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He's buddies with Bush and Rove.
By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Jun 07, 2019
Bernie Sanders is known for making waves. The progressive left-leaning politician has latched onto the problem of corporate greed with fierce jaws and he's not showing any sign of giving up any time soon. He recently stopped by a Walmart board meeting where he made a statement urging the company to help do something about the problem of wealth disparity. Bernie's words were heard by thousands, and those who may have missed his speech to the fine folks at Walmart quickly were brought up to speed once they logged on to Twitter. Now, Walmart VP and former George W. Bush flunkie Dan Bartlett is speaking out and what he has to say about Walmart today might shock even Sanders himself! Who is Dan Bartlett?
1. Going After Bernie
When Bernie Sanders suggested that Walmart allow its employees the possibility of a higher minimum wager and becoming board members, he thought he striking out against greed. The truth was that he was striking out against Walmart's own Dan Bartlett, and Bartlett, the executive vice president of corporate affairs for Walmart, was going to strike back and then some. Bartlett quickly made it clear on Twitter that he believes Bernie's ideas about the big box store are woefully out of date. He went on to share that in the past five years alone the company's hired 225,000 veterans, has pledged to reduce their emissions and that they make debt free college accessible to millions for just one dollar a day.
2. Political Background
Working for a big brand like Walmart might be intimidating for some people, but when you have the kind of background that Dan has, it takes a lot to stress you out. Dan worked as a Counselor to the President during the George W. Bush administration where he helped create policy and organize the President's strategic communications. That wasn't all he handled for the President either. He was in charge of the White House Press Office, and the Offices of Communications, Media Affairs, and Speechwriting. Whatever your politics, you have to admit that if Dan Bartlett is good at any one thing it's promoting an agenda and spreading a message in a clear way.
3. Bush Friendship
Okay okay okay, so before when I said: "whatever your politics"? Yeah. That doesn't count for this item. It's important to me that you know just how close Dan and GW really are. When Bush first ran for the role of governor of Texas, Bartlett played a critical role in helping him win that campaign. He did the same when it came time to run for President. It turns out that for all his closeness to Bush, there's another person who Bartlett credits with his success. “The only reason I’m here I owe to Karl Rove,” Bartlett said during an interview. “He is the person who gave me the opportunity, and I have enormous respect for him.”
4. Rove Relationship
Bartlett has had his eye on politics since he started pursuing his BA from the University of Texas. He moved to Texas from Illinois as a young man and grew up in Rockwall, Texas. As a student he started getting involved in politics, working for Texas state senator Ted Lyon, who was a Democrat. From there on out, Bartlett was hooked on the idea of working in politics professionally, something he's done until he left the White House after Bush's Administration to start working in his new role at Walmart. When he was still in college, Bartlett began working for Karl Rove's consulting firm, and it was through Rove that he made his connection to Bush.
5. Family Man
Dan is married to a woman named Allyson Sike with whom he shares four sons. When Bartlett took his job as VP at Walmart he moved his family to Arkansas so that they could all be closer to his place of business. This was back in 2013 and Bartlett has been passionate about his relationship with this new brand ever since. In a press release issued when he first took up the role, he said: “Growing up in a small Texas town, I’ve seen first-hand the opportunity Walmart provides and the positive impact it can have on local communities. Now Walmart is in a unique position to make a difference in the lives of millions of people around the world. I am honored and excited to be part of that.”
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.
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