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By Brian Kirwin, Rourk Public Relations
Virginia's 2005 Gubernatorial race heated up three
weeks before Election Day when Democratic candidate
Tim Kaine met with the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial
board. Going into the media event, Kaine knew the
editorial page had a conservative edge to it. This
should have alerted him to prepare better and train
harder on how to answer tricky journalist questions,
get his message out, and stay away from trouble.
Apparently, none of the above happened and Kaine hit
some turbulence (which should have been anticipated)
and went into a death spiral from which he never recovered.
Kaine's pitfall was his inability to maneuver the
death penalty question, in a state that has one of
the highest execution rates in America and generally
supports candidates who support it.
The missteps Kaine took resulted in two powerful ads
by the Republican party -- ads that many experts feel
gave a huge advantage to the Republican candidate.
Following are some tips on handling the media when
it throws you the "gotcha" question.
Where’d He Go Wrong?
1.
Ramblin’ man. If there’s ever a place
to curb the urge to ramble, it’s in front of
a newspaper editorial board. Their questions are often
off the beaten track and designed to get you into
a “gotcha” situation. A candidate’s
only focus when talking to the press is to deliver
the campaign’s message enough times that they
will finally print it. An editorial board meeting
is not the place for a candidate to speak extemporaneously.
2.
Never argue minutia above values. Kaine committed
the exact error that Mike Dukakis did in 1988 against
then-Vice President Bush. Dukakis responded to Bernard
Shaw’s question about the death penalty for
his wife’s hypothetical murderer with an emotionless,
logical justification of his opposition to death penalties.
Voters were appalled.
3. Compounding the mistake. Kaine broke an important
campaign rule: Make the campaign about your issues.
The death penalty is a Republican issue. The more
air it’s given, the more the Republican is helped.
Not only did Kaine screw up at the editorial board
and give Republicans a couple of "nuke"
TV ads, he then complained about the TV ads which
created a weeklong media focus, inspiring local talk
radio to debate the issue of the death penalty --
which is not his issue!
What
Could He Have Done?
1.
Understand the emotions that such a question will
engage. This is a values question. Are criminals more
important than my family? You must answer that question
with that frame in mind. Don’t spend all day
parsing words and missing the true passions that are
inherent in an issue this personal. You’ve got
to care.
2.
Shut up already! Answer yes or no, then move on. If
an issue is not one of your main platform items, answer
briefly, then bridge to a key issue and launch away.
His
answer should’ve been: Sure, Adolf Hitler deserved
the death penalty. He was perhaps the most heinous
mass murderer of all time, and I’m glad we fought
a war to end his terror. But what my opponent has
no plan for, and what I need to focus on, is the question
“How do we prevent crimes from happening in
the first place.” And that’s where my
plan for early intervention can really have an impact
on crime.
3.
Don’t cry about unfair treatment for religious
issues. Kaine claimed the Republican ads discriminated
against his religion, which does not support the death
penalty. You’ll get no sympathy crying from
criticism about being religious when you’re
from a party that engages in it every campaign. Just
recognize you’re in a hole and stop digging.
Brian
Kirwin is a political consultant with Rourk Public
Relations in Virginia Beach, Va. He is one of the
state's leading political experts with numerous campaign
victories to his credit. Brian can be reached at (757)
962-2296 or brian@rourkpr.com. |
