As liberal politicians, vocal unions and editorial pages argue that Wal-Mart underpays and mistreats its employees (The Boston Globe even implied that Wal-Mart workers are “patsies”), few Wal-Mart watchers have noticed a new addition to the retailer’s payroll: lifelong Democratic operative and lobbyist Leslie Dach.

Dach has kept a low public profile, but his roots run deep into the Democratic Party’s establishment. His hire by the nation’s largest retailer punctuates the new direction Wal-Mart is headed: East from Bentonville, Ark., to Washington.