Gregor Samsa of the Ozarks

Despite (or because of) being the nation's largest retailer and one of the most successful US companies of the last 30 years, Wal-Mart has developed an "image" problem, especially among the sort of people who wouldn't be caught dead shopping in its flourescently-lit aisles. Well, Wal-Mart, consider your image burnished! Retailer's Image Moves From Demon To Darling

In the past four years, Wal-Mart Stores has undergone a stunning metamorphosis -- from whipping boy of the political left to corporate leviathan now welcomed with open arms by a Democratic White House.

In the summer of 2004, several Democratic congressmen running for reelection, including Vice President Joseph Biden, made anti-Wal-Mart rhetoric a key part of their campaign speeches. They cozied up to labor unions by excoriating Wal-Mart's labor practices, health benefits and general business dealings.

They had plenty of ammunition.

They sure did, but not from customer complaints or wide-scale employee dissension. Rather, Wal-Mart was the object of a wide-ranging, though probably uncoordinated, assault by various left-wing interest groups. From trial lawyers bringing class action suits to protectionist politicians to union-sponsored TV ads attacking Wal-Mart's health care plan to journalists following the "Nickel & Dimed" template, the bad publicity geneated by media savvy interest groups was more than enough to counter-act millions of satisfied customers.

Perhaps the worst were urban activists, who used zoning laws and plain old misinformation, in a fight to keep Wal-Mart out of the inner cities despite the fact that a Wal-Mart would have improved the lives of the inner-city poor , both through retail jobs and its famous "everyday low prices." In the fog of the media war, Wal-Mart's image couldn't help suffering, just as the relentless attakcs on George W Bush eventually reached a tipping point.

In a completely unrelated and wholly coincidental sideline to all of this, Wal-Mart also began making large donations to the Democratic Party and to their union allies. Image problem solved! Such a coincidence is too coincidental for real life! Now, Wal-Mart is getting with the program; signing on to health-care reform (which will create high barriers of entry to potential competitiors) and even promising to undertake a comprehensive effort label its products "green."

For Wal-Mart, an era has ended. On the one hand, it will no longer be distracted by shake-downs from do-gooder progressives. On the other, it is now tied inextricably to Big Government. Expect the company that once brought disaster relief to Louisiana faster than the federal government to become bigger, dumber, and slower as it spends its time lobbying in DC, rather than tending to its customers.