US News
Clinton chief strategist resigns from US campaign (Roundup)
Apr 7, 2008, 14:30 GMT
Washington - The chief campaign strategist of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has resigned after he reportedly lobbied in favour of a free-trade deal opposed by the former first lady.
The departure late Sunday of Mark Penn, a pollster and adviser to the family since the former president Bill Clinton's re-election campaign in 1996, is the second high-profile shake-up of Hillary Clinton's team since the beginning of the state-by-state primaries for the presidential nomination earlier this year.
Maggie Williams, Clinton's campaign manager, said in a statement that Penn had asked to give up his role, but she gave no reason for the departure.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Penn had met with Colombia's ambassador to the United States to discuss and promote a free-trade agreement between the two countries.
Clinton, who lags behind Barack Obama in the chase for the Democratic nomination, opposes the Colombian treaty, arguing it will negatively impact jobs in the United States.
Penn's meeting with the Colombian official was on behalf of a lobbying firm, and he apologized Friday. Williams said that despite his resignation, Penn and his firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates would 'continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign.'
Clinton's former campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle resigned in February, along with Doyle's deputy Mike Henry, after Clinton's unexpectedly weak performance in the February 5 'Super Tuesday' primary elections in more than 20 US states.
Penn's resignation came just over two weeks before the next contest in Pennsylvania on April 22. The primary is a must-win for Clinton, who has led the state contest by as much as 20 percentage points according to polls last month. Obama has since cut her lead to within single digits.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Why????
Why is this chuckle head suddenly negotiating trade deals for the USA???
Who put Johnny Assh-le Penn in charge???
What kind of negotiating power does he possess???
Why would Hillary drive this now???
It comes back to money for influence.
Hillary sunk a new trade deal, and now her pet chimp is negotiating for one???
Also, given that Obama and Hillary seem to both be for free trade, but won't be honest(golly, what a surprise!) with their constituents, why not just vote republican, since they have been totally honest about free trade for 15 years?
Bottom line he figured out his name was on the missing FBI files Hillary controlled... More to come as the files are put in use!!!
'Absolutely amazing, maybe the media can keep licking Hillary's feet a little longer. '
If they are licking her feet they are kissing B.O.'s backside.
' If Obama lost Ohio based on the possibility of someone just talking about NAFTA with the Canadians, '
Well, lying and being shown as a liar by the people you were lying about (In Obamas case he was lying about the Canadians who promptly sold him out.) is never a good thing.
Do you think the tables will turn on the Kennedy's, Kerry, and all those who sold their souls to Obama now. Hillary is cashing in on the FBI files and the world will soon see more calculated exposed politicians from the Democrat party every week until her tntrum ends and Osama wins the election.
The Clinton campaign has handled this situation quickly. Unlike the Obama campaign's problem with Austan Goolsbee. Mr. Goolsbee told the Canadian Counsel General Georges Rioux that Senator Obama's criticism of NAFTA is 'just politics' and should not be taken seriously. When confronted Obama and his campaign changed the story at least 5 times. In the end, it was verified that Austan Goolsbee did in fact speak to Mr. Rioux. As far as I know Mr. Goolsbee is still an economic advisor on the Obama campaign. I guess Senator Obama's new style politics is still the same old style (in his case Chicago style). Say one thing publicly while meaning another. Over the past several days, one of his advisors said that 60,000 to 80,000 troops will remain in Iraq until 2010. Again say one thing in a stump speech and mean another.
...you're a fool. This guy Penn, was SELLING Clinton's vote in the senate, for her! There was, likely, some kind of remuneration i.e. a fat donation to the Clinton Foundation for Political Influence, or campaign funds, etc.
He's another Sandy Berg(l)ar.
The Clintons Greenlighted NAFTA, GATT, WTO and MFN for china, after letting half the world come here and bid for the agreements, just like Penn was doing.
The Clintons are the reason we HAVE NAFTA!
This being the case, how did Hillary, exactly, handle this?
page: 1
RonApr 7th, 2008 - 16:24:16
Absolutely amazing, maybe the media can keep licking Hillary's feet a little longer. Here you have a senior campaign strategist meeting with Colombians on a trade deal and Hillary knows nothing about it. Kind of shows her judgement about the people she hires. This is not like someone who didn't know what he was doing. We are talking about negotiations with the Colombians. So this is good for Clinton? She didn't distance herself from him,just gave him a demotion. Instead of 1 million dollars a month, he now only receives 500,000 per month. So you really think that this is good for Hillary ?
This biased media will never cease to amaze me especially comments from the right. Well Major,
you just don't have a clue. If Obama lost Ohio based on the possibility of someone just talking about NAFTA with the Canadians, this is actively campaigning for the Colombians to get a free trade agreement. Please Pennsylvania end this nightmare once and for all and vote for Obama.
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