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COLUMNISTS
TODAY'S STORIES
07.04.2008
On Penn and Politics

You have an insight into what another Clinton administration would be like
just by watching what this Clinton campaign has been.

For all the fanaticism in the campaign about loyalty to the top Clinton
-- now Hillary -- the chief strategist, Mark Penn, couldn't quite leave his day
job to devote full-time to her race for the presidency.

These folks who are lobbyists and p.r. operatives for businesses and
foreign governments but also do political work here at home are
structurally schizophrenic. It is one reason why they are loyal only to
themselves. With Hillary now trying desperately to persuade the voters of
Pennsylvania and Indiana that she is anti-NAFTA (and always was) Penn
playing the other side of the street big-time was a threat to the
authenticity of her position.

So Penn is now effectively out of the Clinton campaign regardless of the
pretense that he'll still be in with his polling. His company has also
been dismissed by its pro-NAFTA client, the government of Colombia. Nevertheless, I can't help but view, with despair, that it was Penn's work on a free trade pact (good) with a democratic ally squaring off against the monstrous Hugo Chavez (also good) that so angered Democrats.  

Posted: Monday, April 07, 2008 8:52 PM with 6 comment(s)

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dbuck said:

Martin,

Your analysis is all wet.  His work -- with which I agree was all for the good -- angered not Democrats as a tribe, since most Dems have no idea who he is, but Clinton campaign sachems, with whom he already had a contentous relationship.  Precisely:  the Colombian connection was causing trouble for the candidate in Pennsylvania, which is a must win state.  

Dan

April 8, 2008 7:25 AM

lymon1 said:

Marty, how does it feel that Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Michelle Malkin have stronger positions on Darfur than your candidate (not to mention Barrack Obama)?  Might think about that this Passover.  

April 8, 2008 12:08 PM

psantillana said:

I'm not exactly a Democrat [although I pledged to "consider" myself one to vote for Obama in the primary], and this didn't really anger me - I just thought it was a crazy lapse in judgment on their part not to see the conflict and do something about it. Anyone who was or is a lawyer, like Clinton, is normally hyperaware of conflicts. Don't worry about Columbia; I'm sure they can do better.

April 8, 2008 1:44 PM

blackton said:

lymon, if that were remotely true than I might agree it would be troubling. None of the candidates have any effective strategies for dealing with the issue, feel good gestures like boycotting the opening ceremonies are a travesty.

honestly, I am getting a little tired of your using this as a wedge issue. Why don't you, you specifically, do something? Go work for an aid agency in Darfur. If you do that, then you can lecture Marty what he should think about during Passover.

I can honestly say if I were not married and had kids I would be in Iraqi Kurdistan right now, working in some University. I won't pretend that would make me a hero or anything but at least I know I would be backing up my words with actions. I can't do anything now because my wife and kids take priority but I have done my share. I know others have done far more, but I can take those others who have done far more getting on a high horse lecturing me, not from someone who is sitting in a nice house in the states using genocide as a way to get in a snarky line about Obama.

April 8, 2008 2:47 PM

blackton said:

lymon, sorry don't mean to impugn your intentions, but I know that you know better. I just think it is a mistake to look like you are playing partisan politics about this issue, even if you don't think you are it appears that way sometimes. You and I both want something done. I would rather it be effective so first we have to figure out what is most effective and then work on pitching it to TNR, who can then pitch it to the candidates.

April 8, 2008 3:06 PM

psantillana said:

ok blackton I'm going to try this again, in the hopes you'll return to this thread -

everyone else: sorry, and please ignore.

My brother is going to Oaxaca before he goes to study some crazy dialect in South China. In the interests of bringing people together [my brother's 100 proof, take my word], and not bothering the tnr people with total off-topicness, I hereby submit my email address to you blackton: epheppenstall@yahoo.com

Please write and then we can figure out if you and my brother are simpatico. Or write to say no thanks, and that's totally ok too. No pressure. Please nobody spam me or steal my identity or do anything else bad. Thank you.

April 8, 2008 9:00 PM

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