Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [82]
Soon after he was named a vice-presidential candidate, Dan Quayle became the subject of a stakeout outside his home. One morning, he found himself having to deal with shouted questions from reporters about his military record as he tried to take out the garbage. He gave a couple of joking replies before going back in his house.
The “clips” from these stakeout activities were seen on the nightly newscasts. How well these two men handled themselves in this situation was studied as closely as what they said.
If they aren’t camped outside your home, reporters may have assembled their paraphernalia at a key exit near your office or a place you are visiting, or have gathered near your car or limousine. The press has been known to thunder in full cry in pursuit of a witness or celebrity. Or you may be surprised by a reporter who rounds a corner, pokes a microphone in your face, and demands a statement or asks the very question that you had hoped you could get through the day without being asked.
Determine in advance what the reporters want to know, why they are there, and the questions they will ask you—especially the very tough or unfair questions. Anticipate your response based on the advice of your legal advisers, consultants, or staff.
When you are the object of a stakeout or are being pursued by the press wherever you go, it is important, once again, that you keep in control of the situation. Once you have planned in advance what you intend to say, do just that and nothing more. Never say anything you did not intend to say.
Don’t waste your breath complaining to the reporters about their following you. Don’t be rude if you have nothing to say to them. Simply nod and say “hello” as you pass and keep on walking; or stop and politely say “I’m sorry, but I have no comment to make on that.” In short, even though you may feel irritated or even angry inside about the situation, always strive to appear to be calm and in charge.
On the other hand, if you have information you wish the media to have, take advantage of the opportunity to give it to them.
BECOMING A POLITICAL CANDIDATE
When you become a candidate for public office, you walk into the full glare of media publicity. The public wants to know everything about you. Reporters will interview your high school and college professors, your first girl friend, and your mother. They will look you up in the old yearbooks, find out that you had a big Adam’s apple, that your ears stick out, and that you were voted “most likely to party to the grave.” They will find out if you were showing abnormal signs of ambition or ego at age five, if you ever cheated on a test, or if your first husband did all of the cooking.
They will be interested if you grew up too rich or too poor, if you ever got arrested for punching somebody out or driving your car recklessly, if you have declared all of your income on your income tax forms, if you have thirty unpaid parking tickets, or if you are under the thumb of too many special-interest groups.
As a viable candidate, you have now moved from the background to center stage. It is important that you keep in mind that everything you do is fair game for the press. Your political opponents may try to destroy your political advantage using any possible means. Assume that everything you say and do (or have said and done in the past) could be a headline in tomorrow’s paper.
If you have something major to hide, it is best not to enter the political arena at all, because you cannot count on anything remaining a secret. Anticipate that a long-past scandal will be dug up to force your withdrawal from the campaign. If a difficult situation does develop, be frank and honest up front and immediately try to defuse the dangerous situation as much as possible. Keep your private life very private, but be prepared for invasions of that privacy.
As a candidate, you will be facing a variety of media-oriented functions from