More on the Wal-Mart Debate

"Wal-Mart Is Good for the Poor," Dan Drezner suggests, commenting on a new paper, "Wal-Mart:  A Progressive Success Story," by a former Kerry advisorOur own Professor Bainbridge replies, here.  Matt Yglesias also chimes in, making explicit what I tend to think is the concern that drives many of Wal-Mart's critics, i.e., that by standing up to labor unions, Wal-Mart poses a political threat to liberal democrats:

[I]f you believe that progressive politics needs unions, then you need to believe that there needs to be organizing of big box retail. Again, my wonky self would really prefer this not to involve picking on some one company, complaining a lot about it, making documentaries and so forth. Fundamentally what's needed is first a policy shift in terms of labor law and its enforcement, and then people to do organizing work. But be that as it may, this is the issue that's behind the campaign against Wal-Mart and that's the thing that needs to be talked about.

(Yglesias does not get into another factor that is, I think, at work:  Wal-Mart tends to take -- I assume for financial, and not philosophical, reasons -- the "conservative" side on "culture wars" matters). 

On the other hand, Amy Welborn asks:

For the life of me I cannot understand the reflexive response of some conservatives to defend every single aspect of the Wal-Mart experience. Lower prices on goods=a good thing, yes.  Employment=good thing, yes.

But there is a price for everything, and the price of a Wal-Mart culture is great, not just on local businesses, but on product manufacture and marketing, period. The control that Wal-Mart exerts in this area is great and has a wide impact, and, among other things, may lower the price on many goods, but because what Wal-Mart offers is wide but not deep, it impacts what manufacturers determine what is worth their time to produce and market.

[W]hy are conservative Wal-Mart defenders so reluctant to acknowledge any problems with the company and the system? I thought conservatism was all about realism, against mindless sunny prognostications. Right?