Micro Mark
Hillary Clinton’s Svengali, Super Micro-Trend Pollster Mark Penn: ‘People Misunderstand,’ He Says Campaign ‘Never About the Small Things,’ And, ‘If We Lose, I Will Take My Share of the Responsibility’
Penn-gali with Senator Hillary Clinton and
President Clinton.
Mark Penn thinks that people have the wrong impression about him, and about Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
“I think that people misunderstand,” he said in a 45-minute phone interview Monday evening.
He said that the emerging story line—that his poll-obsessed, microtargeting approach had produced a plodding, uninspiring campaign—was a bum rap. “The campaign has been about big goals, health care, ending the Iraq war, new energy, the future,” he said. “There was a misunderstanding that this campaign was about small things. It never was. If anything, the Obama campaign has microtargeted constituencies.”
Fair or not, the fate of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign—she’s heading into the last-chance March 4 primaries with her lead dwindling in Ohio and gone in Texas—is going to be seen as a referendum on Mr. Penn, who has arguably been the Clintons’ most influential adviser for more than a decade. As the campaign squares up to the possibility of an ignominious end on March 4, Clinton loyalists have left no doubt about who they consider to be the responsible party.
Leon Panetta, who served as chief of staff in the White House from July 1994 to January 1997, told The Observer’s Niall Stanage in an interview this week that Mr. Penn “is a political pollster from the past.”
“I never considered him someone who would run a national campaign for the presidency,” Mr. Panetta said.
A source in the campaign, speaking on background, said that Mr. Penn’s philosophy was perfectly represented by a comment he made during one of Mrs. Clinton’s debate preps at campaign headquarters in early winter. About 15 staffers were in a room with Mrs. Clinton discussing how she could best respond to a particular line of attack. One of the aides, the source recalled, had an idea.
“I think you need to show a little bit of humanity,” said the aide.
Mr. Penn interjected. “Oh, come on, being human is overrated.”
“Everyone laughed and it broke the tension, and even he had a smile on his face,” said the source. “But it said a lot because it seemed to really encapsulate a viewpoint.”
Mr. Penn, who recalled the comment as self-deprecating, was unrepentant about the campaign he had run, asserting that to the extent that his message was heeded, it was successful.
“I think that virtually every schoolchild knows that she is ‘ready on day one,’ said Mr. Penn, referring to one of the slogans he designed for Mrs. Clinton. “If you look back—at the beginning she was ‘ready for change and ready to lead’ and that’s something that built a large coalition that carried her through Super Tuesday. Between then and now, there was a period where the campaign didn’t have resources to play ahead in those states it needed to campaign in.”
As he put it, his strategy had succeeded in the “biggest message-oriented states.”
And, by implication, the political ground and money game, run by former campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle, her deputy Mike Henry and longtime Clinton loyalist and Penn foe Harold Ickes, ruined it for Mrs. Clinton in “organization-driven” states, where she suffered defeats in “a series of caucuses that generated tremendous momentum for Obama.”
Of course, if Mrs. Clinton was running all along as the change candidate, that was far from clear: Her early campaign slogans were “Renew the Promise of America” and “In to Win,” and they only gave way later to “Working for Change, Working for You.”
Even Mrs. Clinton’s campaign-rescuing win in New Hampshire seemed attributable to factors ranging far beyond any carefully constructed message, when she benefited from a surge of support following an extraordinary display of emotion at a campaign stop the day before the primary. (Mr. Ickes, a senior campaign adviser, has publicly pointed out more than once that even Mr. Penn was surprised by the result.)
Mr. Penn thinks the revelation of her personality was helpful, sure, but that it was the strong base he had built under her with poll-tested, tough-sounding messages that really raised her up with New Hampshire voters.
“There was the right combination of these things in New Hampshire,” he said. “Exit polls showed that people thought she was strongest on economy and as commander in chief. And that combination was most successful.” Next Page >
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 46.4
- 41.6
- Obama +4.8
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.7
- 32.7
- +23.0
- McCain
- 52.4
- 34.7
- +17.7
One of the turning points for me in my voyage from being a Clinton supporter to being an Obama supporter was seeing this slimy man on tv repeating the word, "cocaine."
We all judge people by who they choose to have around them. Senator and President Clinton chose Mark Penn. They have since chosen to keep him.
His view of what constitutes negative, personal attacks by Obama against Clinton is not shared by many people. It is sad how he undermined a very strong and credible candidate and lost people like me -- a life long Democrat and feminist -- to Senator Obama.
Mark Penn is a union-busting anti-labor political opportunist. I agree with the above post--the Clintons surround themselves with people who have no regard for decency or fairness.
Mark Penn is a union-busting anti-labor political opportunist. I agree with the above post--the Clintons surround themselves with people who have no regard for decency or fairness.
Donna Brazile, Tad Devine, and Mark Penn.
What do they have in common? They all snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The dems need to reward performance, not loyalty.
Hillary Clinton's campaign has been tone deaf all along. On top of it,she has exhibited more personalities than Sybil. How many times can you keep re-inventing yourself before losing all credibility? It is not only Mark Penn, but her first tier of "elite" advisers and handlers, like Wolfson and Ickes, insufferable in their arrogance and delusional in their self- denial , who are contributing to her political demise. Yesterday's presumably final debate once again showcased her character flaws; among them, pettiness & sarcasm. In the end, she finds herself in a ditch of her own doing.
Ah, Mark Penn... Of course. It was those dumb voters again. They just 'misunderstand' what your campaign has been saying. I hear you loud and clear, Mark. And I think I understand very much - but I don't think you would find my conclusions very flattering.
The fact that Hillary needs a svengali to craft her message says volumes in itself. The damage this guy has done is immense. The Clinton machine's politics of personal destruction and dilbert like consultancy as a marketing tool have backfired big time. Hopefully this signals an end to the low blows that have characterized the machine politics we have endured for the past 20 + years. It seems that a McCain Obama match may be much more civil than the character assassinations that have characterized the past few months.
Hopefully, in a week this will be over. Penn, McAuliffe (sp? ahh -- it won't matter) Ickes and the entire Clinton Corporate Sleaze Team will go back to scamming the private sector w/o access to the White House to aid them.
The American public has tired of the old political campaign games and mudslinging of the past - Penn just didn't get the memo. The bottom line is that people respond to integrity, honesty, and humanity and Hillary lost those elements of herself in this campaign, despite claims that she'd found herself or her voice somewhere in New Hampshire. Not money, not advisers, nor the mess of people scrambling around her can save her campaign because they all appear to be lacking those essential qualities.
“No one ever expected the campaign to be this big and in this many states,” he said..."
The Clinton campaign bloated as it is with expensive, lazy, do-nothing Clinton cronies and hangers-ons never imagined that Clinton could be beaten by a chain smoking, coke snorting black junior senator whose name rhymes with Osama.
Hillary Clinton is best qualified to take on the right wing smear machine. Yeah, right.
Can you spell L-O-S-E-R?
Either there are a hell of a lot more latte drinkers in the states where Obama has won or seems to be poised to win, or Mark Penn is just about the worst political sociologist around. And surely there is a lot to be said on this latter score given Penn's many early memos touting Clinton's inevitability when what the polls were really registering was simple name recognition. Obama is a rock star, no doubt. He is also one shrewd politician. I think it's time to ask whether her dumb, wooden campaign prefigures a dumb, wooden presidency. Her inner circle never came to grips with the fundamental contradiction of her candidacy: that it is hard to craft a majority when virtually every voter knows you and half of them hate you. When voters saw another bus might be viable, they happily hopped on board.
Either there are a hell of a lot more latte drinkers in the states where Obama has won or seems to be poised to win, or Mark Penn is just about the worst political sociologist around. And surely there is a lot to be said on this latter score given Penn's many early memos touting Clinton's inevitability when what the polls were really registering was simple name recognition. Obama is a rock star, no doubt. He is also one shrewd politician. I think it's time to ask whether her dumb, wooden campaign prefigures a dumb, wooden presidency. Her inner circle never came to grips with the fundamental contradiction of her candidacy: that it is hard to craft a majority when virtually every voter knows you and half of them hate you. When voters saw another bus might be viable, they happily hopped on board.
How magnanimous of Mr. Penn.
If Mrs. Clinton loses, he will take his millions, and his share of the blame.
What a guy!
I seem to recall that when GHW Bush ran in '88, his slogan was "Ready From Day One To Be A Great President". Didn't work out that way, for the same reason Mrs. Clinton is currently spinning her wheels: an impressive resume is no substitute for an inspiring program. And as her constantly-changing slogans testify, her campaign lacks an overarching theme beyond competence (ask Dukakis how that worked out!).
Ah, yes... The jackals come flocking to drink from their own well of hatred... Funny how every comment is negative after reading this story.
The last time I checked, the fat lady hasn't sung. So, keep to your vulturous circles until you're cleared for landing.
Here's to hoping that Mr. Penn and his team of professionals are vindicated in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
"Here's to hoping that Mr. Penn and his team of professionals are vindicated in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania."
Good luck with that. If the Clinton campaign manages to drag its broke ass all the way to Pennsylvania, it will be crushed by the oncoming O train, which is just getting revved up.
Not enough Democrats wanted a Clinton restoration for her to win the nomination; she is what she is and she was always going to collapse. What kind of a human side is there to people who lust after another White House term after having had 8 years already? Their greed was always going to do them in.
Why is nobody talking about the HUGE Obama gaffe in the debate last night? Showing his utter lack of comprehension of international relations, he committed a Gerry Ford-like error when he said that just because the USA recognizes Kosovo as a nation we would be obligated to consider defending it militarily. This is fundamentally wrong, as we are obliated to defend other states only if bound to do so by treaty. We have absolutely no obligation to defend every state that we recognize. We hardly would defend Syria or Sudan, though we recognize them as nation-states. If Hilary had said this, the media would be all over it, yet Obama gets another free pass...
"If we lose, I will take my share of the responsibility."
If Hillary loses, Penn will still have a nice consolation prize in John McCain's candidacy and/or presidency.
Why?
1) Mark Penn is the CEO of Burson-Marsteller.
2) Charlie Black is the chairman of BKSH, the lobbying subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller.
2) Charlie Black is also John McCain's top advisor.
And this is why you cannot place any trust in Clinton's '35 years' of ephemeral experience: For a person with such vaunted capabilities, she has yet to fathom that she is being used to further Republican interests. Consider why the attacks on Obama from both Clinton and McCain are similar. Those attacks are coming from the same source. Her hubris is not allowing her to view the situation with candor.
Mark Penn is "pondscum!" He has lost the election for Hillary Clinton, and he absolutely knows it. But do not expect him to admit this--he is too busy scouting out other big-paying customers to bilk!!!!
I bet Mark Penn never polled Clinton fatigue as in "If there was another viable Democratic candidate, would you throw Hillary under a bus?"
Me, I hated that I had to worry about whether Bill Clinton has had extramarital sex since the Lewisnky affair. I kept waiting for someone to ask him to swear on a bible that he didn't and if he lied, he promised to give away all of his money and commit hari-kari on national television.
I'm sure that if Bill Clinton has dallied, PageSix knows about it and we will too if Hillary is the nominee. I swear PageSix was hinting at such when it wrote about Bill Clinton's trip to Africa on some NYC billionaire's jet a few years ago.
Mark Penn made his way into the Clinton circle via Dick Morris. Need I say more?
"Why is nobody talking about the HUGE Obama gaffe in the debate last night? Showing his utter lack of comprehension of international relations, he committed a Gerry Ford-like error when he said that just because the USA recognizes Kosovo as a nation we would be obligated to consider defending it militarily."
Ah, there's the key word--CONSIDER. Of course we would be obliged to CONSIDER defending it. Doesn't mean we have to do it. Are you suggesting that a credible candidate for the presidency could stand on stage and say that if another country was attacked we would NOT consider defending it?
NATO is not going to let Russia take over Kosovo. We have obligations as a member of NATO.
"Here's to hoping that Mr. Penn and his team of professionals are vindicated in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania."
I see that one of Mark Penn's lackeys was dispatched to offer an "opinion".
"Ah, there's the key word--CONSIDER..."
You miss the point. A US President should consider militarily defending a state where the US's interests are implicated--not just because the US recognizes it as a state. That is just a stupid misunderstanding of international law and the responsibilities of a President. But I guess that's all one could expect from someone so politically ambitious (soliciting US Senate seat from Illinois political leader promptly upon getting to the Illinois legislature), duplicitous (lofty rhetoric but lying gutter tactics) and foolish (as to marry an embittered woman who isn't even proud of her country until her husband is almost elected President). Hopefully, the young people of this country will wake up before the Republican hate machine destroys this guy on the way to a 100-year war and our kids getting drafted.
As a woman, as a democrat and as anyone caring for a deserving and humiliated spouse , I was ready to vote Hillary; now I am voting nad sending cash to Obama campaign. Why ? Because I expected Mrs Clinton to act and be tha part of our first female president, to show the female qualities that we need to see in politicians; thanks to mr Penn, all we`ve got was a transgender usual standard average politician , we even got Bill on the board. Mrs Cliinton has seen all her good qualities tramsformed into a pitiful advertisement for masculine qualities...while the real change we, I hoped for in politics came from an unexpected side. I wanted change, mr Obama is a real change, well if the first really serious female candiadte wants to play it by showing a masculine side, I`d rather vote for someone who is offering me a thoughtful quiet empathic male, I vote Obama. Mr Penn, it says a lot about your ineptitude that you managed to lose my vote.
Now, someone explain this to me. Penm
n is on the record saying he has been working for Hillary around the clock (7:30 AM to 2 AM, according to the Washington Post). Penn is on the record saying he continues as the full time, fully paid CEO of Burson-Marsteller. No where on the record has the Clinton campaign paid a dime to Burson-Marsteller. What's wrong with this picture?
Further, he is on the record (from this article) saying the consdulting fees, presumably for him and his buddies, is capped at $240,000. Assuming only Penn is covered by that cap, surely clients hiring him to work 12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, pay him a lot more than that.
Seems to me there are federal election laws that cover illegal campaign donations. Paying a guy a full time salary to work on a campaign is equal to a donation, isn't it?
Kosovo is NOT a NATO member, and thus no NATO country has any obligation under international law to defend it.
This guy just DOES NOT GET IT. Hillary is DOOMED.
On the other hand, if I'd been responsible for taking the can't-miss, inevitable candidate from 30 points up and flush with cash to broke and behind in the final primaries, I'd probably be in deep, deep denial myself.
The least he could do is give back the $5 mill he's billed her campaign, so Hillary could pay herself back.