Always Low Common Denominators

At the New York Times, Adam Nagourney and Michael Barbaro report on the Democrats' efforts to speed up the Howleyfication of Wal-Mart.

Across Iowa this week and across much of the country this month, Democratic leaders have found a new rallying cry that many of them say could prove powerful in the midterm elections and into 2008: denouncing Wal-Mart for what they say are substandard wages and health care benefits.

Six Democratic presidential contenders have appeared at rallies like the one Mr. Biden headlined, along with some Democratic candidates for Congress in some of the toughest-fought races in the country.

"My problem with Wal-Mart is that I don't see any indication that they care about the fate of middle-class people," Mr. Biden said, standing on the sweltering rooftop of the State Historical Society building here. "They talk about paying them $10 an hour. That's true. How can you live a middle-class life on that?"

Definitely take some time to soak in that glorious picture of my main man Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. I get the sense Democrats are using Wal-Mart, like the minimum wage increase, as a populist wedge issue to combat Republicans now that prescription drug coverage is off the table. They score bonus points because charging a corporation with pitchforks cuts a more aggressive, manly image, than the old trick of bussing grannies and Shriners to Canada to lard up on Procardia.