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What Was Mark Penn Thinking?
The Austen Goolsbee affair, in which Barack Obama's top economics adviser told Canadian government officials (with a disputed degree of seriousness) that Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric isn't to be taken seriously, was used by the Clinton campaign every single day before the Ohio and Texas primaries — chief strategist Mark Penn and communications director Howard Wolfson told reporters on literally dozens of conference calls that the incident called into question Obama's credibility, honesty, and progressive bona fides on economic policy.
So one has to wonder what Mark Penn was thinking when one hears that Penn, the CEO of PR giant Burson-Marsteller Worldwide in addition to his job with the Clinton campaign, met with the Colombian ambassador to discuss how to secure congressional approval for a bi-lateral trade agreement that Columbia supports and Hillary Clinton vocally opposes. According to the Justice Department, the Columbian government has paid Penn's firm $300,000 to lobby for Columbia's point of view and to secure $5 billion for the war on drugs program known as Plan Colombia.
When news of the meeting went public, Penn was immediate contrite, saying in a written statement, "The meeting was an error in judgment that will not be repeated and I am sorry for it. The senator's well-known opposition to this trade deal is clear and was not discussed."
Burson-Marsteller is problematic, from a progressive point of view. It has lobbied for tobacco companies and helped corporate clients bust unions. Having the head of such a company run a Democratic campaign seemed odd to many; this last episode has pushed at least one member of the progressive community over the edge. The head of the labor coalition Change to Win has called for Penn's removal. "It's time for Senator Hillary Clinton to send her vaunted 'chief strategist' Mark Penn packing -- back to his job consulting for union busting corporations and anti-labor governments for good," said Greg Tarpinian in a statement released today. Change to Win has endorsed Obama.
The Clinton campaign knows this will likely create trouble for their candidate in trade-sensitive Pennsylvania. The well-connected Marc Ambinder went hunting for a comment and came away saying this:
I've asked several Clinton aides and advisers for their reaction. Some declined to comment. Others responded with pejoratives, but since I don't print anonymous pejoratives as a policy, I will refrain from sharing them....
One of the toughest tasks for a political journalist these days is to try and find someone in Clinton world who is willing to defend Mr. Penn or his sense of political optics.
This was, quite simply, a brain dead move by Penn. It will likely reanimate all of the arguments about whether or not Clinton is really a critic of NAFTA at heart, and if so, for how long.
But Penn has worked for the Clintons for over 10 years and ran Hillary Clinton's 2000 and 2006 senate campaigns. He may keep his job simply because Hillary's presidential campaign can't be run without him.
It's yet another example of Clinton camp BS. Talk the good fight while pissing on those you claim to represent. Obama definitely should have fired Goolsbee, but his advisers BS didn't fit into the giant pattern of hypocrisy clearly evident in the politics of both the Clintons. After both of the Clintons pushed for NAFTA and Hillary lied to everyones face about it, and they both were involved in pushing measures that help the banks and hurt the people (HRC bankruptcy reform and Bills Admin on Glass Stegal which caused the current recession), how can anyone trust them?
Attention Pennsylvania Democrats: Actions speak louder than words. Mark Penn is not some fly-by-night surrogate whose comments were taken out of context - no, this is the real stuff. This guy is in lock-step with Hillary (and vice-versa) when it comes to ideology. Bonehead move? - yeah! But bonehead not because he misspoke or had a lapse in judgement, bonehead because he tipped Hillary's real trade policy to the public. If you're curious what that is, just check out Bill's.
Travesty. Hillary's campaign is getting so obvious, especially in view of the threatening letter that Hillary's 20 billionaire buddies sent to Pelosi.
Straw that breaks the camel's back? I dunno.
Obama '08!
Hillary has/is paying $10,000,000 for his services. Her fees support him while he works against unions.
He's been her advisor for 10 years, certainly she knows about his union busting activities, and their support for Blackwater. The same firm has also been hired by McCain.
Hillary hires him for a reason, reports say as her primary advisor. It isn't for his visions on how to lift up the American poor.
Penn is a big reason why I placed Hillary eighth when we had eight candidates, and she wasn't close to seventh. Penn isn't just some supporter, some volunteer or minor staff. He runs that campaign. His presence is positively noxious. How Hillary ever got a labor endorsement is beyond me.
Why doesn't the candidate(s) fire this double agent.
I wonder how much fundraising money for Mrs. Clinton is coming from Colombia…let's check!! Where is a Penn when you need one?
Wow! I can't believe Hillar will employ such a person like Mark Penn to run her capaign. Bill Clinton does dirty work for Canadian businessmen, while her campaign manager Mark Penn does lobbying work for the Colombian cartel. And Hillary claims she was running away from sniper fire in Bosnia. What Hillary ought to do is run away from Mark Penn. Mark Penn is bad news for Hillary's presidential bid. We thought Hillary was vetted before. But the justice department investigation of Mark Penn is worse than the Wright controversy Obama had to face. This is essentially lobbying for the drug cartels.
We have three candidates for president at this point. One has the campaign manager doing business for the Columbian drug czars. The other has a pastor who thinks we are in US of KKK A. The third has a wife who makes millions selling alcohol and getting the American people drunk. What a choice for the future of American presidency.
The choice Snider is Ralph Nader of the Green Party. Ralph is Mr. Clean. He fights evil.
Talk about foreign leaders calling at 3:00am. Hillary has it figured out. Columbia wants free trade. Hillary shows as if she will oppose it. Mark Penn pretends to be the go between getting lobbying money from the Columbian drug czars and fills the bank accounts of the Clintons. Talk tough in the open, make deals in the backrooms. Bill will go and speak for 20mins in Columbia and make another couple o million dollars.
If congress can write off $5 billion to fight drugs in Columbia, why doesn't the government spend that money in fighting drugs in US schools. Here most schools are riddled with drug use. Instead of going after the rest of the world, put measures in place to do it at home. But with people like Mark Penn lobbying for foreign governments, all our tax payer moeny is spend on programs in other countries. No money left to repair our roads or give our kids a good education. The Hillary campaign is full of people with conflicting interests. It is good that this news came out now. Otherise if Hillary gets the nomination all these campaign strategists who work for foreign governments will pickpocket the American people for the sake of making deals for Columbia, Canada, Mexico, China and other countries.
Here's what the heroine of Bosnia can do. Have Mark change his name. Then she can hold a press conference to announce that Mark Penn no longer works for her campaign. Yea, that ought to work.
Nafta was a Penn plant. I knew that a month ago when the exact quote Penn is saying is what the P.M. said on the Senate floor in Parliament. Harper did that televised. I guess Penn didn't have a choice but to redack it. Meanwhile, 4/6/08...NYT headlines..Penn fired..but, story goes that P.M.Brown in London, England has hired him...sooooo? Another story patting Hillary's back from NYT? Can't believe what journalism has turned into, especially when you endorse someone.
What Columbia are we talking about? British Columbia? District of Columbia? Is it too much to expect to spell the name of a country correctly?
seriously. please. blarf. that picture. so grotesque. no. more. pictures. of penn. ackkkkk.