Mark Schmitt tells Mark Penn not to let the door hit him on the way out:
A few weeks ago, a prominent political scientist and Democratic strategist chided me for my focus on Penn. "A candidate gets the kind of campaign he or she deserves," he said. I was a bit surprised, as he is a strong Clinton supporter. And, sure, Clinton is responsible for Penn, just as George W. Bush is responsible for Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. The fact that she placed such trust in him, when his shortcomings are as obvious from a distance as they apparently are up close, is one factor that makes one doubt her. But, no, I don't believe that Clinton "deserves" Mark Penn, just as the country doesn't deserve the kind of narrowing, spin-driven politics he delivers. Clinton deserves the kind of campaign that a competent, empirical strategist or pollster like Geoff Garin will devise. Sadly, she deserved it six months ago.
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--The Editors
