Hillary's Poison Penn

by Diane Farsetta — May 25, 2007 - 4:02pm
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U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton's top presidential campaign strategist is Mark Penn, worldwide CEO of the PR firm Burson-Marsteller and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. While the campaign says Penn "is currently working only with Microsoft" for his day job, an internal Burson-Marsteller blog "suggests ... he has been working with multiple clients," reports Bloomberg News. Blog posts by Penn mention work for Shell Oil, the energy company TXU, and the U.S. Tuna Foundation. In one post, Penn says "the mixing of corporate and political work" is "helpful in cross-pollinating new ideas and skills." The Nation notes Burson-Marsteller's astroturf "attacks against environmental and consumer groups," and its "confrontational relationship with organized labor," as well as Penn's polling firm's work for the nuclear power industry (which the Center for Media and Democracy previously reported on). AP reports that Colombia recently hired Burson-Marsteller on a $300,000-per-year contract, to "educate members of the U.S. Congress and other audiences" on "free trade" issues and Plan Colombia, a U.S. backed counter-narcotics program criticized by human rights groups. Colombia will also honor former president Bill Clinton "at a gala event next month in New York City." Her campaign said Hillary will not attend. The Colombian government's links to paramilitary groups led Al Gore to avoid an environmental conference last month that Colombian president Alvaro Uribe attended.

Main Source: 
Associated Press, May 24, 2007

Comments

Lost my vote

Submitted by Pani113 on June 1, 2007 - 10:14pm.

I am more disappointed with her every time I read something new. She has lost my vote in the primaries. Unless Satan himself is the republican nominee I won't even vote for her in the general election. I'll vote either green or libetarian!!! If you happen to be an ad person checking out this site, here was my ultimate deal breaker. Her health care plan. I resent the way she scapegoated obesity as being responsible for 30% of rising health care costs. That is an OPINION, not a fact. They never even count the cost of side effects from all those dangerous diet pills. Speaking of which, I didn't hear her mention how BigPharmas profits rose considerably. Perhaps because she takes so much in contributions from them. Reducing obesity in elderly women is a priority???? What drug did you slip her? 1) Weight loss INCREASES the chance of death in the elderly. Fat is protective in old people 2) Leave the damn old women alone! If they make it to old age that shouldn't have to worry about dieting, it is inhumane. Let they have their pleasures in peace. Off all the problems we are facing today, who worries about obesity in the elderly???? And I don't want a big brother work place prevention program either. Because who gets targeted tends to be people these bogus prevention specialists can make $ off of. Other employees can do just as much to raise collective premiums : speeding, risky hobbies, etc but there is no money in "managing" them for their own good. No health based witch hunts in the office, no witches in the white house!!!!! (Make that no MORE witches in the white house, after all the Bush women have lived there!!!))

Go Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!