Obama-Backing Unions Demand Hillary "Sever All Ties" With Penn

By Greg Sargent - April 11, 2008, 1:46PM

Change to Win, the coalition of unions backing Obama, is upping the pressure on the Hillary campaign to dump Mark Penn, releasing a new statement demanding that she "sever all ties" with Penn and launching an online pressure campaign designed to force her to do just that.

The latest statement ties Penn directly to "triangulation," a word folks obviously associate with the Clintons, and blames it directly for the decline of living conditions for the American worker.

“"High-priced consultants like Mark Penn who shape our laws to suit their clients are poisoning our political system and robbing voters of their faith in our democratic process," the statement says. "Triangulation has been the strangulation of the hopes and dreams of American workers...There is no place at the table for union-busters."

There's no evidence that the Obama campaign is orchestrating Change to Win's continuing pressure on Hillary, but it's obvious that Penn, and Hillary's refusal to get rid of him once and for all, is a gift that keeps on giving for the Obama camp.

The question, though, is whether this latest broadside represents enough of an advancement of the assault on Penn to merit significantly more coverage.

Separately, The Huffington Post has some brutal quotes about Penn from Hillary-ite Paul Begala.

Full Change to Win statement after the jump.

THERE IS NO PLACE AT THE TABLE FOR UNION-BUSTERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following is a statement from Change to Win executive director Greg Tarpinian calling on Sen. Clinton to sever all ties with Mark Penn after media reports revealed he is still participating in campaign strategy calls, conducting polling, dispensing advice and managing Clinton's direct-mail operation, despite being stripped of his “chief campaign strategist” title. Change to Win launched an online campaign today calling on Sen. Hillary Clinton to sever all ties with Mark Penn.

“We must break from the politics of the past. High-priced consultants like Mark Penn who shape our laws to suit their clients are poisoning our political system and robbing voters of their faith in our democratic process. Triangulation has been the strangulation of the hopes and dreams of American workers. Mixing the people’s work with corporate work might be ‘good for business,’ but there is no question it’s bad for America’s workers.

“Consultants whose firms counsel and countenance corporations or countries that deny the basic human rights of workers should have no place in any campaign seeking the support of America’s workers. Mark Penn, while serving as an advisor to the Clinton campaign contracted to advocate for a job killing trade agreement with a nation that is the most dangerous place in the world for trade unionists. To make matters worse, his firm also advocates for a corporation notorious for aggressively suppressing the rights of workers. There is no place at the table for union-busters.

“These back room dealings remind us yet again of the choice voters have in this election: bringing people together to change this broken system and forge new solutions that help restore the American Dream for America’s workers or the status quo where Washington insiders buy their way into the policies they want.”