Mark McKinnon
Mark McKinnon
Mark McKinnonis an American political advisor, reform advocate, media columnist and television producer. He was the chief media advisor to five successful presidential primary and general election campaigns, and is a co-founder of No Labels, an organization dedicated to bipartisanship and political problem solving. He served as vice chairman of Public Strategies, Inc., which was acquired by the international communications consultancy Hill & Knowlton Strategies, and was president of Maverick Media. McKinnon is the co-creator, co-executive producer, and co-host of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
CountryUnited States of America
This President is acutely aware of the impact of the economy, both on regular Americans and on Presidents. Americans fundamentally understand a President can't move the markets, but they want to be assured that he cares about it and is doing all he can.
The problem with State of the Union speeches is that they are, by their nature and design, alphabet soup. It's hard to know what a president really cares about when they run down a laundry list and check every issue box under the sun for fear they will offend some constituency if they don't.
That is the president's signature issue, and on that issue, there is no stronger supporter than John McCain.
I'm from Chicago. I'm a little more biased. I like the United Center. I like the convenience of the downtown area.
The public will see that partisan axes are being ground.
Conventional wisdom may be upside-down. The economy is always an issue, but I think . . . it has to be viewed in different terms. The Gore camp will try to take credit for the economy. I don't think the voters see it that way.
Drone attacks subvert the rule of law - we become judge, jury, and executioner - at the push of a button.
Both campaigns did all they could do. I think both sides will say we both went out swinging and we didn't leave anything on the field.
There's no question the president's legacy will be dominated by Iraq. The war is really driving almost everything in government.
I've never seen the president burdened by the presidency. He's built to deal with really big events. It's in his DNA.
As history has repeatedly proven, one trade tariff begets another, then another - until you've got a full-blown trade war. No one ever wins, and consumers always get screwed.
It's like the Tour de France without Lance.
This president has a real pattern of defying conventional wisdom.
Temporary tax cuts don't create permanent confidence, nor permanent jobs.