Hello Readers,
Mark Penn, the acclaimed US campaign strategist and publicist, insisted recently his favourite candidate for the US presidency, Hillary Clinton, was an electable choice than Barack Obama.
Mr. Penn is also the chief executive of public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller.
In an interview with the UK's Independent newspaper, Mr. Penn tries to come out as unapologetic.
"The only thing I can tell you is that they [the Obama people] ran an excellent campaign," he says in the Independent interview
But why the mess: Obama, until his election to the White House, kept raising doubts in the political establishment and among analysts about his chances of winning. Up to now, no one believes the opinions they had of and about Obama were wrong. But come November 4, Obama carried the day. It did not matter that the very Rev. Jesse Jackson shed tears, what matters is that that Obama made him do that.
For example, a document doing rounds online and beyond, by an anonymous anti-Obama writer is wrongly entitled: Obama Presidency: Black President Or Irrational Exuberance.
The document asks a lot of questions, but then leaves many unanswered.
Mark Penn should not try to be exceptional for nothing: Flawed analysis and misleading strategy cost Mrs. Hillary Clinton the presidency, and Mr. Penn should accept he is the man behind the failure and try another round of 'microtrends'