In 2008, he served as chief strategist to Hillary Clinton's campaign for president.[27] Again, Penn and his colleagues held differences of opinion over how much to "humanize" Clinton, with Penn arguing that the vast majority of voters cared more about substance than style.[24] According to New York Times columnist Frank Rich, Penn and his wife, Nancy Jacobson "helped brand the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign as a depository for special-interest contributions."[28]

Penn laid out his "strategy for winning" in a March 19, 2007 memo to the campaign. According to the memo, Penn believed Clinton's victory would be built upon a coalition of voters he called "Invisible Americans", a sort of reprise of Bill Clinton's "forgotten middle class", which would be composed of women and lower and middle class voters. Eventually it was this coalition that she ended up winning a year later.[29]

Penn advised Clinton not to apologize for voting for the Iraq War, insisting that "It's important for all Democrats to keep the word 'mistake' firmly on the Republicans."[30] Clinton followed this strategy. She would only apologize six years later in 2014. The lateness of her apology caused her to lose favor with antiwar Democrats.[31]

On December 13, 2007, Penn gained attention from media watchdog group Media Matters for America when he used the word "cocaine" on MSNBC's Hardball in response to questions about Barack Obama's admission of drug use. According to Media Matters, MSNBC's David Shuster and Norah O'Donnell falsely asserted that Penn "brought up" the drug use on Hardball, though it had been discussed earlier by Chris Matthews in his segment.[32]

Clinton was the front-runner in the early months of the Democratic primary, but in January 2008 she lost the Iowa caucus to then-Senator Barack Obama.

In February 2008, the Clinton campaign regained momentum, in part due to the "3am ad" conceived by Penn.[33] Airing five days before crucial and very close democratic primaries in Texas and Ohio, the ad amplified doubts voters had about then-Senator Obama's preparedness for the office, and refocused the debate to one on national security. Shortly after, Clinton won both primaries in Ohio and Texas.[34]

On April 6, 2008, Penn agreed to step down as chief strategist when it was disclosed that he met with representatives of Colombia's government to help promote a free trade agreement that Clinton had opposed.[35] He remained doing essentially a similar role until the end of the campaign.[36]

In May 2008, Time's Karen Tumulty wrote that Penn thought the Democratic primaries were "winner-take-all", rather than allotted proportionally, citing anonymous sources who attended a Clinton strategy session with Penn in 2007. Senior Clinton staffer Harold Ickes is reported to have asked in frustration, "How can it possibly be that the much vaunted chief strategist doesn't understand proportional allocation?"[37] Penn and Howard Wolfson, Clinton's communication director, both denied that the scene had taken place.[38]

Clinton's campaign was hobbled by infighting among the staff including much hostility towards Penn,[39] and disagreement in strategy such as between Penn's strategy of going negative against Obama and other staff who wanted to maintain a positive campaign.[29]

Mark Penn, a former adviser to the Clintons, believes Hillary Clinton will make another run for president in 2020.

Penn, a frequent contributor to The Hill, co-wrote a Sunday op-ed for The Wall Street Journal with Andrew Stein, a former Democratic Manhattan borough president and president of the New York City Council.

“True to her name, Mrs. Clinton will fight this out until the last dog dies,” the pair wrote. “She won’t let a little thing like two stunning defeats stand in the way of her claim to the White House.”

They said Clinton will not allow her “humiliating loss” to President Trump during the 2016 presidential race end her political career.

“You can expect her to run for president once again,” they predicted. “Maybe not at first, when the legions of Senate Democrats make their announcements, but definitely by the time the primaries are in full swing.”

She has two years to review what went wrong during her last campaign bid and make a strategy, they wrote.

“She has decisively to win those Iowa caucus-goers who have never warmed up to her,” they wrote. “They will see her now as strong, partisan, left-leaning and all-Democrat—the one with the guts, experience and steely-eyed determination to defeat Mr. Trump.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/416164-ex-clinton-aide-hillary-will-run-again-in-2020

Jim Lane

(11,175 posts)

5. I disagree. The investigations will be important.

Reply to malaise (Original post)

Tue Nov 13, 2018, 01:13 PM

Nov 2018

Certainly one check is the ability of the House Democrats to block bad legislation, if they stick together (which may not be a given).

In addition, though, the ability to turn over the Trump administration rocks and see what creatures come scuttling out will be very valuable.

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