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The Sword Falls on Penn

April 06, 2008 7:33 PM

Sen. Hillary Clinton's controversial senior adviser Mark Penn was fired from the campaign today.

When Sen. Hillary Clinton heard the news that Penn had met with the government of Colombia to talk to them about how to pass a trade deal Clinton opposes, in his auspices as chief executive of Burson Marsteller Worldwide.

Clinton made her displeasure known and Penn today offered to step aside.

Penn's firm -- Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. -- will remain on board providing polling and advice to the campaign.

This was not the first time that a client of Penn's irritated the Clinton campaign.

The work a Burson Marsteller subsidiary did for controversial war contractor Blackwater, and Penn's work for the union-busting corporation Cintas were other clients with whom the Clinton campaign didn't appreciate having its name associated.

Penn was also regarded by many in the campaign as too self-serving, particularly after a Los Angeles Times profile of the campaign written after her horrible month of February, when Penn was quoted saying that he had "no direct authority in the campaign," describing himself as merely "an outside message advisor with no campaign staff reporting to me."

"I have had no say or involvement in four key areas -- the financial budget and resource allocation, political or organizational sides. Those were the responsibility of Patti Solis Doyle, Harold Ickes and Mike Henry, and they met separately on all matters relating to those areas."

That eyebrow-raising display of running from failure was contradicted by senior staffers such as Howard Wolfson, who told the newspaper that Penn had top responsibility for strategy and message.

Read more HERE.

- jpt

April 6, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (35)

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I still think she is going to do just fine she should have let him go along time ago.

Posted by: Bishop | Apr 6, 2008 9:11:46 PM

and ralhpdaugherty

her "decision" to let Pen go was the furthest thing from "immediate and decisive" You are kidding right? This is the guy that never went away with all the problems he raised with her campaign...

You see good managers first ...don't hire people who do this bad of a job managing a campaign (hello debt collectors and little guys who have been stiffed for payment) and when bad things happen the firing isn't dragged out over months because you are afraid of how it will look.

This was a painfully slow split... you can't call it anything else.

Posted by: dl | Apr 6, 2008 9:08:58 PM

RE: Penn's resignation. The Clinton campaign has released a statement which says that Penn has resigned. In the same statement, Wolfson states that Penn will continue to be involved in the campaign's polling. I thought that POLLING was what Penn did - you know, where he tried to measure the Americans he called "eggheads" (which my husband would be) and "jugheads" (which my dad and most of my blood relatives would be), according to the Clinton campaign (Newsweek 3/18)).

What has changed? Except that finally someone is reporting on Mark Penn and his relationship with Burson Marsteller? How many millions is he going to bring in in his "new position?" Is it possible, ever, under any condition, that the Clinton campaign can tell a simple truth? Penn is still with the Clinton campaign.

Posted by: mara | Apr 6, 2008 9:01:02 PM

Yet another omen that HILARY IS DONE!

You CANNOT run an efficient and effective national campaign?

You CANNOT run a huge nation as the US is!

Dems are fortunate: Hilary is destroying her own campaign before she has a chance to destroy the Democratic Party and their chances in November.

Posted by: New Yorker | Apr 6, 2008 9:00:37 PM

BKMC,
There you go again. This is a typical move by an Obama supporter. Always pushing for the "little lady" to step aside, give up, concede, and all the other many insulting ways that you attempt to demean Hillary Clinton's campaign. Why are Obama supporters so afraid of all the voters voting if you have such a commanding lead?
========================================
Obama is inexperienced!
Only Hillary stands up for all voters!
========================================

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Apr 6, 2008 8:49:02 PM

Hillary Clinton,
Excellent move. This bum was dragging the campaign down and was providing poor advice. You did the right thing to push him out of the strategy position. Keep up the great work, we will win this thing yet!
========================================
Hillary stands up for all voters!
Hillary takes speedy action as needed!
Obama is still green behind the ears!
========================================

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Apr 6, 2008 8:46:14 PM

I'm thinking she just can't manage anything can she? I'm thinking she loves to play the victim doesn't she?

I'm thinking this is just more proof she can't manage her campaign. I'm thinking she didn't really fire him because he will "remain on board and continue to provide polling and advise to the campaign". I'm thinking Penn probably did exactly what he was asked to do by the Clintons.

I thinking I don't have any faith in Hillary's ability to manage, I don't believe anything she says, and I don't trust her. I'm thinking I don't want her or Bill Clinton anywhere near the White House again.

I'm thinking I'm glad I didn't vote for her. I'm hoping a lot of other voters are thinking that too.

Posted by: Just Thinking in Texas | Apr 6, 2008 8:39:35 PM

Fasten your seat belts, its time again for Hillary to play the pity card she plays every time she gets in trouble. If she's lucky maybe Bill will turn out to have been one of the Emperors Club Clinets.

Posted by: DMR | Apr 6, 2008 8:37:20 PM

ralphdaughtery: Penn still works for her! She didn't really fire him! She is playing with us! Smoke and mirrors! another LIE!

Posted by: American Woman | Apr 6, 2008 8:26:36 PM

Hillary should have totally canned him. Sounds like nobody on her campaign staff would miss him. I bet the unions won't accept this and will want her to get rid of him all together.

Posted by: Bon53 | Apr 6, 2008 8:24:37 PM

Hillary repeated the "hospital" story in Oregon after she was told that the story wasn't true... She has NO respect for the truth.

Penn is STILL on the payroll and is still working for her campaign! Why is everyone reporting that he quit??? That is another misleadinging lie! He changed titles.. that's all!

Are we ALL so gullible and blind?

Posted by: American Woman | Apr 6, 2008 8:23:00 PM

Hillary should have canned Penn a longtime ago.

Posted by: hopesprings52 | Apr 6, 2008 8:12:10 PM

And now, can somebody take Hillary herself away as well? Here's what she had to say in today's stump speech, according to CNN:

"While listing her credentials to be president, Clinton also said people vote for different reasons, including how a person looks or their hairstyle.

"And that is another difference, you know how long it takes me to get ready than my two opponents — I mean really just think about it," she joked. "I think I should get points for working as hard as I do plus the time it takes to get ready."

I read that three times over, and now I feel as I ate two pounds of rotten tuna. I feel sick. I can't stand her no more.

Posted by: harry | Apr 6, 2008 8:04:17 PM


Good move, Hillary. I was hoping for this immediate, decisive action from you on Penn, and we got it. Thanks. You will make a great POTUS 2008!

Hillary '08

Posted by: ralphdaugherty | Apr 6, 2008 8:03:07 PM

Too bad he's not completely out of the picture.
It certainly took far too long to see him go - now if Hillary would only follow obediently.

Posted by: Sara | Apr 6, 2008 8:02:32 PM

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