Anne E. Kornblut of The Washington Post profiles Hillary Clinton's pollster and go-to strategist, Mark Penn.

They say any publicity is good publicity, but that's not altogether true. This piece, for example, reinforces all the stereotypes that many people find unappealing about politics. More specifically, it's a caricature of what the current left-wing activist base of the Democratic party despises most: the beltway uber-pollster/strategist with the $5 million Georgetown mansion who simultaneously runs a presidential campaign and a public relations firm with high-powered corporate clients and who generates reams of polling data to help advise his candidate on which positions she should take.

If Hillary tried to take a step forward with the netroots last week, this profile will almost certainly represent two steps back.

As to Penn's analysis of the race, here is how Kornblut reports it:

Turning again to the data, he [Penn] mapped out a specific strategy for victory in the electoral college: luring to the Democratic Party several percentage points' worth of women as well as more Hispanics, two groups to which Clinton traditionally appeals.

"When you look at this thing nationally -- how is she going to win -- I think it's really important to look at what were the two groups that defected from the Democrats in 2004 to give it to Bush," Penn said. "And those were women and Latino voters. And almost all the change in that election from 2000 was among those two groups, and those are her two strongest groups. And I think that's some of the reason you see her doing so well in places like Ohio and Florida -- because I think those are both states that she could take."

And then, he said, "you won't have to go any further on the map."

Penn's theory of the 2008 race has always been that after two tumultuous terms under Bush, the electorate will want change -- but not too much change. Clinton offers a perfect mix, Penn believes. She inherently represents change, as a woman, without being unfamiliar or untested, thanks to her many years in Washington.

Penn did not anticipate that another Democrat might come along with a similar ability to fit that bill -- as supporters of Obama, who would be the first black president, believe he can -- but he says Clinton has another advantage in her ability to appeal to the underprivileged. Penn believes, and independent surveys confirm, that she outperforms other Democrats among lower-income voters, especially members of a family of four making less than $75,000 a year.

This last point is one Ron Brownstein made last month, which is that for Obama to win he has to expand his base of support beyond the chablis-sipping white collar set and into the ranks of beer-swilling blue collar voters. It remains to be seen whether Obama can connect with this group but, in general, polls show he still has massive potential for growth while Hillary's appears to be limited.