John McCain's response to allegations in the New York Times and the Washington Post that he had an improper relationship with a lobbyist was right on in terms of public relations. He reacted quickly after the potential scandal hit the papers today (although the New York Times' article said he refused requests for interviews in December) and held a press conference this morning denying any improper personal relationship or unethical decisions made as a result of the relationship. We shall see how the story plays out but addressing the issues immediately after a scandal or controversy breaks is almost always the way to go.
It's hard not to compare this response to Kwame Kilpatrick's following the Detroit Free Press' front page story about an affair between Kwame and his chief of staff and thousands of sexually charged text messages. Detroit's mayor was officially silent for a week, although it appears he may have found time for some more inappropriate conversations in a hot tub down South. Bad PR move! When he did speak, he sought sanctuary in church, another bad PR move! I know I mentioned that in a previous posting, but it still galls me!
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This is the text of a private e-mail I sent to Barbara. She suggested I add it to her blog's comments:
ReplyDelete"I'm not up on what the TV calls "late-breaking news", so I can't comment on the timeliness of McCain's press conference. I was tempted to mention his demeanor. While a lesser advisor might have told him to stand up straight, look the camera in the eye and make a defiant "I did not have sex with that woman" speech, McCain didn't attempt to alter his general appearance of a mumbling, rumpled grandfather figure, He even seemed to accentuate it. The result? People figured that no way was that cute blond going to fool around with Pops.
However, if I did have McCain's ear, I would make two suggestions:
1. Get Cindy to have a makeover. She looks to me like an updated version of Pat Nixon. (And if you are going to let her talk to the press, don't have her parrot your words. "Disappointment" was a great buzz word, but when it is used twice, we see the spin doctor at work.)
2. Stop the silly habit of walking around holding your wife's hand. It has become a sine qua non for Presidents and other people who think they may appear on television, but you should look like you're figuring whether to bomb the hell out of Iran, not acting like a territorial 16 year old.
That said, I'll leave the political commenting to the commentators—and PR gurus."
It so happens that Barbara doesn't agree with me about Cindy McCain. Any one out there care to mediate?