By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer  

Posted April 7, 2008 – The man who created the “experience” theme for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) White House run and the “red phone” television ad that eked out wins for her in Texas and Ohio has resigned from the campaign effectively immediately.

Why?

It seems that Mark Penn, her chief political strategist, made a hasty departure on Sunday after it was disclosed that he had met with representatives of the Colombian government to work on and promote a trade agreement.  Not just any trade agreement, but one Clinton has said she opposes.

Penn resigned after The Wall Street Journal revealed that, in his role as chief executive of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, Penn was also working for the Colombian government to lobby Congress for a new U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement.

This isn’t good timing on a trade issue for the Clinton camp, whose poll numbers show she is popular with working-class folks in Pennsylvania.  Clinton has said publicly that she opposes any trade agreement that would cost more Americans jobs.

This type of revelation could cost Clinton the union support that has given her the margin in a state like Pennsylvania.  When the story broke over the weekend, several unions demanded Clinton dump Penn or risk losing their endorsements.

The fallout is already underway.  James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, told reporters, “How can we trust that a President Hillary Clinton would stand strong against this trade deal when her top adviser is being paid by Colombia to promote it?”

“This has caused us to question Clinton’s stated stances on everything from human rights and environmental issues to very basic labor issues,” he added.

This is the second stumble in for the Clinton camp on labor policy.  Just before the Ohio and Texas primaries Clinton worked on distancing herself from 1994’s North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), championed by President Bill Clinton, despite fierce union opposition. 

On Saturday, Penn issued a statement saying that he’d made an “error in judgment that will not be repeated, and I am sorry for it.”

This error could cost Clinton big; the Dems need unions in the fall, and this could play right into the “electability” litmus test if a deciding factor for super-delegates is where she stands on this issue.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer

Posted April 6, 2008 – The Ford family is considered a political dynasty in Tennessee.  Now, two Fords are telling one Ford to apologize to Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), the man who now represents the Ninth congressional district for making racially charged comments they say are an “insult.” 

This is political drama at its best.

It sounds like Jake Ford, the son of former Democratic Rep. Harold Ford, Sr., and the brother of former Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., is still sulking over his loss to Cohen in 2006 and has decided to run again for the seat.

But just the perfunctory process of filing last Thursday has ignited the drama of it all.  While Jake Ford, accompanied by his brother Isaac, were filing papers to challenge Cohen, Isaac Ford told the press, ‘‘Jake Ford is a Black candidate; it’s a Black district, and we need Black representation.’’

Translation, Cohen is White and can’t do a good job.

Friday, when the comments were reported in Memphis The Commercial Appeal newspaper, they brought swift responses from both Harold Ford, Sr., and  Harold  Ford Jr., who told the newspaper they did not agree with the comments made by Isaac. 

Cohen beat Jake Ford in 2006 when he ran to fill the seat vacated by his brother Harold Ford, Jr., who ran for the Tennessee Senate.  Ford Jr., followed his father Harold Ford, Sr., into the seat where the two Ford’s represented the predominately Black district for 32 years.

The family has a long tradition in the Democratic Party, but Jake Ford filed as an independent to face off with Cohen in the fall. 

In an effort to defuse the comments and the racial overtone, Jake Ford said Saturday that his brother’s comments were taken out of context and weren’t meant to have racial overtones.

  ‘‘My brother and I were not saying we have to have a Black representative in this district. We said in the state of Tennessee, the western district was created as a predominantly Black district so we would have Black representation in Congress,’’ he said.

Ford Jr. who no doubt has plans to see his name on a Tennessee ballot in the future, and his father Ford, Sr., called the comments “an insult” and they want Jake to publicly apologize for Isaac’s comments.

While these comments are new, the questioning of Cohen’s ability as a White man to represent Black constituents are not.   During the 2006 campaign, Cohen’s legitimacy as a candidate was made an issue by his challenger, Jake Ford.

‘‘Everyone makes it seem like I’m creating the race issue.   As for my dad and my brother, they’re not running for Congress. I am,’’ Jack Ford said.

But, Ford Sr. isn’t buying it, and has said that even if the comments were taken out of context, they are out of place.  ‘‘That type of message going out is not good for the city or the Ninth District,” Ford Sr. said. “The article and editorial disturbed me. He certainly does not speak for me, and that’s not representative of this family.’’ 

Ford Jr., went so far as to say, ‘‘I want to make clear my brothers’ comments are not mine. I reject them.”

And as if that’s not enough, Ford, Jr. added that he didn’t encourage his brother to run in the first place, a statement Jake Ford says isn’t true.

My suggestion to the Ford family is this: have a family dinner and work all this out.