Mark Penn Finally Fired

Late Sunday evening, the Clinton campaign confirmed that Mark Penn was stepping down as chief strategist in the wake of his dust-up with the Colombian government. That his tenure at the helm of the campaign ended because of a connection to a Burson-Marsteller client is not terribly surprising. But there were plenty of reasons, far better than this one, to have fired Penn many months before.

Penn presided over a top-down campaign in which, to the surprise of most observers, he was responsible for both crafting the message and polling its effectiveness. Normally frowned upon, such an approach often leads to self-fulfilling polling that validates the assumptions of the strategist, rather than providing an objective assessment. Perhaps that is the best explanation for a series of horribly misguided message strategies that Penn employed.

There was the now infamous inevitability argument, a message that ramped expectations to heights that Clinton could never have expected to meet. There was the change vs. experience message, one that helped validate Obama's persona as the change candidate. And of course, when times got tough, there was the "Let's get real" message. Showing a clear sign that the campaign did not understand its opponent, this message criticized Obama supporters rather than Obama himself, driving the wedge further between the candidate and the voters she needed to persuade.

But Penn chose not to confine his incompetence strictly to messaging, allowing it to invade all parts of the campaign strategy. His decision to forego caucus states demonstrated a glaring misunderstanding of the delegate allocation process. In a system in which losses must be minimized and wins inflated, Penn surrendered essential turf. It is equally surprising that someone who perceived his candidate as having enormous weaknesses in caucuses would have steered the campaign directly into the Iowa caucus. Had Deputy Campaign Manager Mike Henry's recommendation been adopted -- that Clinton forego Iowa -- she may well have earned the nomination months ago.

As a chief strategist, Penn consistently proved to be a disappointing spokesperson. His mannerisms and tone on television suggest an abiding arrogance; he is often described as unsavory and unpleasant. While on Hardball, he was chastised by Joe Trippi for invoking the word "cocaine" while talking about Senator Obama. When paired with Obama strategist David Axelrod, Penn seemed unable to control his disdain.

Even when he wasn't speaking for the campaign, he too often found himself at the center of the story. Private infighting with staff was often public and unprofessional, with uncomfortable details making front page news on multiple occasions.

Having not taken a leave from being Worldwide CEO of Burson-Marsteller, Penn set himself up for a number of potentially harmful situations for the Clinton campaign. His moonlighting for anti-union companies and other controversial organizations were an issue throughout the campaign, culminating this past week when he met with the Colombian Ambassador. The Colombian Embassy had hired Penn's firm to help pass a trade deal that Clinton opposes. Last night's resignation was the eventual result.

There were a number of reasons to fire Mark Penn, not the least of which was his obvious incompetence. But more than anything else, Mark Penn deserved to be fired because he viewed Hillary Clinton as just another client. Who wouldn't want a chance to elect someone president, a chance to leave a permanent mark and a lasting legacy? But for Penn, the Clinton campaign was just a client who purchased his services, no different than the Colombian government, or Exelon, or Blackwater.

So much of what was wrong with her was him.

Mark Penn should have been fired back in September and again in January. He should have been fired after Super Tuesday, and fired after the 11 contests that followed. He should have been fired before Texas and Ohio, and fired twice after. Instead, he wasn't fired until April 6th, two weeks before the Pennsylvania primary, when no change in strategy could possibly change the outcome.

Comments

[findingthetruth]

Mark Penn is NOT fired, demoted, suspended, discharged, taking a vacation, or placed under a rock. Penn is still in the same position he has been with the Clintons before the campaign began. The usual strategy will continue--­--DECEPTIO­N.

[daveny]

Hmm... I'm trying to think of another political leader who's obsession with loyalty lead them to cling on to a corrupt, obese, divisive strategist... Gosh, it's on the tip of my tongue... little help, please?

[Marlyn]

W

[standforpeace]

Dylan, this was a great piece on the way that campaigns work and how the kinds of folks one brings on in key positions shape campaigns. I was with you right until the end when you announced that "much of what was wrong with her was him." I would assert instead that what is wrong with her is that she is the kind of candidate/leader who would choose a Mark Penn to shape her campaign strategy and message. That she chose a pollster is not surprising given her husband's infamous reliance on pollsters in making every decision. Remember when Bill polled to see what kind of family vacation would go over best with the American public? While pollsters can provide valuable information on public preferences and mood, polling should not be the only consideration. Otherwise, you end up with a candidate who looks at polling data and decides that personal atttacks, race-baiting, and the politics of fear are the way to win an election. Perhaps Mark Penn and his polling provided the advice, but the fact that Hillary Clinton paid for, accepted, and acted on that advice is something that tells us much about her and what continues to be wrong with her even after Penn's dismissal/­resignatio­n/demotion­/reassignm­ent.

[samothrellim]

Let's hope that this time voters are able to reject personal attacks and race-baiting, and that the words of another presidential candidate from illinois, adlai stevenson, prevail: "Politicians who throw mud lose ground."

[twinkerbell]

Wonderful post! Remember when Bill Clinton had the infamous Dick Morris as his "values" pollster? They triangulated everything under the sun until Bill Clinton became Republican-lite. And, unfortunately, Hillary Clinton has done the same thing with Mark Penn. Even though all the serious candidates use pollsters and focus groups to help them with the issues, at least Obama treats the electorate as functioning adults with minds of their own.

[yourstruly]

You got that right, standforpeace. Even with Penn and his micromarketing out of the way, she still has Howard Wolfson, another flack who's been with the Clintons forever, and it was Hillary who picked Dick Morris, the guy who consulted from his hotel room with a hooker at his side, and who did so much for Bill's image.

What I can't seem to get some of my feminist friends to see is that if Hillary were her own woman, the campaign would look very different. Instead, she's chosen to be run like a guy, like Gore and Kerry were, and those campaigns were awful. Gore seems to have gotten the message; notice how much better the campaign to save the Earth is going? He's more authentic even if he's still stiff. I'm just hoping Obama's not going to get giddy and blow this thing; must be tempting.

[FreedomLoverX]

Dylan has yet to correct his misstatement of facts, including his bogus headline. 2 days and countong. I hope he fixes it (or withdraws it) today.

[JayInDallas]

Question: did she fire him BEFORE or AFTER the Colombians did? Where were his priorities? His candidate is trying to get out from under NAFTA, and he goes off to become the poster child for this hypocrisy. I'm sure there's another book deal in it for him... Is she keeping him on a string so he won't go off and start exposing her prematurely?

[aznurse]

after

[zendem1]

Well it got to be such a hassle...The campaign plane couldn't take off until Mark went to the front--The fule bills were starting to skyrocket because of the increased drag in flight..Every time he farted the lights would dim..

[Horst]

LOL

[olderdem]

Mark Penn was the Donald Rumsfeld of the Clinton campaign. What does that say about her ability to run the country? Will we now see the Clinton "surge" strategy?

[Barackanot]

Well, I certainly don't want Exelon consultant, David Axelrod. That guy is a snake and leads Obama by the nose.

[marcusdarnley]

Anybody who underestimates David Axelrod is a fool.

[inthenitemare]

This all points to Hillary's ability to choose the right people for her campaign AND her presidency. Would you want Mark Penn in the White House working for Hillery? I think not.

[smca]

LA Times says "demoted", not "fired".

[atila]

this last incident show why she cannot be "the Commander in Chief" she needs to go.......

[SouthCentralDel]

Uhh, how could Penn be fired if he still advises the campaign?

[Horst]

You aren't implying that Mrs. Clinton is being ingenuous...

[Aleka]

I am laughing my arse off.

[twinkerbell]

Disingenuous is the word!

[zuzuzpetals]

"So much of what was wrong with her was him."

This is like saying what's wrong with the Iraq war is just the execution of it, rather than the disastrous policy itself.

Penn IS Hillary. Her judgment. Her style of calculated-ness. Her inauthenticity. Her inability to connect with young people. Her arrogance. Her entitlement. Her indifference to having a top strategist who had so many conflicts of interest.

Hiring Penn and keeping him has the same structure as the failure of her health care initiative in 1992. She's a diva and listens to people who stroke divas rather than building effective coalitions.

[Robert Wechsler]

Yes, this isn't about Penn, but about Clinton's management abilities and concerns about conflicts of interest. It's clear from her husband's dealings that she is not concerned with conflicts of interest. And her inability to effectively manage Penn doesn't bode well for her ability to effectively manage a Cabinet.

Also, like W, her loyalty outweighs her sense of what's best for her campaign. It will probably outweigh her sense of what's best for the country.

[jsinclair]

He's. Not. Fired.

As for blaming Penn....I don't understand. He's been with her a long time (helped her get elected in 2000). Penn, his polling numbers, and his strategy based on them are a big part of Hillary's team.

Clinton...­.Penn....W­olfson....­Ickes.....­Williams..­..Carville­.... A distasteful and manipulative group? Sure. But "birds of a feather flock together".

Whatever one dislikes about Hillary's campaigning, the blame isn't Penn's.

[mshawn]

Don't fall for the latest Clinton okie doke. Penn wasn't fired. He didn't resign. He gave up his title, but he will still be advising the campaign and providing polling data as a consultant. That's all Penn has ever been: a consultant. So all Hillary did was make Penn resign his official title. This is the sort of triangulating we should all be used to from the Clintons. Penn resigns but not really.

[AnninCA]

Actually, new pollsters were brought in already to compete with his polling information already.

[PrdAmerican]

According to Maggie Smith, Penn is still there in a polling capacity which means (Potential Donors) he's still being paid....sickening.

[exoevolution]

Lets look at the facts.

Penn and his slimy lobbying persona speaks "volumes" about Hillary!

[vandyprofessor]

In truth, the real deal is that Penn will be the "Man Behind the Curtain," as Clinton has retained his firm for advice on polling and the campaign. Now isnt' that what he was hired to do in the first place? This speaks volumes about her judgement. It seems that the unions would push her to sever all ties with Penn and his firm in the interest of transparency not keep them on in a consultative capacity.

[k6007]

Loyalty over Ethics, sound familiar?