Mark Penn is no Democrat

Mark Penn is worldwide CEO of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller (B-M) and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates.

Burson-Marsteller is one of the largest public relations agencies in the world. It is a unit of Young & Rubicam, which is owned by WPP Group PLC.

List of some of B-M's controversies...

Nigeria

B-M flacked for both the Nigerian Government and Royal Dutch/Shell during and after the Biafran war. Reports of instability and genocide at the time had hurt Nigeria’s international image, they hired B-M to discredit these reports. The relationship continued long after the Biafran war. From 1991-2 the Nigerian military junta paid B-M’s lobbying subsidiary, Black, Manafort, Stone & Kelly (acquired in 1991) over $1m in fees.

Indonesia

After the invasion of East Timor around 200,000 people, one third of the population were murdered, the Indonesian government has also been accused of genocidal policies against the peoples of Irian Jaya, amongst many other human rights abuses. In 1996, BM was hired by the Indonesian government to clean up its image. B-M does however deny handling the issue of genocide in East Timor.

Argentina

BM worked for the Argentinian military junta led by General Jorge Videla, which seized power in a coup d'état in 1976. B-M’s job was to improve the country's international image and create the impression of stability to attract foreign investment. During Videla's reign, 35,000 people 'disappeared' and thousands of political prisoners were tortured. Videla is now serving a life sentence for murder. Harold Burson commented that, "We regard ourselves as working in the business sector for clear-cut business and economic objectives. So we had nothing to do with a lot of the things that one reads in the paper about Argentina as regards human rights and other activities."

Saudi Arabia, et al.

B-M has worked for a host of regimes with appalling human rights records including the notoriously repressive and corrupt government of Saudi Arabia, the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, and the governments of Sri Lanka and Singapore[28]. Three days after the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, in which 13 of the 16 alleged suicide bombers were Saudis, Saudi Arabia again hired B-M to ensure that its national image remains untarnished.

Blackwater

In 2007, reacting to claims that they killed several Iraqi civilians without cause, the US based private security firm Blackwater hired Burson-Marsteller subsidiary BKSH to scrub their tarnished image.

Countrywide

In September 2007 the firm was retained by struggling mortgage lender Countrywide Financial to promote a public relation effort entitled "Protect Our House" aimed at addressing the firm's image following its downsizing and increased rate of foreclosures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/...

More information can be found on Corporate Watch.

Mark Penn's organization is one of those very nasty transnational corporations that we call out on everyday.  

Why would Hillary Clinton's campaign be run by this sort of man?  What does it say about a possible Clinton II presidency?  Do you really want a continuation of BushCo?  

•  Mark Penn is no Democrat

  by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:15:56 PM PDT

  •  he is a total asshole.

    by soros on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:18:34 PM PDT

    •  Karl Rove Redux

      why would Hillary associate herself with him in the first place?

      by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:19:25 PM PDT

      •  Because they're both Neo-Liberals

        and it's shocking to me how many of her supporters are clueless as to what that means.

        by Marie on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:37:45 PM PDT

        •  Are Neo-Libs and Neo-Cons the same?

          by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:40:33 PM PDT

          •  Two wings of one "party"

            The party of globalization and empire has two wings, neocons and neolibs.  The neocons prefer the iron fist, the naked exercise of power to compel submission.  The neolibs prefer to exercise economic control to leverage for political power.  The difference is about means, not ends.

            by ActivistGuy on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:52:41 PM PDT

            •  Should add that neo-libs and neo-cons

              both have a seat at the GOP table.  

              by Marie on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:59:30 PM PDT

              •  it is all about global command and control

                by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:00:35 PM PDT

              •  Not the only party

                where that holds true.

                by ActivistGuy on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:01:25 PM PDT

                •  Yes, but it's not as easy to identify

                  the DEM neo-cons (the Ken Pollacks) and there isn't much of a DEM neo-con voting constituency.  As compared with the DEM neo-liberals who dominated the Clinton WH and were his major campaign donors.

                  by Marie on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:50:59 PM PDT

    •  Name calling I agree with

      I have been very upset with the name calling aimed at our candidates, but correctly identifying who Mark Penn is should bother no one.

      But then I live in Missouri, an insignificant part of flyover country.

      by MoDem on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:23:00 PM PDT

  •  re

    Penn's comment de jour:

    "Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election. If it were, every nominee would win because every nominee wins Democratic primaries.”

    http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com...

    His breakfast everyday must be.

    Orange Juice.
    Coffee.
    Toast.
    Stupidity.

    by cookiesandmilk on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:19:16 PM PDT

    •  Ok, he is not Karl Rove Redux

      he is dumber

      by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:20:06 PM PDT

    •  Her biggest mistake...

      ...was not firing this ass-clown after Iowa...

      by Aqualad08 on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:21:36 PM PDT

      •  re

        It really is going to be one of those things people look back on an pinpoint as to one of the main reasons the Inevitability Train™ derailed.

        by cookiesandmilk on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:23:55 PM PDT

        •  As a strategy...

          ...inevitability has one serious weakness: if you're proven wrong once, you're not inevitable anymore.

          by metal prophet on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 05:19:48 PM PDT

      •  Her Biggest Mistake ...

        was hiring Penn in the first place. But then, he's been associate with the Clintons for years, and they do place loyalty above competency.

        by Empower Ink on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:27:07 PM PDT

        •  re

          Kinda like..........

          by cookiesandmilk on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:27:39 PM PDT

          •  exactly

            by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:00:58 PM PDT

      •  absolutely agree

        I'm actually quite hopeful to see what the rest of her career looks like after/if she loses the primary.  Hopefully she gets rid of the asshats like Penn.

        by daemonw on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:38:42 PM PDT

    •  That is the BEST!

      I just saw it over at TPM.  Whew!  He would have looked really good at one of those Kremlin boss reviews of the soviet armed forces...you know, the ones where you analyzed where the people were standing, who they were standing with...or whether they were standing at all.  Whew!

      by mayan on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:23:02 PM PDT

  •  He just a marketer

    that's all.

    That's his job. ... hired gunslinger and campaign manager. I don't imagine it would make a lot of difference who paid him, as long as he gets paid.

    Whatever he does...... he gets rich doing it.

    by missliberties on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:22:17 PM PDT

    •  Just like Karl Rove

      by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:36:57 PM PDT

    •  Ethics are important.

      Too bad Penn doesn't have any.

      by Elise on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:52:26 PM PDT

  •  The wit and wisdom of Mark Penn

    Courtesy of TPM and Politico.

    Nice diary btw. Tip & Rec.

    by Exile on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:24:13 PM PDT

  •  That's an open question, isn't it?

    For quite some time the neoliberals have been trying to redefine the Democratic Party in the direction that Mark Penn represents.  With B-M's anti-union track record, it is an amazing fact that he has managed to remain chief campaign strategist for a leading Democratic presidential contender.  A generation ago the AFL-CIO would have run him off last spring.  It's a different Democratic Party today.  Whether Mark Penn is a Democrat could be seen as one of the basic questions Democrats need to answer.

    by ActivistGuy on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:33:39 PM PDT

    •  neoliberals is not much different

      than neoconservatism

      by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:37:54 PM PDT

  •  I agree

    Hillary Clinton made a bad choice by having him run her campaign. His spin makes her look ridiculous.

    by metal prophet on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 05:13:33 PM PDT

•  I don't get it.

  Not only is Penn a liability with the Dem base because of all the reasons you mention, he's not even a very good strategist.  Hillary has had more advantages in this race than any non-incumbent in US history, and they've blown it.  Why does she keep him around?

  by play jurist on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:19:58 PM PDT

  •  I don't know why

    unless Hillary is in the pockets of corporatists just like Mark Penn

    by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:21:11 PM PDT

  •  Penn is Al Frum on steroids

    by missliberties on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:23:08 PM PDT

    •  Penn has done a very good job

      without Teller He has made victories for Hillary completely diasappear.

      by Lawdog on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:41:30 PM PDT

  •  Your strategist is the most important

    person in your campaign. You dump them, and it's like starting from ground zero.

    She picked wrong from the start, especially given his record, which is piss poor.  I think she bought that this campaign was a no brainer.

    Silly woman.

    by xyz on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:23:25 PM PDT

    •  Most of your point is well-taken ...

      but "silly woman" is very sexist.

      by Magenta on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:28:49 PM PDT

      •  It's not sexist

        She's silly, and she's a woman.

        Would you rather I say stupid?  Because picking Mark Penn in the first place was damn stupid.

        Let's not get carried away with claims of sexism and racism.  

        by xyz on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 05:02:43 PM PDT

  •  It's called marketing myopia

    Clinton has a bad case of it. Most of corporate America has it too. Penn is one of them.

    by Oddball on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:25:02 PM PDT

  •  For me...

    the fact that she has kept him around speaks to me about her judgement and her ability to perform adroit maneuvers should she make it to the bigs.  He' become a story in and of himself...I'm not sure it's a good thing that he gives ammo to Obama everytime Penn speaks.

    by mayan on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:25:14 PM PDT

  •  more background...

    Here's why:

    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.

    And more...

    It was a flippant response -- and the final straw for Gore, who had long been wary of Penn and concerned that his real loyalty was to Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. His senior advisers agreed, regarding Penn as arrogant and controlling, someone who pushed the boundaries of his job by dispensing strategic advice rather than simply interpreting data. Shortly after the meeting with Gore, Penn was fired. One of the party's most prominent pollsters sat out the presidential campaign, but he signed up that year with a familiar face making her inaugural run for office in Penn's native New York -- Hillary Clinton.

    Eight years later, it is Clinton who is running for president, and Penn, 53, is her chief strategist. While not her campaign manager in name, Penn controls the main elements of her campaign, most important her attempt to define herself to an electorate seemingly ready for a Democratic president but possibly still suffering from Clinton fatigue.

    by pb on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:33:53 PM PDT

•  He's preparing us for an unelected nominee

  First telling us small states don't matter, and now this gem:

  "Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election. If it were, every nominee would win because every nominee wins Democratic primaries.”

  In other words, we need the party apparatus, especially the part beholden to ex-President Clinton, to decide who is electable, not the rank-and-file. Surest path to a hereditary monarchy one can imagine. . .

  by MarkC on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:20:49 PM PDT

  •  Damn, was just about to hit on this!

    I love this gem as well.

    "The kind of independent support that [Obama] had so far would evaporate relatively quickly once he faced the Republicans because of them filling in the totality of his record," Penn said on Monday.

    Unlikely, Mark.  Unlikely.  Why doesn't she shut him up?  I love the fact that she keeps complaining about mistreatment from the media, yet she wonders why Obama's camp doesn't get hit?  

    Because I have yet to recall his camp saying something so stupid, and I've check everyday.

    by TheStormofWar on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:23:20 PM PDT

    •  She does need

      to shut him up.  He's not a Democrat, and he's hurting all Democrats at this point.

      by huckleberry on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:00:51 PM PDT

  •  I don't even think Karl Rove

    would have the nerve to say somehting like that about Republican primary voters. No wonder she's getting her ass kicked, they don't even think dem voters at all count. FUCK YOU MARK PENN!

    by nevadadem on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:25:01 PM PDT

  •  Why are we called Democrats?

    If we do not propose the belief of Democracy?

    Hillary and company saw this race and an inevitable coronation in the wake of the 2004 election.

    They never counted on fighting for it past Super Tuesday.  

    They never assumed the the 2004 DNC keynote speaker would have the audacity to run.

    by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:35:24 PM PDT

•  Winning Primaries does not Matter

  Mark Penn:

  Two days later, after Obama’s eighth straight victory, Penn told reporters: "Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election. If it were, every nominee would win because every nominee wins Democratic primaries."

  Hillary ’08: If you want to matter, vote for ME!

  by Eloy on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:24:24 PM PDT

  •  re

    Quoted three times so far, it's a Penn-Trifecta!!!!!!

    by cookiesandmilk on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:25:23 PM PDT

  •  I Love Your sig line! nt

    by Empower Ink on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:31:53 PM PDT

  •  Black people don't count, young people don't

    count, educated people don't count, caucuses don't count and now the primary doesn't count.  Who the hell do this people think they are?  The Bushes?

    by Marie on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:34:04 PM PDT

    •  I suppose...

      ....that in Virginia, Latinos and voters who make under $50,000 a year don't count either, but they did count in California and Massachusetts and whatnot.

      by metal prophet on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 05:37:45 PM PDT

  •  Not all nominees win the general

    But nobody who has lost the primaries has won the general, genius!

    by Oothoon on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:01:10 PM PDT

•  What's the defense?

  How does the garden variety Hillary booster defend keeping this toad on the payroll?

  It's baffling.

  by bumblebums on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:24:57 PM PDT

  •  Clintonistas, like the Bushies, can rationalize

    anything done by their cult leader.

    by Marie on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:35:30 PM PDT

  •  They don't

    I have yet to read a defense of Penn by a Clinton supporter here.

    This says something about the native intelligence of Clinton supporters.  They realize Penn is a disaster and there is no reason to defend him.

    by MoDem on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:37:51 PM PDT

•  Penn always reminds me of

  Jabba the Hutt. He might as well be working for the Rethugs for all the Dem trashing he's done.

  by peraspera on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:25:14 PM PDT

•  Dick Morris

  The Sequel.  Don't think Hillary can get rid of him for that very reason.

  by marcvstraianvs on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:27:10 PM PDT

  •  Hopefully there will be a toe-sucking incident

    Though, I don't really want to picture that, what with Mark Penn.

    by metal prophet on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 05:39:20 PM PDT

•  The same thing Dick Morris said

  bout Clinton I.  If iirc, it was Hillary brought him into the WH.

  Let's not forget the sleazy Carville who helped give the people of Bolivia a president they hated and had to work hard to replace him with Morales who they like.

  by Marie on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:30:37 PM PDT

•  DLC power

  Burson-Marsteller is one hell of scary corporation. They should be serving time. This is the type of corporations the Clinton/DLC machine have at the core of their decision making. What the hell?

  by ctsteve on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:35:35 PM PDT

•  Nope we want

  change!

  So GOTV!

  by indiemcemopants on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:37:23 PM PDT

•  Hey

  At least he's not Dick Morris.

  Which means

  at least Penn stays out of legalesque trouble and has only been wrong for the last few months. Instead of Dick Morris' streak of being totally wrong for over a decade.

  by RBH on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:40:22 PM PDT

•  Some people devote their lives to helping others.

  Some are nurses.
  Some are teachers.
  Some are plumbers
  (hey, life is better
  with indoor plumbing).

  Others run for public office.
  Or help Democrats beat Republicans
  by being better Democrats.

  I'm not so sure about union busting
  and helping Democrats win by being less.

  by chicago jeff on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:41:20 PM PDT

•  Spinning, Spinning, ......

  "Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election. If it were, every nominee would win because every nominee wins Democratic primaries."

  Please take Dramamine before reading Mark Penn quotes.

  by loree920 on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:45:39 PM PDT

•  Mark Penn

  has an almost entirely losing streak in primaries.

  He doesn't know how to do primaries!

  by Oothoon on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:56:34 PM PDT

•  I can't say

  what I really think of Mark Penn.  It would be outside the boundaries of my somewhat liberal sense of decorum.

  by huckleberry on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 03:57:40 PM PDT

•  Mark Penn is morally bankrupt!

  Its a shame HRC put her campaign in his hands...

  by Steve In DC on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:01:27 PM PDT

•  sometimes I wonder if Obama is

  secretly paying Penn under the table. He's that bad!

  by nevadadem on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:03:20 PM PDT

  •  Barack Obama saw the writing on the wall

    Mark Penn's association with Hillary Clinton was a strong reason to run for president in the first place

    by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:11:49 PM PDT

•  B-M should mean

  bowel movement

  by aaraujo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 04:09:51 PM PDT