Hillary paid Mark Penn 3.8 million dollars in ONE MONTH.

[jgraz]

Clinton spent $3.8 million on strategist in single month

Some of Hillary Clinton's supporters are vexed over her latest campaign finance reports, which reveals she spent $100,000 on party platters and groceries for the Iowa caucuses and $3.8 million in a single month on a strategist's firm. Obama, however, has spent more overall -- and $1.8 million on campaign buttons alone.

According to the filing, detailed in the New York Times, Clinton paid strategist Mark Penn and his company $3.8 million for "fees and expenses" in January alone. In sum, the firm has billed $10 million in total, which included expenditures on direct mail.

The Times said other Democratic strategists called this sum "stunning."

"Nearly $100,000 went for party platters and groceries before the Iowa caucuses, even though the partying mood evaporated quickly," the paper's reporters wrote. "Rooms at the Bellagio luxury hotel in Las Vegas consumed more than $25,000; the Four Seasons, another $5,000. And top consultants collected about $5 million in January, a month of crucial expenses and tough fund-raising."

They also paid communications consultant Howard Wolfson $267,000 in January. His total tab to the campaign passed $700,000 last month, including debts to him, the reporters said.

By contrast -- Obama's communications director -- Robert Gibbs, is paid $144,000 a year.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Clinton_paid_single_strategists_firm_3.8_0222_af.html

Yikes.

[Unsane]

1. And what did Jowls 'n Flopsweat give her in return?

A terribly run campaign.

[jgraz]

4. You mean besides jowls and flopsweat?

Um... uh...

Nope, I got nuthin.

[underpants]

2. How else is Penn going to dress so sharply?

:sarcasm:

[Hieronymus]

35. That'll buy a lot of fattening food for the slob.

[seemslikeadream]

3. But he's so good at putting a nice face on disasters

What happened?

[lligrd]

Holy Chit. She Paid 3.8 Million In One Month To That Piece Of

crap for worthless advice? Is that part of her experience we are supposed to give her our vote for?

[cali]

5. Nearly a third of her campaign expenditures have been

for consultants. It's insane. And I love the &95,000 dollar bill for snow shovels in Iowa. It didn't snow on primary day. This campaign is frighteningly inept.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. you must be joking. SNOW SHOVELS?

did they hand them out as bribes?

[jgraz]

14. Don't even ask about the donuts and parking

:crazy:

[Occam Bandage]

22. Man. A third of all the money people have sent her went right into the pockets of those dumbfucks.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever heard of a campaign this shoddily run. Seriously, no-kidding, honestly: why can't she keep her shit together?

[ellisonz]

6. C'mon Hillary supporters, I know you can make it an even $4 million in February.

[nomorewhopper]

7. she got robbed

[jgraz]

How so? She didn't pay for it. Her contributors did.

Let's keep the robbers and rob-ees straight.

[LakeSamish706]

8. And with this in mind we want her for President because? n/t

[Occam Bandage]

9. So, 700k to Wolfson, 3.8M to Penn--her campaign is the NY Yankees of politics.

Costs a fortune, won a lot in the '90s, only good at choking now.

[loveangelc]

11. I wish someone would ask the question if she can't handle the money in her campaign

how can she handle the economy!? I would just like someone to ask that. What is Tim Russert's email? LOL

[jgraz]

16. Sorry, you want Timmeh to ask a relevant question???

When's the last time THAT happened?

[Why Syzygy]

20. I think that's what they're asking ..

without asking ;)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. Is there a lemon law...

for political consultants?? :shrug:

She needs to get her money back -- stat!

[jgraz]

13. Ha. Maybe Penn just needs his oil changed.

[hfojvt]

15. I'd like to see his books audited

How much of the bill goes to the one guy and how much to the company to cover various costs? I am sure Obama is spending money on direct mailing because he mailed me a brochure, and that he is spending money on telemarketing because his campaign has called me about 3 times asking for donations (and as an Edwards supporter I refused all three times (or more)). That looks bad, but it's not clear how much of that is salary for one guy or profit for one company. Conveniently, no more detailed reports are required by law are they?

Of course, once she is the nominee I expect her to go after CEOs who are paid outrageous salaries. She has promised to do something about vast income disparities, hasn't she?

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. I think she should ask for her money back.

Too much desk jockeying, and not enough field work.

[jgraz]

19. It wasn't her money to start with

I think her contributors should consider a class-action suit.

[The Backlash Cometh]

25. I think losing the campaign would be punishment enough.

[Egnever]

18. Well it was a great gravy train while it lasted.

Hopefully we will be done with this sort of crap once and for all once Obama is elected.

Somewhere a mother with not enough money to buy health insurance for her kids sent in her last 20 bucks to pay for this ridiculousness. I hope penn chokes on one of those $95k donuts.

[napi21]

21. From the little I've heard, a lot of that paid to Penn was for polls.

Apparently polls are very expensive and his Co. did a LOT of them. The cost of party platters & groceries doesn't sound excessive to me at all!

As far as the comparison to Gibbs, you're comparing apples & oranges. Penn's "Company" with an individual (Gibbs). Plus, if all Gibbs is being paid is $144,000, he's GROSSLY UNDERPAID! ANY communications director for a MAJOR campaign is ALWAYS paid a LOT MORE than that!

[hfojvt]

23. the comparison was Gibbs to Wolfson

it's hard for me to see a person making $144,000 a year as underpaid. I certainly work for much less than that. I'd probably work for minimum wage and the promise of a decent job with the OMB or somewhere in treasury.

Did I mention I have an MA in economics?

[napi21]

30. OH I make a LOT LESS than that too! But I also make a lot less than

lots of people in other jobs. When I said he was underpaid, I meant compared to other former & current communications directors in major campaigns. We both know that similar jobs in different sectors have a lot of earnings difference.

[hfojvt]

34. still my perpective would be, and is,

that those other people are way, way over-paid. Just because all my friend throw money off a bridge, does not mean I have to.

[Agony]

37. Exactly!

Exactly what is wrong! That anyone would get paid more than 150k for being a simple bloody campaign director is obscene. Police officers and firefighters often get paid much less than that. Why is it that workers with dangerous/ productive/ meaningful careers are given the shaft even by Democrats that then hypocritically stand up for working people? The dirty secret is that management positions are not rocket science and most people on the street would manage just fine doing what these overpaid morans do.

[Binka]

27. Those Idiots Fuck The Polling

Get the candidate on the street and start shaking hands. These numnuts are worthless.

[katty]

24. and for what?!

[AlCzervik]

26. To Mark-

"champagneeah?"

[Danger Mouse]

28. She got ripped off.

[Blackhatjack]

29. So DEMS? How do you feel about your hard earned $$ going into Penn's Pockets?

This is a disaster that was preventable.

I would be incensed if I learned my campaign contribution went to pay Mark Penn.

Since he was first hired by the Clinton campaign, it has all seemed surreal.

[ShadowLiberal]

31. Oy, 3.8 million to Penn?!?

I can hardly believe it that she'd pay Penn 3.8 million in just a month, he should have been fired already after Iowa, he's given Hillary nothing but bad advice it seems. The only good things he's given her are polls that she pays his company for.

I could kind of understand the $100,000 dollars on groceries if that was for groceries the entire month, as her campaign must have a lot of people to feed. But $100,000 dollars worth of groceries in just Iowa alone!

No wonder Hillary's campaign is having so much money trouble if this is the kind of stuff they're spending a lot of it on.

[RaleighNCDUer]

32. Is it only me, or does it seem to anyone else that the higher paid the

consultant, the worse they are at their job?

[jgraz]

33. It's not just for consultants. That applies to just about every profession.

[creeksneakers2]

36. That sounds true

Not just Penn but most of those guys in Washington don't know what they are talking about.