Mark Penn on Obama's Chances

If I were to pin the blame on anyone that I am now hoping Barack Obama rather than Hillary Clinton will be elected president in November, I think I might choose Mark Penn. In my own analysis, the semi-incumbent strategy that Hillary pursued in 2007 because of Penn's advice forced her to compete in Iowa, a playing field that was stacked against her. If she had been able to skip Iowa and go right to New Hampshire, it would have been hard to develop the media narrative that Obama had slayed the front runner. Anyway, good ol' Mark had more than his fair share of mistakes during the campaign.

Be that as it may be, Mark had a penchant for saying that Obama can't win the presidency. He now has written a piece in Politico that says Obama indeed can win the race. Penn urges Obama to focus on a population he calls, "active grannies": "empty-nesters who have found a new freedom in their lives after the kids have left." Seems that Mark thinks Obama has a good chance with this demographic, and he should pursue it vigorously.

Now, I can't say I disagree with the notion of a Democratic candidate chasing older female voters. But I wonder if there isn't something in my gut which says if Mark Penn advises you to go north, it's best to hightail it south. All-in-all, any political advice Mark Penn provides should be received with more than just one grain of salt.