So, now that Hillary's won in Ohio and Texas, does Mark Penn go back to calling himself her "chief strategist"? Or is he still a mere "outside message advisor with no campaign staff reporting to" him? And, more importantly, what does Hillary consider him. Before the votes came in, it sure sounded like opinion in Hillaryland was running against Penn. To wit:
As Tuesday's primary elections we getting started, Terry McAuliffe,
one of Clinton's highest ranking advisors, was asked to respond to
recent comments Penn made in which he significantly downplayed his role
in the campaign.
"Why are you paying so much money to a guy that's doing nothing but licking stamps?" MSNBC's Joe Scarborough asked jokingly.
"People ought to quit talking to the press," McAuliffe said, before
adding, "When we get through with Texas and Ohio, I'll go talk to
Maggie Williams, our campaign manager, about that."
On Monday night, on Tucker, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, a Clinton
supporter, offered a similar non-endorsement for the campaign's chief
strategist.
"I'm not worried about Mark Penn, she said. "We'll deal with him later."
Later is now.
--Jason Zengerle