Shuster: Penn's Advice 'Disaster,' Firing Too Little Too Late

Mark J. Penn (born September 10, 1954), is the worldwide CEO of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates.[1] In September 2007, he released a book titled Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes, which examines small trends sweeping the world.[2] He was Hillary Clinton's chief strategist for most of her 2008 presidential campaign, for which his firm received $5 million. He resigned as chief strategist on April 6, 2008.[3]

Contents [hide]
1 Career
2 2008 Hillary Clinton campaign
2.1 Calls for Penn's resignation
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links



[edit] Career
Penn is a graduate of the Horace Mann School in New York City (1972) and of Harvard University (1976).

Penn has served as a fellow at the New Politics Institute. He advised British Prime Minister Tony Blair "for his successful run for a third term." Penn is best known for serving as President Bill Clinton's pollster and political adviser for the 1996 re-election campaign and throughout the second term of the administration. He also ran the polling and messaging and was part of the media team for the successful Senate campaign of Hillary Clinton, serving as her chief campaign adviser.

He advises organizations and companies on a wide range of image, branding and competitive marketing assignments. He has been a key adviser to Bill Gates and Microsoft since the late 1990s.[4] His book, Microtrends, published by Hachette Book Group USA, examines how small ideas can catch fire and lead to big changes. For example, Penn shows how a mere one percent of the American public, or 3 million people, can create a “microtrend” capable of launching a major business or even a new cultural movement, changing commercial, political and social landscapes.[5]

Other firms besides Microsoft which have retained Penn's firm include security firm Blackwater and troubled mortgage lender Countrywide.


[edit] 2008 Hillary Clinton campaign
In his role as Clinton's chief strategist, Penn gained minor attention nationally during a controversy about Barack Obama's admission of drug use during Obama's adolescence and questions about whether the Clinton campaign was trying to exploit the issue. Appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews with the head of the John Edwards and Obama campaigns, Penn stated that the campaign was not making an issue of the drug use, but used the word cocaine (which Obama admitted taking in his memoir "Dreams from My Father"[6]), causing Edwards spokesman Joe Trippi to jump on him and accuse him and the rest of the Clinton campaign of trying to distort the picture.[7] Edwards had formerly compared Penn to Karl Rove,[8] and the day after Penn's comments, Jennifer Donahue of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics appeared on Hardball where she too drew the parallel in reference to voter perception of the general tone of the campaign. After Obama's victory in Iowa and Clinton's subsequent fall in national polls, it was reported on msnbc.com that Clinton was considering firing Penn.[9] However, Penn continued to play an important role in Senator Clinton's campaign.

In mid-2007, the dual role of Mark Penn as the CEO of Burson-Marsteller and chief strategist for Hillary Clinton irked some labor leaders. Labor leaders wrote to Clinton expressing their concern about Burson-Marsteller's anti-labor work.[10]

On April 4, 2008, Penn apologized for working for officials of President Álvaro Uribe (Colombia) for the purposes of lobbying for a free trade agreement that Clinton opposed.[11] Penn admitted to "an error in judgment" after being criticized for meeting with Colombia's ambassador to the United States on the subject of advancing a potential bilateral trade agreement between the two countries. Penn suggested that he had conducted the meeting as part of his role as CEO of Burson-Marsteller. However, the ambassador was unclear in what capacity Penn was conducting the meeting and Penn's advocacy for the trade agreement seemed to undercut his client Hillary Clinton's well known opposition to the deal.[12]

On April 5, 2008 the Colombian government terminated its business with Penn and his Burson-Marstellar firm.[13]

On April 6, 2008 Mark Penn was terminated from his role as a strategic advisor to the Clinton campaign, although he will continue to provide some polling and research services.

A quote from Mark Penn: "Could we possibly have a nominee who hasn't won any of the significant states -- outside of Illinois? That raises some serious questions about Sen. Obama.”[14] has led to questions and jokes about the apparent irrelevancy of much of the country on liberal blogs such as Daily Kos.[15]


[edit] Calls for Penn's resignation
Two large U.S. labor organizations have cited Penn's support for free trade agreements. Service Employees International Union and UNITE HERE have both called for his resignation from the Clinton campaign.[16]

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a Clinton endorser, on April 6, 2008, hinted that Penn should be fired from the Clinton campaign.[17]

Later that day, campaign manager Maggie Williams announced that Penn had "asked to give up his role as Chief Strategist." Geoff Garin and Howard Wolfson will be in charge of the campaign's strategy. Williams further said, "Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign."[18][19]


[edit] See also
Triangulation (politics)

[edit] Notes
^ Washington Post, February 19, 2007.
^ PoliticalWire.com, August 20, 2007.
^ Clinton's top strategist quits.
^ Washington Post, June 30, 2006.
^ Microtrends, published by Penguin Press.
^ Washington Post, January 3, 2007.
^ War Room: Political News, Politics News - Salon.
^ ABC News: Edwards Likens Clinton Strategist To Rove.
^ Oh-eight (D): Staff shakeup ahead? - The Body Odd - msnbc.com.
^ Steven Greenhouse. "A Top Clinton Aide Draws Criticism From Unions", New York Times, 2007-06-05. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
^ John M. Broder, "Clinton Strategist Lobbied for Trade Pact She Opposes," "New York Times," April 5, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/us/politics/05penn.html?scp=1&sq=clinton+strategist+trade+opposes&st=nyt
^ www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9390.html.
^ John M. Broder, "Colombia to Penn: You’re Fired," "New York Times," April 5, 2008 http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/colombia-to-penn-youre-fired/
^ Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall.
^ Daily Kos: I voted for Obama, hence, I don't matter.
^ John M. Broder, "Clinton Strategist Lobbied for Trade Pact She Opposes," "New York Times," April 5, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/us/politics/05penn.html?scp=1&sq=clinton+strategist+trade+opposes&st=nyt
^ politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/06/rendell-criticizes-penn-hints-he-should-be-fired/.
^ blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/04/clinton-chief-s.html.
^ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89422142.

[edit] References
James Carville and Mark J. Penn, "The Power of Hillary," Washington Post, July 2, 2006.
Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, "A Few Degrees of Separation From Hillary Clinton's Top Adviser", Washington Post, February 20, 2007; Page A11.
Anne E. Kornblut, "Clinton's PowerPointer. With Data and Slides, a Pollster Guides Campaign Strategy," Washington Post, April 30, 2007.
Ari Berman "Hillary, Inc." The Nation, May 16, 2007.
Mark Schmitt, "Penn, Inc.," The American Prospect (web only), March 22, 2007.

[edit] External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Mark PennMicrotrending.com
Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates
Burson Marsteller
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Penn"
Categories: Living people | American political consultants | Harvard University alumni