Mark Penn No Longer Chief Strategist
06 April 2008 8:17 pm by Taylor Marsh
The Clinton campaign was just too small for Harold Ickes and Mark Penn to share
the main stage.. … er, something like that. So Penn
is out of the limelight, though that doesn’t mean he’s gone.
Here comes the hyperbole.
Meet
Ann Kornblutt, the newest dramatist crafting journalistic tales of overstatement by the mega-tonnage:
Mark J. Penn quit his role as chief strategist for the Clinton campaign on
Sunday after months of dissatisfaction with his performance and a recent conflict
of interest involving his corporate work. Although rumors of his firing had
circulated for months, it was another stunning upheaval in a struggling campaign
that has already had one staff shakeup. … ..
Stunning upheaval?
Statement from Maggie Williams
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.Geoff Garin and Howard Wolfson will coordinate the campaign’s strategic message
team going forward.
Kornblutt is a few months late on her assessment. The “stunning upheaval”
happened when Maggie Williams moved in months ago. Since Williams came in, my
assessment is that she’s pretty much taken things into hand and gotten some
very good results.
The truth is that Penn made a stupid move on the Columbia trade deal
talks last week; private client, directly contradicting presidential candidate’s policy. Way off the reservation. It was a colossal error in judgment for which Penn had to apologize at
a time when neither the Obama or Clinton campaigns can afford such mistakes. So Penn stepped down as chief strategist, but he’s still going to be doing polling
and still giving advice. That he won’t be up front is a good thing, because he never should have been (with video).
I wanted him out after Iowa. Hey, but if Clinton can take advantage of Penn’s talents on polling and other things, without him being out front, because he’s now ruined is public persona, it works for me.
