing for the better, we implore you to send a message to all Americans, especially African-Americans, that Wal-Mart will not do business with consultants who use race as a political tool to divide our nation," WakeUpWalMart wrote in a letter faxed to Chief Executive Lee Scott.
"Wal-Mart will determine what it will do based on how they view the gravity of the situation. It will be a reflection of their values," Jackson said.
The ad began a five-day run Friday, and the RNC said Wednesday the commercial would no longer air, although it was still seen in some Tennessee markets Thursday.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/061027/world/us_campaign_ad_wal_mart