Obama puts his “Patriot Corporation” aims into practice
posted at 4:15 pm on February 13, 2008 by Bryan
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This turned up on the OC Register’s site today. The story is that in November Sen. Barack Obama wrote a letter to Tim Mason, the CEO of Tesco, urging them to run their grocery store business in ways that Obama approves.
The presidential candidate signed a letter last week supporting a Los Angeles watchdog group that has criticized the British retailer for not building stores in underserved communities, as it has promised.
The Alliance for Healthy & Responsible Grocery Stores, a coalition of over 25 communities, delivered the Obama letter to Prince Andrew last week. The Duke of York toured a Compton Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market when it opened last Thursday.
In the letter, Obama urged Fresh & Easy parent company, Tesco, to make good on its promises to build stores in neglected neighborhoods.
“I hope these promises will be fulfilled,” the letter stated.
I don’t know what Tesco did or didn’t promise, but businesses don’t exist to “serve underserved communities.” They exist to make money. Democrats and especially people like Obama who have never worked in private enterprise just don’t seem to get that.
While I’m sure that politicians routinely lean on corporations to change their behavior, few politicians are co-sponsoring a bill that would legally designate corporations as either patriotic or not patriotic based on whether their practices met with liberal approval or not, and would deal with those companies differently based on their patriot status. In this case, Obama refers Tesco to an outfit called the Los Angeles Alliance for Healthy & Responsible Grocery Stores. They’re not a government agency, nor do they appear to be friendly to private enterprise. A quick check of their site shows that it’s an agglomeration of unions, far-left activists and other Democrats. I bet there isn’t an economist in the lot. They also appear to have been organized solely to antagonize Tesco. Thus, they’re hardly a fair arbiter worthy of Obama’s imprimatur. This letter to Tesco looks like a sop to the unions and activists.
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Yeah, Obama is so much better than Jesse Jackson.
It would be a shame if something happened to that nice tax rate you’ve got.
pedestrian on February 13, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Well, this is more of the same kind of collectivist logic that demands huge tax turn-in, universal public health care, and a centralized economy.
Communism. Let’s say it together: COMMUNISM. Let’s quit creating euphemisms and face the fact that we’re fighting an old enemy.
MadisonConservative on February 13, 2008 at 4:20 PM
House [or Presidential] Un-American Activities Committee
Tzetzes on February 13, 2008 at 4:22 PM
Patriotism has nothing to do with what Obama is trying to force on companies. Where are the calls for him to stop “wraping himself in the flag” while shoving communism down the throat of the free market?
I cannot wait for this guy to be president. I should be able to survive the Great Depression II being debt free.
Voidseeker on February 13, 2008 at 4:22 PM
How do we know this came from Obama?
He HOPES they will do what Barack would COMMAND them to do.
That’s the CHANGE he’s talking about. It always involves GOVERNMENT.
BKennedy on February 13, 2008 at 4:23 PM
On official Obama for America letterhead, no less.
RushBaby on February 13, 2008 at 4:23 PM
Fitting enough that he should go after a British interest, though I believe proper form would suggest Polish and French ones should come first.
Blacklake on February 13, 2008 at 4:24 PM
Turning Tesco over to the unions doesn’t suprise me considering the bill required corporations “not to resist unionization.” Sounds like Obama’s in the labor union’s pocket. Gonna miss “right to work” states…
Meric1837 on February 13, 2008 at 4:24 PM
Change. Of course change can always be change for the worse. Driving out foreign investment is change. Making corporations kowtow to leftist NGOs is change. Eventually telling grocery chains where they can and cannot open store is, you guessed it my friends, change.
Vote Sauron 08 on February 13, 2008 at 4:25 PM
The letter suggests that this
coalitiongroup of thugs will create “partnerships for prosperity”, and closes:“It is because of your expansion is critical to the area that it is vital that it be done right and in cooperation with community leaders.” Sincerely, Barack Obama
So polite, is our little mafia princelet, isn’t he? So likable.
RushBaby on February 13, 2008 at 4:28 PM
I remember when I laughed when Hillary got a tongue bath from Fortune magazine as a pro-business candidate. I ain’t laughing now.
Chuck Schick on February 13, 2008 at 4:29 PM
It’s not, though. Communism would involve the State overtly seizing the private interests involved. Bullying private interests into pursuing policies deemed of service to the State, even when detrimental to the interests themselves, is textbook fascism.
Turns out Sinclair Lewis was wrong about the cross.
Blacklake on February 13, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Yes, it would MUCH better to sit out the prez vote in November and let this idiot decide the fate of the free market system… Hurry up, y’all, Obama needs your votes to secure his presidency over McCain!!!
/sarcasm
Califemme on February 13, 2008 at 4:30 PM
How is it Barry’s business to interfere in a British retailer’s Los Angeles store location anyway?
Isn’t he the Jr. Senator from Illinois?
Buy Danish on February 13, 2008 at 4:33 PM
Which is a perfect segue to recommend some scholarship on the subject. Don’t take it from me, take it from Thomas Sowell.
RushBaby on February 13, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Surely you mean wrapping, eh?! ;)
Tzetzes on February 13, 2008 at 4:37 PM
“Papers, vhere are your papers?!”
ThePrez on February 13, 2008 at 4:39 PM
He’s got to prove he’s ‘down for the struggle’, to counter the black leadership’s claim that he ain’t black enough.
pistolero on February 13, 2008 at 4:42 PM
So overt takeover is communism, but subtle takeover is fascism? I have difficulty thinking that it changes simply because of the approach.
MadisonConservative on February 13, 2008 at 4:42 PM
The basic tenants of socialism are:
1. Seduce the populace into accepting the government as the arbitrator of all problems; government from cradle-to-grave
2. Begin delivering on those services to make the citizens dependent
3. Take away the citizens’ guns
4. Increase taxes on all services while destroying any free market alternative services
5. Blame the chosen scapegoat for the inability to meet demand for services
6. Have the centralized national police force round up any dissidents
Your new democratic platform: Change!
JustTruth101 on February 13, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Since a patriot is someone who is willing to die for their country, a “patriot corporation” is obviously willing to go under for their country. Would you expect a lawyer to use a word that didn’t mean what it means?
shirgall on February 13, 2008 at 4:45 PM
Nice little grocery ya have dare. It’d be a shame if anything happened to it, wouldn’t it?
Sefton on February 13, 2008 at 4:45 PM
I agree with Madison. Socialism, fascism, marxism…I doubt the citizens of China, Cuba and N. Korea give a d*mn what it’s called.
JustTruth101 on February 13, 2008 at 4:45 PM
I would imagine that the underserved of which they are speaking areas are high crime areas. Are unions really going to permit their members to work in high crime areas?
bloggless on February 13, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Bryan
It wasn’t just Obama, John Edwards was also tied up with this group, here is a YouTube link to the groups protest at the first store opening with letters from both Obama and Edwards being shown in the press conference they held.
I found that on a page only accessible as a cached page on Google.
CommentGuy on February 13, 2008 at 4:49 PM
That’s correct in theory but since the elites of both parties, BUSH and CLINTON, felt the need to “get involved” and give us the perverted NAFTA and CAFTA, they all have become hypocrits. “Don’t tell us about how to make money”…except for when they want a law passed that helps them make more money and send jobs overseas (and leave the bill to the tax payers that are left).
Being upset with the libs would be totally justified IF NOT FOR THE FACT that Republicans have helped push more socialism in Bush’s eight years in office than we could have imagined…and he’s still going strong. There is no such thing as capitalism in America anymore, no such thing as responsibility. The only thing for sure is who is going to kill America first (and it’s not the terrorist).
TOPV on February 13, 2008 at 4:50 PM
How audacious!
James on February 13, 2008 at 4:50 PM
Apparently Obama has never heard of the ABC stores in Los Angeles. One of the most wonderful and well kept store chain in the inner cities. Nicknamed “Gelson’s of the Ghetto”. Gelson’s being a chain of stores in the most wealthy areas of LA and OC (Santa Monica, Newport beach, Laguna Beach, Beverly Hills, etc.).
Those stores (ABC markets) were designed to serve the inner city community, with quality products and first rate service. In fact, during the Watts riots, those stores were untouched because of the pride the neighborhood had in that chain. So the “underserved communities”, aren’t so underserved.
right2bright on February 13, 2008 at 4:51 PM
So, he’s just another shakedown artist like Jesse after all. He just buys nicer suits and has better PR people. This guy is dangerous. He’s building a cult of personality and half the Dems are blinded by it and half the Republicans won’t call him out for fear of being called a racist.
Sefton on February 13, 2008 at 4:51 PM
More people attacking something they don’t have a clue about. That’s the tale of the modern age. Everyone thinks they know everything about everything, and act like it too. Meh.
Seixon on February 13, 2008 at 4:54 PM
CommentGuy on February 13, 2008 at 4:55 PM
Communism is more than just that–it’s central economic planning and all that Soviet, Chinese, Cambodian, etc. madness that goes far above and beyond even overt State ownership, as in socialism. Not officially nationalizing companies but using legal penalties and rewards to force them to serve the State anyway, as with Obama, is fascism. But you’re correct in that all of it is collectivism, and similarly horrific in the end. If anything, communism and socialism are simply the more honest of the three.
I think it’s important to accurately label Obama’s fascism as such because “fascism” has been a term wrongly hurled at the right for so long now that people tend to forget what it actually is. Obama clearly has.
Blacklake on February 13, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Tesco: “Patriotic? We’re f-in’ British. We don’t even think you Yanks should be independent.”
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on February 13, 2008 at 5:05 PM
The group from the last clip is called Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy LAANE.
They have been very active in pressuring the government into actions since their founding.
LAANE
Read their about page and look at the various board members off their quick links on the left side bar of the page and also look at their list of foundation donors in the same quick link listing.
CommentGuy on February 13, 2008 at 5:06 PM
Remember, they decimated themselves, but as I stated, ABC stores were untouched.
And that statement about only one store in South Central and East LA, having only one store…an outright lie. East LA alone has had several new store openings. Ralph’s, Boys markets, Super A, etc. I have no idea where you got that quote, but it is dead wrong.
Also, because of the escalating cost of land, several of the chains enlarged existing stores (some as much as double the square footage).
Care to tell us where you got that foolish quote?
Never mind it is from this union bureaucrat…Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the L.A. County Federation of Labor.
Maybe just a little bias????
right2bright on February 13, 2008 at 5:06 PM
Hey, this crap is nothing compared to what changes he has in store for the medical system. Apparently, we won’t be able to poot without some bureaucrat’s approval and authorization. Take a look at his website and see for yourself. It will be a nightmare.
bloggless on February 13, 2008 at 5:08 PM
It’s called taking the bus.
- The Cat
MirCat on February 13, 2008 at 5:08 PM
The Alliance for Healthy and Responsible Grocery Stores (which is comprised of 25 community groups) has proposed negotiating a legally binding agreement in which Tesco’s Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market chain would commit to pay “livable” wages, provide access to affordable healthcare, hire people who live near the stores and guarantee its workers the right to join unions without company hindrance. Other coalitions have negotiated similar agreements on wages and local hiring with major developers in Los Angeles.
CommentGuy on February 13, 2008 at 5:10 PM
comment guy- Do they make any mention of how they plan on keeping the prices down for these underserved people, after they create these dream jobs?
bloggless on February 13, 2008 at 5:15 PM
Not a great start to a community’s resume.
I wonder why the most successful british supermarket giant doesn’t invest millions of dollars in infrastructure there?
LimeyGeek on February 13, 2008 at 5:17 PM
What’s even dumber is that the black communities protested the building of a Wal-Mart Super Center because it would “take away from the Mom & Pop” stores. I don’t travel down to those parts of LA, and for good reason, so I can’t say if there are very many mom and pop stores. I’m guessing not. If anything, there’s a proliferation of liquor stores and fast food places. (Which they now protest because people are getting fat. Gee.)
Fascism, brought to you by the Democratic Party.
wherestherum on February 13, 2008 at 5:17 PM
Here’s why you should give a damn: People like Obama wouldn’t be able to sell outright socialist nationalization of companies to the American electorate. But by using their current set of verbiage and tactics, they are on the verge of instead selling fascistic measures that achieve largely the same ends. It is almost entirely about packaging, but that packaging is what makes or breaks the Democrats with the vital swing-voters of the American electorate.
In other words, since Americans more-or-less know what socialism is, most of them recoil at talk of overtly socialist policies. But since they’ve no idea what fascism is, Obama can promote it and get away with being hailed as “hopeful” instead of the far more appropriate “tyrannical.” If you can help people understand that what he’s promoting is straight-up, historical, fascist economics–as in labor ideas befitting Mussolini’s Italy or Hitler’s Germany–you might dissuade some of them from making a disastrous mistake.
Blacklake on February 13, 2008 at 5:20 PM
Sadly, I don’t think socialism has quite the same fear factor for most people as it used to. People don’t understand the reality of it and care only for their entitlements. They are just as ignorant of true fascism, as evidenced by Bush=Hitler, etc. kind of arguments, which is why I think the Dems can get away with it by prettying it up in speeches. And why Obama saying he’ll raise taxes/get rid of tax cuts, doesn’t seem to frighten anyone except people who are fiscally conservative.
wherestherum on February 13, 2008 at 5:30 PM
wherestherum on February 13, 2008 at 5:17 PM
Or Else.
Don’t make me open up a can of community organization on you!
Sincerely,
B.O.
Deety on February 13, 2008 at 5:33 PM
Obama is one hell of an arrogant moonbat.
Pax americana on February 13, 2008 at 5:37 PM
Hugo Obama.
It has a ring to it.
drjohn on February 13, 2008 at 5:40 PM
He’s trying to rack up an “accomplishment” — trying to work on the U.S. world image like he promised.
Poor Prince Andrew…to face the wrath of Obama… (insert fake shivers and chills here)
Numenorean on February 13, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Obama continues the long liberal tradition of writing checks that someone else has to make good.
drjohn on February 13, 2008 at 5:41 PM
Good thing those black “leaders” are looking out for their people, huh, Deety?
wherestherum on February 13, 2008 at 5:43 PM
Hey, little Barry is cosponsoring a bill! That means Frank Luntz’s focus groupies might actually have an “accomplishment” to name the next time they get asked to name one accomplishment of their hero Obama. Of course, he has to get this obamanation passed first.
aero on February 13, 2008 at 5:44 PM
I was intrigued to see this just a moment ago. Note in particular what the WTO cited as objectionable about the current Chinese policy. Sound familiar?
DrSteve on February 13, 2008 at 5:45 PM
That was my point showing how they were putting their own spin on the situation.
From all I read on this group they are a wolf in sheep’s clothing playing the part of social activists but in all reality working to get their union workers put into place through public pressure rather than ‘making them an offer they can’t refuse’
CommentGuy on February 13, 2008 at 5:54 PM
An old comparative systems prof of mine put it this way: Communism is de jure public ownership of the means of production; fascism is de facto public ownership of the means of production.
But in effect both are de facto ownership by small cliques.
DrSteve on February 13, 2008 at 5:54 PM
They’re progressives, that’s those unintended consequences that always happen, which require another fix of course and on and on.
But they feel your pain, and depend on you to back them up in putting pressure on the business to do their demands and you end up reaching for your wallet digging deeper later.
Circular firing squads disguised as a drum circle.
CommentGuy on February 13, 2008 at 5:59 PM
And to answer the question with as yet no answer, “what has Obama accomplished to date”, his suave diplomatic talents trumping British royalty by press release proves Obama’s international prowess. Obama claims to be best on foreign relations because he is the only candidate who lived overseas–as though McCain’s experience abroad serving our nation never happened.
CHANGE: beyond revisionism, absolute ignorance by the democrat hollow-O!
maverick muse on February 13, 2008 at 5:59 PM
LUNTZ: Name one Obama accomplishment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think with
Congresspersonal freedom and responsibility at its lowest approval rating ever, you have to elect a candidate who believes inchangecorporatism and gets people to believe in his kind ofchangesocialism. He’s the person I think that’s going to turn things around.Deety on February 13, 2008 at 5:59 PM
So the Alliance gets to tell the stores who they can hire as their employees, what wages they must pay their employees, what benefits they must provide to their employees, and the stores must also guarantee that their employees have the right to join unions?
And just what do the grocery stores get in exchange for all these concessions?
AZCoyote on February 13, 2008 at 6:00 PM
And the LAARN group associated with this union group is the one who worked to have the Wal-Mart ban done.
There is from what I am seeing on the web a whole host of groups that work together to accomplish their desires.
CommentGuy on February 13, 2008 at 6:02 PM
Please clarify your meaning.
RushBaby on February 13, 2008 at 6:07 PM
The twist of change with Obama trying to push royalty also goes against the democratic tradition to fawn over if not actually mimic the European aristocracy (pretending by fabricating myth that JFK was the reincarnated King Arthur though Kennedy was a pill popping sexually indiscrete political keg of gun powder who got us into Vietnam and blew the Cuban Bay of Pigs that he called for and pulled out of the moment of attack). Whoever pulls Obama’s strings owns the MSM and plays against American citizens in preference to the international global citizen. Obama nods faithfully to fascism and communism alike, but not to the American taxpayer though he waves to the “entitled” masses on entitlements (as though welfare recipients are the American democrat aristocracy).
maverick muse on February 13, 2008 at 6:14 PM
The opportunity to lose their shirts stocking highly perishable, high-quality, higher priced organic foods in stores located in areas where market research and previous experience has shown great resistance in precisely those target demographic groups to PURCHASING said products.
Deety on February 13, 2008 at 6:15 PM
Sounds like a great bargain, doesn’t it? Can’t imagine why the stores wouldn’t want to sign on to this ex
tortion. . . er, I mean deal.AZCoyote on February 13, 2008 at 6:21 PM
“All your business are belong to us!”
I sure hope McCain has the nerve to question him about this, and his Farakhan-loving church, in the upcoming race.
PattyJ on February 13, 2008 at 6:23 PM
I’m just hoping McCain doesn’t decide that this is a fine idea.
Deety on February 13, 2008 at 6:28 PM
Business for patriotism not profit…
Deety on February 13, 2008 at 6:29 PM
McCain would probably only go for it if the contract required the stores to hire a certain percentage of illegal alien employees.
AZCoyote on February 13, 2008 at 6:53 PM
in England, the marxists quickly realized that the average worker was not going to go along with instant totalitarianism (Communism), so they changed tactics and took the Fabian route. The rest, as they say, is history.
OldEnglish on February 13, 2008 at 6:55 PM
Yes, yes I did. My bad, should use the preview button more. Thanks for the good catch. =)
Voidseeker on February 13, 2008 at 7:01 PM
Didn’t Obama work for nine years in a law firm?
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/20/america/NA-POL-US-Obama-Attorney-at-Law.php
Am I missing something here? Was the law firm not private?
mycowardice on February 13, 2008 at 7:02 PM
Right on. Reagan knew it for what it was. They don’t even bring up the word “communism” in classes anymore. And collectivism is used to contrast our nation’s individualism with nearly every other countries collectivist attitudes - like we’re the bad guys for not thinking that way!
Disgusting.
mksmithwriter on February 13, 2008 at 7:02 PM
Americans are mostly socialist right now, who you kidding?!!? We’ve forgotten the true meanings of socialism and communism and liberty. Wilson started it, FDR implemented it, Johnson finished it. It’s only a matter of time.
The liberty experiment is dead. Someone tell the corpse.
The minute someone swallowed the argument that allowing promotion of communism and socialism was required under the law was the moment of our death. BOTH takes the government out of the hands of the people; the government disseminates rights, not the people. Even a child has more rights than a parent.
IT’s over. Scream all you want. la libertà è guasto
mksmithwriter on February 13, 2008 at 7:13 PM
Fascism rejects individualism. So does Obama’s church. It also rejects “middle-class” American values. Doesn’t specify what those middle-class American values are. Hard work? Personal responsibility?
Just wondering.
AZCoyote on February 13, 2008 at 7:14 PM
Barack Obama
1990 Illinois Issues, Springfield, Illinois
O.K.
So at least we have some indication of the Senator’s views on the types of things that do not constitute “hope” and “change”.
Deety on February 13, 2008 at 7:58 PM
The Nine Stages of the Rise and Fall of World Powers
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse, that is excessive gratuities from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses under loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith
From spiritual faith to great courage
From great courage to liberty
From liberty to abundance
From abundance to selfishness
From selfishness to complacency
From complacency to apathy
From apathy to dependency, [and] back to bondage”
– Professor Alexander Tyler, a Scottish historian, writing in 1787 about the fall of the Athenian republic over 2000 years earlier
Any bets as to what stage we’re at?
Califemme on February 13, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Well explained. Obama is essentially channeling Mussolini (whom Italian women not-named-Oprah adored), with some necessary adaptation/narrative changes for this time and place.
It’s not communism — at least not yet. It’s fascism, and it’s important to define the terms, since the progressive left loves to argue semantics rather than issues. Try reading Jonah Goldberg’s new book “Liberal Fascism.” It’s driving the left nuts.
Yeah, let’s all slit our wrists. That’ll be immensely helpful.
Nichevo on February 13, 2008 at 8:36 PM
Didn’t we defeat and destroy communism already? Why the hell does it keep rearing its ugly head, especially nowadays with our communist aligned Democrats and middle-aged voters who are damn well old enough to remember well the scourge of communism and what it took to bring it to its knees.
I may have to break out the tin foil hat soon, because I’m starting to wonder if the “sleepers” were awakened and are doing the deeds they were programmed for several decades ago. *yeesh*
SilverStar830 on February 13, 2008 at 8:52 PM
No need for “sleepers” SilverStar. The Marxists have been quite openly promulgating their propaganda in our Universities and through the Teacher’s Colleges in said Universities throughout the public school system for over three decades now.
Take a look at a catalog from your local State U to determine the ratio of say, actual math courses to social justice, diversity awareness etc. courses required for someone to become certified to teach secondary math for instance.
As an added benefit, indoctrination into progressive shibboleths at the expense of mathematical literacy makes it easier to sell the voters on absurd economic “improvements”.
Deety on February 13, 2008 at 9:10 PM
This Obama poster looks suspiciously like one promoting CHE.
Color scheme, pose, an all.
Somebody give Barack a cigar.
profitsbeard on February 13, 2008 at 9:15 PM