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Clinton Advisors Pushed for Penn to Go
April 07, 2008 7:45 AM
From Eloise Harper, Kate Snow and Jake Tapper: Senator Hillary Clinton made the decision to push out senior strategist Mark Penn from her campaign Sunday after key aides became concerned that his outside work on a Colombian free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes might risk alienating key labor unions.
With the Pennsylvania primary looming in just two more weeks, that risk was considered too great.
Sources tell ABC News, two top advisors made the case to the Senator to remove Penn -- Harold Ickes and Tina Flournoy. Flournoy is a longtime teacher’s union leader who has taken on a prominent role in the Clinton campaign ever since Maggie Williams took the helm as campaign manager.
Ickes and Flournoy told Senator Clinton, according to sources, that she needed to “throw Penn under the bus” to regain the support of unions. Trade is a prominent issue in the Pennsylvania primary.
Former President Bill Clinton -- who has long been a fan of Penn’s -- argued that Penn could be demoted and not completely let go. But in the end, even President Clinton recognized that this was the last straw, after months of internal bickering between Penn and other senior staff.
Penn and his firm, Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc, will still continue to provide polling information to the campaign, but sources indicated that his day-to-day role will be much reduced. He will no longer serve as chief strategist. Instead, pollster Geoff Garin along with Communications Director Howard Wolfson will head up the message for the campaign.
On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Penn had met with the Colombian Ambassador to the United States -- in his capacity as the head of public relations firm Burson-Marsteller -- in order to help the Colombian government push for congressional approval of a free trade agreement with the United States.
The problem? Senator Clinton -- the candidate for whom Penn was also working—opposes that trade agreement.
Later on Friday, Penn described the meeting as “an error in judgment”. On Saturday, the Colombian government cancelled its contract with Penn’s firm.
On Saturday, seven labor unions that are part of the "Change to Win" coalition wrote a letter to Clinton, urging her to fire Penn.
“The Penn situation -- and the lack of action by you -- raises serious questions about the veracity of your claims of what you would do should you become President,” wrote Executive Director of 'Change to Win' Greg Tarpinian.
Clinton officials were particularly concerned about the prospect of thwarting any potential union endorsements they might have hope of receiving. While they concede Sen. Barack Obama D-IL has been more successful with gaining support from labor lately, they are hanging on to the slim possibility that the steelworkers might decide to endorse Clinton. Aides were deeply concerned that allowing Penn to stay on the job would kill that possibility.
Aside from President Clinton, Penn did not have many allies left at senior levels of the Clinton campaign. After every big loss, and when the campaign ran into financial problems prior to Super Tuesday, there were persistent rumors that Penn might be forced out.
Sources familiar with the discussions over the past few days said Penn’s enemies seized on the Colombia issue as a way to finally reduce Penn’s role.
The Colombia trade controversy was not the first case in which 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 instances in which the Clinton campaign didn't appreciate having its name associated with Penn clients.
Penn also was 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, with many primary losses, 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," he reportedly said. "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 Wolfson, who told the newspaper that Penn had top responsibility for strategy and message.
Then there was this infamous exchange with Clinton consigliere Ickes from a recent Washington Post profile of the campaign:
Ickes to Penn: "[Expletive] you!"
Penn to Ickes: "[Expletive] you!"
Ickes to Penn: "[Expletive] you!"
April 7, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (146)
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"Mr. Penn met with the Colombians in his role as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations firm. He has refused to sever his ties to the company, which also represented Countrywide Financial, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and through a subsidiary represented Blackwater Worldwide, the military contractor blamed for numerous civilian deaths in Iraq."
can we trust them? i mean hrc was against the murderers for hire called blackwater and still is against predatory lenders, now you have your adviser representing all this blood suckers, meeeeeeeee n thats why we will always be poor
Posted by: kola | Apr 7, 2008 8:04:36 AM
I find this very desturbing, what is going on with Hillary? This is another example of how her campaign is falling apart. Hillary need to get out of the race and stop dividing the party. It's over Hillary, the people in Ohio were fooled by your lies but the pattern of lying is becoming more clear day by day.
Posted by: Emilianna | Apr 7, 2008 8:15:43 AM
Why would Penn meet to discuss a free trade agreement two weeks before the Pennsylvania primary. Either his boss really does support free trade or she has a breathtaking inability to control her subordinates.
Posted by: eyesus | Apr 7, 2008 8:19:23 AM
On Saturday, seven labor unions that are part of the "Change to Win" coalition wrote a letter to Clinton, urging her to fire Penn.
I hope they do their homework heres a ittle help
BUFFALO, N.Y. To many labor unions and high-tech workers, the Indian giant Tata Consultancy Services is a serious threat — a company that has helped move U.S. jobs to India while sending thousands of foreign workers on temporary visas to the United States…..
The 2003 announcement had clear benefits for the senator and the company: Tata received good press, and Clinton burnished her credentials as a champion for New York’s depressed upstate region.
So if you do support her ,in a year or two expect the Colombian Trade Deal to go into effect.
Thats why Penn is still on Hillary Payroll for polling purposes only my butt.
Posted by: Lauren | Apr 7, 2008 8:19:25 AM
Former President Bill Clinton -- who has long been a fan of Penn’s .How much money has Bill made with his help? Is bill also lobbying for the trrade deal? I mean after all he Signed NAFTA
Posted by: lauren | Apr 7, 2008 8:23:14 AM
Mark Penn could not have been much of a chief strategist since Hillary seems to be losing voters to Obama by the minute! The Clinton's cannot seem to catch a break even from their so-called close friends. First, Bill Richardson betrays them and now Mark Penn. I am a nobody but I have never betrayed a friend. Dropped a friend with an explanation but never betrayed a friend, not even ever dropping them.
Posted by: Longtree | Apr 7, 2008 8:25:16 AM
Trade is a prominent issue in the Pennsylvania primary.
So Hillary brings an Indian company to NY promising 200 jobs out of the deal (but how many did they give away?) and it ends up that only 10 jobs are created. I guess those Indian companies are making huge donations to Hillary’s war chest just like Israel, and lobbyists are. Is this woman really a democrat? The story continues
So remember a vote for hillary maybe a vote to lose your job.
Posted by: Lauren | Apr 7, 2008 8:28:23 AM
Another Clinton sleight of hand - notice he's still on the payroll. You underestimate the voters, Senator.
Posted by: DVS | Apr 7, 2008 8:34:08 AM
I hadn't read this article in mens vogue. But I looked it up and its true.
At a fundraiser When Morgan Freeman comes over to greet Obama, the senator begins bowing down both hands in worship. "This guy was president before I was," says Obama, referring to Freeman's turn in Deep Impact and, clearly, getting a little ahead of his own bio. Next, a nod to Bruce Almighty: "This guy was God before I was." (Okay, more than a little ahead.) But Freeman is eating it up. Leaning in, he tells the senator to win it. "I will," Obama replies. "That's why I'm running."
Isn't it amazing how this stuff doesn't make headlines?? If Hillary or anyone else said something like this imagine what would happen.
I've always referred to Obama as the Messiah because he portrays that do as I say arrogant attitude. This man is UNELECTABLE.
Wake up fellow Americans and Democrats..If we want to get into the white house..Vote for Hillary. Otherwise it will be a fifty state landslide for Mccain, and for the first time in my adult life I will no doubt vote republican.
Hillary 08!! All the way to the convention. If not Mccain will be just fine!!
Posted by: lmay | Apr 7, 2008 8:37:13 AM
This Penn guy does not look good at all, he looks like SHREK.
I believe he went for Clinton, and they are covering it up, the usual Clinton BULL.
Posted by: David | Apr 7, 2008 8:37:26 AM
Penn and his firm, Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc, will still continue to provide polling information to the campaign, but sources indicated that his day-to-day role will be much reduced.
But sources indicated that his day to day Role will be Much Reduced.
Meaning he is still on her Payroll.
What does he have on her?
Posted by: lauren | Apr 7, 2008 8:37:30 AM
The problem? Senator Clinton -- the candidate for whom Penn was also working—opposes that trade agreement.
Does she really oppose the trade deal?
Posted by: Lauren | Apr 7, 2008 8:41:57 AM
Considering the way her campaign has been going, getting rid of "senior strategist" Penn is apparently no big loss.
Posted by: LongT | Apr 7, 2008 8:43:30 AM
At this juncture, Hilary could do with less scandal and embarrassing situations.
Posted by: Realist | Apr 7, 2008 9:00:39 AM
Hillary is sooooo desperate! Advice too all voters - don't listen to the news or the campaigns until after the conventions. Maybe things will be resolved by then.
Posted by: Bob | Apr 7, 2008 9:01:54 AM
Hmmmmmmmmmm looks like her chickens have come home to roost too! LMAOOOOOO!
Posted by: Dinero80 | Apr 7, 2008 9:10:58 AM
If only Hillary had done this earlier, she might have won. Of course, that is going to be Hillary's epitaph: "If only..."
Posted by: Sean O'Brien | Apr 7, 2008 9:13:28 AM
It is a disservice for the Media to claim that Mark Penn has been fired or has stepped down or that he will not be affiliated with the campaign. This is contradicted in Maggie Williams' statement which says "After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as Chief Strategist of the Clinton Campaign; Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign. " From the following statement it is accurate for the Media to say he has been DEMOTED! Although many in the Media are trying to insinuate that he has been fired or has stepped down, this is a FABRICATION and Media has a right to inform Truth and not falsifications.
'"The president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, James Hoffa, said through an aide tonight that the change is of little significance, since Mr. Penn will continue to advise and poll for Mrs. Clinton's presidential bid. "Demotion doesn't answer General President Hoffa's concerns. Mark Penn is still on her payroll and Burson-Marsteller's payroll," a spokeswoman for Mr. Hoffa, Leigh Strope, said. "Title demotion doesn't indicate loss of influence."' "In a statement on Friday, Mr. Hoffa called for Mr. Penn's ouster. "Someone like Mark Penn should not be dictating strategy, and possibly legislation, for a Democratic candidate for president," the Teamster leader said."
Anyone with any Political smarts and savvy, should know that the Clintons are not REALLY getting rid of Penn and that this is just a smoke screen -- he is far too valuable to them and knows WAY too much for them to push him under the bus. He will still be pulling the strings behind that Wizard of Oz Curtin, as they say,polling and advising! This is just more double talk, double speak, misstate, misspeak and misspoke moment. Mark Penn should step down for Real!
Posted by: Angellight | Apr 7, 2008 9:15:55 AM
Wow, this report about Hillary and Nigeria oil con man Lawal is fresh, it is only today! gush! Steady bad news for this woman. Get of the way of Americans ,get out!
Posted by: freshnews | Apr 7, 2008 9:16:41 AM
Angellight: Maggie Williams, is about as in charge as I am?
Posted by: Lookup | Apr 7, 2008 9:19:37 AM
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