Isn't it Time for Mark Penn to Leave Burson-Marsteller?
My colleague at The Nation, Ari Berman, has done more than any journalist to shine some light on how pollster-strategist Mark Penn, head honcho at PR giant Burson-Marsteller, and perhaps the most important figure in Hillary Clinton's campaign, poses a real dilemma for the candidate. Penn heads a firm that has represented everyone from union busters to big tobacco, and more recently Blackwater. (According to a Marsteller spokesperson, it was a subsidiary, BKSH & Associates, run by GOP operative Charlie Black, which helped Erik Prince prepare for congressional hearings after his employees killed civilians in Iraq).
It would seem difficult to find a more controversial client than Blackwater but Penn's firm has just been retained by Spin Master.
Who is Spin Master? It turns out that Spin Master distributes Aqua Dots, a toy that was recalled last week because it contains a glue ingredient that when ingested is broken down by the body to make GHB, the "date rape" drug, which can cause unconsciousness and even death. (The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the number of children sickened by Aqua Dots has risen from two to nine in the past week.)
Penn has repeatedly stated that he has no direct contact with controversial clients like Blackwater or unionbusters. But what about the good old-fashioned American principles of responsibility and accountability -- principles which his candidate likes to invoke on the campaign trail? As Ari Berman has pointed out, the dilemma for Clinton is that Penn's firm represents many of the interests whose influence she has vowed to curtail. But as kids get sick from poisonous toys, how can Clinton keep in her corner, as her chief strategist, a man who has even limited involvement with a firm like Burson-Marsteller? Isn't it time that Clinton ask Penn to choose: my campaign to make this a safer country or a PR firm which has too many clients undermining that agenda?
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Gee, I remember those more innocent times back in the 60's when Burson-Marsteller, under the guidance of Elias Buchwald, Art's brother, had a client list that featured that paragon of corporate good behavior, Esso/Humble), now Exxon Mobil. How times have changed!
For some reason this post -- including the comments -- remind of me of Tom Stoppard's play, "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead," which recounts the adventures of two of Hamlet's hapless, bumbling childhood friends.
As Shakespeare (or Stoppard) fans know, the two get in beyond their depth when trying to double-deal their old pal and wind up in the demised column.
In Stoppard's version, along the way they spout mostly nonsense, and occasionally, inadvertently, great truths.
That seems to be the role of campaign advisers. The difference, of course, is that rather than winding up in the demised column, they sometimes wind up in important positions far beyond their depth.
I think it's fair to judge Hillary by the company she keeps.
Maybe, Katrina, it's not that Mark Penn should leave Burson-Marsteller but that Hillary should leave Mark Penn. I don't care how neatly he slices his demographics, he's counting on the wrong people, and she's up to her neck in conflicts of interest. The Democrats have been notoriously bad in picking consultants—Bob Shrum, James Carville, I can't even remember that guy who's tutoring Obama. The longer I listen, the better Edwards looks. At least Joe Trippi still has his convictions.
Katrina,
I think this all raises a bigger issue--Hillary's stance on the issue of war profiteering. We know that the friends, families and progeny of Bush and Cheney have and will continue for generrations to benefit financially from the wars in Iraq. Are the Clinton's inclined to do the same? We know they aped the Republican yuppies during the era of yuppie greed and got themselves in trouble by trying to make a quick buck in a questioned if not questionable land deal. Are the Clinton's and other candidates with intentions to keep a visible US military presence in the Middle East going to be privatse beneficiaries of the emerging security/industrial complex. At the very least, should we ask the Clinton's and other candidates of good will to state their positions on war profiteering and to insure that they and their friends, families and progeny will not exploit the situation in the Middle East for private gain?
Why should Mark Penn leave Burson-Marsteller? That would make it all right for you, that Hillary's long-time guru, her Karl Rove, is a big player in a PR firm with one of the dirtiest histories and most predatory client lists in the world?
Progressives should face facts instead of mushing around wishing Mark Penn was not Mark Penn. He's been her adviser for years. A good look at Mark Penn and Burson-Marsteller - one of whose clients happens to be Blackwater - should tell us all we need to know about Hillary's goals and standards. Why continue to flirt with the idea that Hillary Clinton and the DLC might fight for anything but the corporate power structure?
Hillary fatuously remarked, in defense of her corporate war chest, that lobbyists are people too. Well, Burson-Marsteller's client list provides a picture of the "people" Hillary Clinton listens to, takes money from, and works for.
I think you Katherine are exploiting the ignorance of some of your readers. Opinion companies have a portfolio of clients that should not collide; that is: they are not suppose to have two tobacco companies or Pepsi and Coke because they deal with confidential information. On the other hand when they have an important and controversial client like Hillary they are not suppose to put the same individual working for other controversial clients like blackwater; and they did.
Do we know what other clients the firms that do opinion for Obama or Gulliani or Rommey or Kucinich or...? we do not know all the portfolios of all candidate's opinion firms, nor should we care. I am sure that all of them have some questionable clients.
Just the opposite when an adviser like Karl Rove only works for one person and the gets a job at the whitehouse to fire district attorneys; then we should worry.
When the election is over, and HRC win or lose, Penn should and will go back to advise companies that work within the legal limitations of this country like Phillip Morris and Blackwater or Mac Donalds and wait 4 years to get back to political clients.
Those are the rules and are common sense. it is the same with lawyers and advertising they are there to do business, who cares if Hillary cameraman worked for Disney or whatever?
Stop exploiting the ignorance of some of your readers, that is unethical journalism Khaterine. You should inform about the real deal, not get people confused for political gain.
Mark Penn, Rupert Murdoch, Terry McAucliffe (now principal of Harken Oil), money form big pharma, could anyone doubt which way she is going to go if she gets into the WH?
What happened to my previous comments? It was a response to Katrina Van Der Heuvel of The Nation magazine. I think I need help with posting comments. I was saying the if Hillary Clinton is involved with this type of people, it is really disappointing. But......i
I agree. What puzzles me is the number of articles by what I consider Liberal Democrats published in The Nation and Mother Jones (I subscribe to both) presenting another side of Bill and Hillary. They are presented as opportunists. Could you give me your opinion -if Hillary and Bill continue to seed some doubt about their sincerity, will that hand over the Presidency to the Republicans? My personal opinion is that I think we should vote for the Democratic candidate that can defeat any Republican. Sometimes one has to choose the lesser of the two evils - even if it's distasteful to our ethics.
Please go to WWW.DLC.OR
Who she hires or who she accepts money from does not clearly enunciate her as well as her long term association with the DLC.
Perhaps it is time for Mark Penn to leave.
Or it just could be time for people to wake the hell up and realize that his hiring by Hillary says more about her, than him.
In addition to what is correctly covered in this post, there is one more move by Burson-Marsteller that is even worse.
They created the Global Climate Coalition.
Their purpose, to fight against scientists, you and I, Al Gore and any other decent person who wants to help save our planet.
This is the height of treachery and deceit.
This is a living breathing example of evil corporations at work.
http://www
Yes, sometimes you can be judged by the company you keep. Hillary is no friend of the American people.
Good God!!! Why do you think she hired him in the first place????? If he quit he'd be worthless. Sheesh...
More proof of Hillary's neoconservative conviction
Why shoould she fire a man whose firm is representing the distributors of Aqua Dots when she herself has no problem with more and more manufacturing jobs being outsourced to countries with no safety or health oversight?
Wake up,people.
One would need integrity, not-for-sale principles to do that.
Wouldn't one?
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Posted November 12, 2007 | 11:18 AM (EST)