Charlie Rose Science Series
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10/16/2007
Mark Penn
A conversation with Mark Penn chief strategist for Hillary Clinton
Keywords:
A conversation with Mark Penn, chief strategist for Hillary Clinton and worldwide CEO of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and president of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates. Mark Penn also discusses his book, Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes.
DVD
Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Audio
Audio available through Audible.com.
Audio available through Audible.com.
Transcripts
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Thank you for presenting these back-to-back interviews. One can readily see the distinctions of both candidates..the Samantha Powers interview was made tough by Charlie Rose. She was forced to go in depth about how Obama thought about foreign policy while the Penn interview was a cake-walk, yet again, force feeding me polls that that tell me who to vote for instead of Hillary's ideas and policies and character. I'm disappointed to find out Mr. Rose's intellectual dishonesty on display tonight.
We might as well start calling Hillary "Play it Safe Hillary" Lets take her vote on the war in Iraq, every Democrat was scared to be labeled a "peacenik" in 2003. The American people demanded blood for 911 and Afghanistan wasn't enough for em. So to play it safe Hillary voted for the war over any qualms she might have had that America was being sold a bill of goods by the Bush Leaguers. The only Democrat that was able to vote what he knew was the lecherous old drunk from MA, and that was because he had a safe seat. TK is an institution in MA, the last of the Camelot crew, MA would sooner hoist the Union Jack than get rid of TK. Anyway I digress Hillary plays it safe and much to everyones horror Iraq goes south and now the play it safe vote on the war has come back and bit Hillary. How in the world does she explain that one. "I was for it before I know what I know now, and if I did then I wouldn't have voted for it." Yep thats what happens when Hillary plays it safe, it usually get her into trouble as usual.
Hillary in her heart is still a good little Republican girl from the Midwest. When she went away to college she became a Lefty as a reaction to the stodgy, mean, old Republican parents she has. However she has never been able to confront those parents with their meanness, so she will shrink in face of any solid opposition. That has been one of the traits that both Hill and Bill share in common. They have learned not to put their cards on the table but to say one thing while working secretly around the edges to get what they want. That is what sends the paranoia of the Right into the stratosphere, this belief that because they are disingenous that they have some kind of a nefarious agenda.
Mark Penn's discussion of Microtrends really made that interview. His analysis of the current psycho-social culture dynamic is right on. Really fascinating. If people could get past his Clinton alignment and listen to him, they would learn a lot.
The American Right hates Hillary because she has been disingenuous. In other words they feel she keeps her real thoughts and beliefs hidden, and in that they jump to the conclusion that she has a nefarious agenda. The reality is written in the history of the previous Clinton administration. When the going gets tough the Clintons wuss out. Neither Clinton has been willing to suffer slings and arrows for their convictions. They are expert bullet dodgers or pass the responsibility artists. So Hillary may have the big idea but she is unwilling to pay the cost to see it through. She will fold her cards. Or as the American Right sees it she will work in secret to put her nefarious plan in operation, because she so distrusts the will of the American people.
After listening to Mark Penn, I feel more convinced that Hilary Clinton is the best democratic candidate running for president. I have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate, but I feel very stongly at this point that I will vote for Hilary this time. Briefly: 'Charlie Rose' has been my absolute favorite show for six years. I enjoy the intellectual conversations and listening to very interesting guests.