Talk:Mark McKinnon

Third opinion sought
I do not find the following text: Former President George Bush says of McKinnon, “I was really impressed by Mark’s creativity, and I was particularly impressed by his honesty." Senator John McCain, in his typical straight talk fashion, says, "He’s almost a genius." And President Barack Obama calls McKinnon “a class act.” To be encyclopedic or NPOV. I find it to be promotional puffery. I have deleted it twice, and User:Cryslynn5 has sent me an email requesting I stop deleting it and reconsider. I've reconsidered and I'm still opposed to it. I'm seeking a third opinion from an experienced editor as to its merits. It is currently not in the text. Thanks --CastAStone//(talk) 01:31, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

Okay, I guess I thought that primary quotes would be fine, but if that is not the case, I'll delete it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cryslynn5 (talk • contribs) 18:02, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

Seeking help to implement expanded article
I have spent the last couple months researching and writing an updated and expanded version of this article. I have worked with Mark McKinnon and H+K Strategies to ensure the article's accuracy, and was paid to complete this project as part of my work at Beutler Ink. My goals were to update the article, improve its general flow and sourcing, add structure via section headings, and add new illustrations (three images, with the photographers' permission, have been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons).

I'd like to flag that two points were removed in my draft vs. the current article. The first was related to the McCain team's hiring of multiple former Bush staffers, as this does not seem particularly relevant to McKinnon's biography or career. The second was that McKinnon voted for Gary Johnson. This seems like a minor point and, again, not related to McKinnon's career. The focus of this new draft is less about removing inaccurate content and more about expanding details about his early life and career, improving the article's flow and structure, and putting the content in chronological order. I've also improved sourcing, formatted references, and suggested additional categories to add.

I will not be editing the article directly because of my conflict of interest. Instead, I've published my draft in my user space here, which editors may review and implement in the main space as appropriate. I am also happy to work through the article section by section, separating the discussions in new messages, if preferred.

I believe this new draft is a vast improvement over the existing article, but I will let unbiased reviewers decide. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your consideration. Inkian Jason (talk) 22:43, 26 May 2016 (UTC)


 * ✅ I reviewed the draft in Inkian Jason's user page and found nothing objectionable about it. It seemed to be NPOV, well sourced, and an improvement over what existed here.  Per this request, I replaced the relevant parts of the original article with the updates in the user space.  As always, any article on Wikipedia is subject to later edits by anyone.  — Maile  (talk) 23:02, 10 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Thank you so much for your time and assistance. Inkian Jason (talk) 16:24, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

Edit request to remove vandalism
An anonymous editor recently vandalized the article. I prefer not to edit the article directly given my conflict of interest, but I hope someone else is willing and able to revert this edit. or, are you available to help? Inkian Jason (talk) 19:05, 13 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Thank you for reverting. Inkian Jason (talk) 15:43, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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Request to replace image


Hello again! I have worked with Mark McKinnon to get the permission for File:Mark McKinnon - arrest.jpg confirmed via OTRS. Since the image has been accepted at Wikimedia Commons, I propose replacing the image of Kris Kristofferson in the "Early career" section with one of McKinnon being arrested. I've suggested a caption to the right, if helpful.

You helped with an edit request above, so I'm curious if you'd be willing to assist here again. Thanks for your consideration. Inkian Jason (talk) 17:59, 26 July 2018 (UTC)


 * I made the swap. Hope this is what you wanted. — Maile  (talk) 20:02, 26 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your assistance. Inkian Jason (talk) 20:14, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

Subsequent request to replace 2 images
Hello again! You've helped with images before, so I wanted to reach out to you again. I've worked with Mark McKinnon to upload both File:Mark McKinnon - headshot.jpg and File:Mark McKinnon, John Heilemann, Alex Wagner - The Circus.jpg.

1) I believe File:Mark McKinnon - headshot.jpg would serve as a better infobox image (higher quality). If you agree, would you mind replacing the infobox headshot and adding the caption "McKinnon in 2016"?

2) Also, I propose replacing File:Mark Halperin, Mark McKinnon, John Heilemann.jpg in the "Media career and political reform efforts" section with File:Mark McKinnon, John Heilemann, Alex Wagner - The Circus.jpg, which shows current cast members of The Circus. I propose adding File:Mark McKinnon, John Heilemann, Alex Wagner - The Circus.jpg with the caption "Mark McKinnon, John Heilemann, and Alex Wagner (left to right) of the Showtime series The Circus". Actually, if we want to keep the images in chronological order, the new Circus image should be placed underneath the image of McKinnon in front of a Jeb Bush bus.

Thanks again for your consideration, Inkian Jason (talk) 18:13, 31 January 2019 (UTC)


 * ✅ — Maile (talk) 19:32, 31 January 2019 (UTC)
 * Thank you! Looks like an extra blank line was added, but otherwise looks good. Inkian Jason (talk) 19:33, 31 January 2019 (UTC)

Request to add URL
Since you helped with the above request, I was wondering if you might be able to assist once again. Currently, Reference #32 has an error message saying "". Would you mind adding https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2015/12/john-heilemann-mark-halperin-mark-mckinnon-launching-showtime-series-216779 to the citation's URL parameter? I do not edit the main space directly because of my conflict of interest.

Thanks for your consideration. Inkian Jason (talk) 20:38, 29 November 2018 (UTC)


 * ✅ — Maile (talk) 21:01, 29 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you. Inkian Jason (talk) 21:02, 29 November 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 22:37, 1 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Mark McKinnon - arrest.jpg