He’s hush about Hillary
Either you love Mark Penn (read: long time Penn loyalist Bill Clinton) or hate him (read: many Hillary Clinton supporters who fault the pollster for ill-advising her ill-fated presidential campaign).
But if you were hoping for Penn’s insights into the Clinton campaign and his role in it, you were sorely disappointed during an interview Thursday with “Q&A Cafe” host Carol Joynt.
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Ever the carefulpolitical pragmatist, Penn dodged some of the more difficult questions tossed his way about his current relationship with the Clintons. (Penn stepped down as one of Hillary’s top strategist in April following news that his work on behalf of public relations firm Burson-Marsteller for the Colombian government conflicted with Clinton’s campaign platform. In addition, Penn was frequently dogged by accusations that his advice to the Clinton campaign stressed poll-driven data over humanizing the candidate).
Were you fired by the campaign? Dodge. “I remain a close advisor.”
Do you speak everyday? Dodge. “I am in regular contact.”
Was there a falling out between you and the Clintons following the Colombian incident? Dodge. “I remain a close advisor.”
Has the media been unfair to Hillary? Dodge. “I think we’ll all think some coverage is fair and some coverage is unfair.”
Sheesh.
Despite the dodges, the audience gathered to hear Penn at Georgetown’s Nathans restaurant didn’t find it hard to read between the lines: Things between Penn and the Clintons have changed. (Penn, you’ll recall, became one of President Clinton’s top strategists during the 1996 campaign.)
Joynt acknowledged the scrutiny that Penn’s work on the campaign has come under lately. “If you Google your name, it might as read ‘Blame Mark Penn, Blame Mark Penn, Blame Mark Penn,” said Joynt.
Whatever the current state of affairs between Penn and the Clintons, the pollster hasn’t counted Hillary out yet. “Politics is a surprise,” he said. “And you’ve got a lot of surprises left. … There are really three people who could be president. … Her coalition continues to grow.”
