The (Innocent) Obama Tapes Mark Penn Wanted Released

On Monday evening, the Atlantic Magazine released its long awaited opus on the downfall of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

The piece, titled "The Front-Runner's Fall" was based off of more than 200 internal emails and memos many of which were posted online. And, sure enough, within a matter of minutes one of those documents was causing quite a buzz.

On December 30, 2007, pollster and chief strategist Mark Penn wrote fellow staffers that if it was a two way race with Obama after Iowa, Clinton would best be suited to launch several hypothetical attacks. "[O]n Friday we do a media interviews (sic) and basically say that he is unvetted, discuss his ever-changing positions. Release the tapes. Create immediate pressure that deprives him of oxygen."

The tapes? Or, as Jake Tapper over at ABC wrote: "Release the tapes???? What tapes?"

Could Penn have been referencing the long-rumored "October surprise" that may still be lurking? Was this an admission that the Clinton campaign had shopped around the footage of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, which nearly derailed Obama's candidacy?

Actually, a one-time staffer says, neither.

Asked about "the tapes" a former aide who had direct knowledge of the footage, deflated all the drama from the room.

"These were various tapes we acquired from previous campaigns that showed Obama had flipped positions. Penn was obsessed with these. This actually pretty much played out. One of the tapes aired on ABC News and others were published in the Washington Times."

Sigh. But, did Penn's obsession make a difference"

"No one cared," said the aide.

Comments

[scorpioleidy]

Guess Penn is still working for that 5 million the Clintons still owe him ...

[jmpurser]

You do realize by now that the whole "Front Runner", "Inevitable", "Her's to lose" spiel was absolutely non-existent outside of team Hillary right?

[TVI]

Speaking of Tapper...w­hy does he have his blog moderator scrub the comments section to eliminate almost 100% of the Obama supporters, and more importantly, why does ABC allow that? I thought Fox was the model for censoring non right-wing thought.

[Agnim]

Tapper and ABC are anti-Obama, and pro-Clinton, then pro-McCaint-Bush. It is that simple.

In addition, Tapper represents the mindless media morons who inhabit the mainstream media.

Did Tapper and other mainstream media morons saw into the Iraq lies or that the Iraq bush war was going to be a debacle for the nation?

1. Mainstream media are business enterprises.
Their main role of their reporters and commentators is to follow the potential for making money.

2. Also media businesses generally like status quo; because they already have control over the running of the nation.

[MarkInEugene]

Just another gas bag!

[whiteboyblues]

I love how that is the only picture of Mark Penn that exists, captures what I think of when I think of him. One big hot air bag

[kayfacefl]

I found the article fascinating and I don't see how any of this can be used against Obama. The only person this hurts is Hillary.

[FaceYourFears]

I smell a rat.....I believe they're holding "the tapes" to use if Sen O doesn't choose Hellary as his VP or to help MC win clearing the way for her in 2012..

[DesertLight]

Agreed. There is one constant in this whole thing. The Clint0ns are for the Clint0ns.

[gotalife]

The gop will use the tapes.

[FaceYourFears]

Thanks Chelsea...­...

[Sarahjan]

One person who shares Mark Penn's racist views of Obama is Bill Clinton.

[gotalife]

Nice race card .

Pathetic.

[FaceYourFears]

NO gotnolife, you're pretty pathetic.

[chs1965]

Please, enough Mark Penn and Howard Wolfson on this site. The thing that I really enjoyed about Hillary not being the candidate was that we didn't have to look at or read about these two guys for the past several months.

[Whinger]

Mark Penn has all the morals of a rabid Rottweiler, he would do a job on the opposition big time!

But he's pussycat compared to what the two smiling sharks have planned!

Ruthless incorporated, presidents in waiting!

[DesertLight]

Once their speeches are over at the convention, they will do all in their power to see that O is defeated. Remember the Clint0ns have a friendship with JMC. They might wind up in his cabinet.
Don't doubt me!

[MarkieBee]

his cabinet?..­.you mean his liquor cabinet? Gun cabinet? China cabinet?

[beauwin]

October should be interesting?????? Innocent tapes??????????? NOT LMFAO

[DesertLight]

And don't think for one minute that the Clint0n supporters would hesitate for one minute to turn over what they have?

[poco767b]

Mark penn is finished in American politics.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-557486/Meet-brilliant-5m-polling-guru-PM-wants-hire-Hillary-Clinton.html

British politic however.

[DesertLight]

I wonder how he ever got started. Any one of a number of posters here would have been a better choice and would have saved a lot of money. How much did the Clint0ns owe Penn? What does he know we still don't?

[Bozwellian]

LOL, he is a FRIEND OF BILL and has intro'd him to others that willingly took Bill in after the WH when he was being "baclballed" by the Gopers who were still rabidly dogging him !!! Remember how various corporates were "advised" not in their interest to have Clinton speak to their collective groupings for those large fees? LOL, Penn PR'd on his behalf and got him engagements and furthered his lucrative connectivities !!!
Penn has hired that trusted Bush cohort , lol, the one who was a former news yapper and rose to height of StateDept position to remake the USA image...an­d there s Wolfie over at Fox these days, others that are in the sC-support ranks still yapping and assessing and obsessing and ready to offer themselves and the C's in case "something or other" HAPPENS between now and whenever and WILL willingly disect the primary and spin it for you officially coe Novemeber results or perhaps January , yadda, yadda, yadda..sti­ll blame shifterings and take no responsibility for Hill and Bill being UNABLE to make the final sale...vot­ers do NOT always turn out to be as stupid and manipulative as they surmised !!!

[IslandGyal]

Was Senator Obama wrong or RIGHT when he said that folks stick with their xenophobia? Penn, a supposedly educated, worldly man, of Washington, DC, of all places, was pushing that angle, much less the under-educated bigots, who has no self awareness other that “we were born here and this land is ours” meme i.e. the Joe Scarboroughs of the world.

[roshni]

He was correct, but apparently you're not supposed to say it because it offends people.

[Caolas]

I read a story recently that, when Hillary first ran for Senate in 2000, her campaign chief was going to be David Axelrod until Bill Clinton stepped in and told her to appoint Mark Penn to the position. Now Obama has had a much longer relationship with Axelrod (stretching back to Obama's first book, I think) but it would have been interesting to see how Axelrod would have managed the Clinton campaign.

[IslandGyal]

Actually, Alexrod, ran Hillary's 2000 senate campaign. Bill nixed him for the presenditial run, for Penn.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/197214.html

[LiberalDemIda]

Bet our Bubba is sorry he'd done that, huh?

Then again, I can't judge Pres. Clinton too harshly. I'd seen Axelrod on CNN and Hardball and wasn't particularly impressed by him. I thought he spoke slow, was easily silenced when challenged by a more energetic republican and didn't seem to be able to string a few sentences together without stuttering.

Something like Tippi (Trippi?).

Boy, was I wrong...

[foreffectivegovernment]

More information about David Axelrod. He was chosen to lead Obama's campaign because he was an expert at handling BLACK candidates, i.e. Patrick Deval and Barack Obama. This article explains how he does it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/magazine/01axelrod.t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
These are quotes from the article by David Axelrod. He is known as the "Exotic Rodent". "For Obama, because of Senator Hillary Clinton’s far-greater experience and establishment backing, this is a particularly essential project. “If we run a conventional campaign and look like a conventional candidacy, we lose,” Axelrod says.
And this is how politics works: David Axelrod is now dedicated to derailing this woman’s career."