CRAZY, NOT CORRUPT. I've been a bit puzzled recently by the unanimity of conservative support for Wal-Mart. It's not that the right should agree with me, or throw their lot in with the unions, but the confidence they place in the company's executives seems a bit odd. It's as if the class consciousness of yesteryear has given rise to its antithesis: corporate consciousness, a mindset where private corporations serenely pursue the public good, and any fall in their fortunes or impositions on their business model are direct attacks against the little guy. On the other hand, I don't really buy the implications of this New York Times article suggesting that the steadfast support of AEI, Heritage, The Manhattan Institute, and others is a quid prop quo for donations by the Walton Family Foundation. After all, I (and many liberals) routinely rely on the research of progressive think tanks like the Economic Policy Institute, which is both heavily funded by unions and scrupulously honest in its work. The right's mind meld with the corporate world happened long before WakeUp Wal-Mart pushed the retailer into the national conversation, and given the bizarre reliability with which conservative think tanks can now be counted on to defend private companies against any and all labor complaints, it's perfectly possible the Waltons are merely strengthening their obvious allies before the fight. On a somewhat related note, focusing on the money alone is an understandable but occasionally harmful quirk of liberals: Too often, we don't imagine conservatives could honestly believe the corporatist, self-interested philosophy they appear to advocate -- who could genuinely believe Wal-Mart could not rasie prices by a few pennies to pay their workers better? -- and so reach for explanations of corruption and bribery. It's a comforting response, but not the right one. On this matter, as on others, ideology is real, and if theirs nets them corporate donations, it also retains a sincere grip on its adherents. Which is to say their beliefs may seem crazy, but that's not evidence they're corrupt.
--Ezra Klein
