Mark Penn Resigns As Clinton Campaign Strategist
By Pamela Hamilton • Apr 6th, 2008 • Category: Election 2008Clinton Chief Campaign Strategist Mark Penn stepped down today amid controversy surrounding a recent meeting with representatives from the Colombian government on behalf of Penn’s lobbying company Burson-Marsteller, who has been hired to promote the controversial Colombian Free Trade Agreement.
“After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton Campaign,” Maggie Williams, Clinton’s campaign manager said today in a statement. ”Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign.”
Penn, the CEO of Burson-Masrsteller, has apologized for the meeting and for not making it clear to the Colombians that he was not meeting with them as a representative of the Clinton campaign. Hillary Clinton has publicly criticized the trade agreement.
Labor unions are in strong opposition to the agreement hammered out by the Bush administration originally in 2006. According to The Nation, since 1991, there have been more than 2,300 trade unionists murdered in Colombia. In 2007, there were 39 murdered and this 13 in 2008 making it one of the most treacherous places in the world to be a union member.
Pamela Hamilton is a freelance writer, corporate culture evacuee and vocational gypsy. She attended the school of hard knocks and graduated with a degree in satire.
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I’m glad he resigned, he was getting to be baggage on the campaign. Too many conflicts of interest.
Finally! He should have left long, long ago.