Clinton Adviser Mark Penn Meets To Discuss Free-Trade Pact That Hillary Opposes

Wall Street Journal:

Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist met on Monday with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. to discuss a bilateral free-trade agreement -- a pact that the presidential candidate opposes.

The attendance by the adviser, Mark Penn, was confirmed by two Colombian government officials. It isn't clear if he was there in his campaign role or in his job as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, an international communications and lobbying firm.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[jsinclair]

Just add one word, "says"...."A Pact that Hil-liar-y SAYS She Opposes".

This seems exactly like NAFTA and the message she secretly gave the Canadians. I wouldn't be surprised if Penn was the envoy for that one, too.

[mjc]

Have to agree that what this proves is that Mark Penn is an idiot and should definitely be fired. He really is one of the reasons the Clinton campaign has stumbled so badly.
Troutlady.., just a heads up..., but Penn was doing his work as a marketeer for Columbia, not Blackwater. Columbia is bad enough.

[Troutlady]

Not only has CNN and MSNBC not bothered mention this flagrant abuse but no one has talked about Penn's lobbyingfor Blackwater this week before congress....they got a one year contract despite their killing of citizens and other voiations

[debwarot]

"Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist met on Monday with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. to discuss a bilateral free-trade agreement -- a pact that the presidential candidate opposes."

Apparently Senator Clinton thinks she has the votes of unions and blue collar workers in her pocket. I think they will prove to her that they are smarter than that.

[Grizzlies]

Mark Penn, a chief campaign advisor for Clinton, met with Colombia's ambassador to the United States. Penn, while not representing Clinton, but was promoting his lobbying firm Burson-Marstellar Worldwide discussed a bilateral free-trade agreement WHICH CLINTON OPPOSES!! Hillary does not need self-serving advisors. THIS MAN SHOULD BE FIRED!!!!

[jsinclair]

DOES she oppose it? Are we sure? Or, like NAFTA, does she say one thing publicly and then send someone to give a different message behind the scenes?

Penn is her go-to guy and makes millions from Hil-liar-y, his top client. I can't believe that, as her pollster and strategist, he would ever do something controversial without her full knowledge and approval.

[MissT]

The silence from Hillary's supporters on this issue should be omen for what's to come in PA.

[casper11]

I can't believe HuffPo put this so far down the page and is not playing this up. This is a major story bigger than the tax returns. She absolutely lied in Ohio about supporting NAFTA and the Canadian government. Now her top aid is sneaking arounf trying to get a trade deal with Colombia while she looks people in the eye and says she is against it. She is totally in bed with big business and lobbyists. Hope Pa voters are paying attention. She is definitely for the working class.

[Plank]

The Clintons and their surrogates are no firiends of Blue collar America. After Nafta, they are hard working to oursource more of our jobs.

[Grannysue]

I can here her now, "pay no attention to that man behind the red curtain, making deals that I'm saying I'm against, it's just an illusion". Yet, people still will vote for her, because after all her husband did a good job so that must mean she will! Did her and Bush Jr. attend the same schools, the schools of smoke and mirrors?

[PioneerKing]

the woman + the former president + the campaign staff + the lies + the hypocrisy = a great waste

[rgersmrk]

I'm shocked! Wait, no I'm not.

[hardsun]

Quick! Quick! Release the tax returns!

[bobdob]

MARK PENN "MISATTENDS" COLUMBIA TRADE MEETING

Reuters
A "sleep deprived" Mark Penn admitted today that he "misattended" a meeting with two Columbian trade representatives, in a clear conflict of interest with his duties as a head adviser for the Clinton campaign. "I was sleep deprived," said Penn. "I made a mistake. I'm sorry. It proves I'm human.

Penn later regaled members of the press with a tale of how he was actually hit on the head with a hand grenade during the meeting, and how Hillary will win this race by both opposing CAFTA and assuring its passage if elected president.

Penn is expected to announce his retirement from the Clinton campaign soon, in order to spend more time with his family.

[vincealy]

Columbia is tough. He probably had to duck and run from the plane to the limo.

[kellygrrrl]

please, not the old "sniper fire" excuse :)

[rgersmrk]

When is he scheduled to appear on Leno?

[cowman]

Hillary on NAFTA-gate:
"I would ask you to look at that story, substitute my name for Senator Obama. If some of my advisers had been having private meetings with foreign governments and basically saying ignore what I'm saying because it's only political rhetoric … I think it raises serious questions."

[RENREVARD]

MARK PENN IS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE TIES TO BIG BUSINESS AND LOBBYING FIRMS .THERE ARE 20 MORE JUST LIKE HIM IN POSTION OF POWER IN THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN!

[cowman]

And they're attacking democracy by threatening Pelosi

But please stop yelling, it makes the truth harder to hear.

[KO1583]

What don't blue collar Hillary supporters not understand about their "low-class fighter" candidate??

Update on the Mark Penn situation from MSNBC:

Penn just released this 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."

*** UPDATE *** Change to Win, a federation of labor unions (like SEIU and the Teamsters), that has endorsed Obama, is calling for Hillary Clinton to fire her chief strategist, Mark Penn. "We have questioned Penn's role in the Clinton campaign in the past for his representation of union busting employers like Cintas," Change to Win executive director Greg Tarpinian said in a statement. "At that time, Penn said there was a wall between him and his firm's representation of union busters. The latest revelation that Penn -- whose firm represents the Colombian government in its effort to secure passage of a so-called free trade agreement -- is actively involved in securing its passage in the middle of Senator Clinton's presidential campaign is outrageous. It also suggests that he has been playing a double role - advising the Senator on what to say to curry Democratic voters and advising the Colombian government on what to say to curry a majority of votes in Congress."

[bailey2006]

Well, I have a little something I would love to be able to stand in front of Penn and tell him - TOO LATE!! The damage has been done.

And every time I look at the picture of him I think to myself "this man looks like the picture that would be in the dictionary beside the word dork, nerd is too good of a word to describe him". He truly repulses me. And to think he is living in some huge mansion somewhere dining off lobster and all other sorts of exotic foods and poking some poor girl who is in it only for the money.

[AlphaDoc]

>"this man looks like the picture that would be in the dictionary beside the word dork, nerd is too good of a word to describe him"<

Isn't he grotesque? "Dork" seems a little too mild, as well. I'd place his picture under "f*cktard."

[midwestvoter]

Thank goodness the Unions are catching on. Hillary has always been for free trade and her BS lies about being against NAFTA have surface (God bless You Tube and Jed Report!). Can you imagine if the Dems had been hoodwinked into nominating this albatross? No wonder they wanted Hillary so bad. She is toxic from head to toe and we would have been subjected to another 4 years of Neocon rule. Make sure you post this link everywhere. The remaining states need a heads up on this!
http://www.changetowin.org/for-the-media/press-releases-and-statements/mark-penn-has-to-go.html

[BlazingChalice]

Face it guys this is a dead on arrival story.

The MSM cannot afford to have this race end as yet.

For the first time in 5 years CNN is beating Fox in the prime time ratings war thanks to this horse race. CNN et al wll not do anything to torpedo Senator Clinton's bid.

That will leave the news cycle empty and too many reporters twiddling their fingers.

[midwestvoter]

Screw the MSM- the people can stop this thing by putting pressure on the super delegates and making sure the remaining states are informed. If Obama can create a grassroots fund-raising machine on the internet with regular folks giving less than $100, we can get the word out and educate each other. Start calling, faxing and emailing the unions in PA, IN, NC. Make sure they are aware of Clinton's ties to union busters and give them this link! Wal*Mat, NAFTA, CAFTA and now this? Not a coincidence!
http://www.changetowin.org/for-the-media/press-releases-and-statements/mark-penn-has-to-go.html

[AlphaDoc]

>Start calling, faxing and emailing the unions in PA, IN, NC.<

Grand idea, Midwestvoter. Only I'm not at all familiar with what unions to contact. Can you post a list of some kind, please?

[AlphaDoc]

>Face it guys this is a dead on arrival story.
The MSM cannot afford to have this race end as yet.<

I wish I didn't agree with you, BlazingChalice.