By Fraser P. Seitel
By the time you read this, Rep. Anthony Weiner may already have fessed up that, "Yes, I did have photos of myself in my underwear on the Internet."
If he hasn't said that yet, he will.
Indeed, the former shoe-in to replace New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg really has no other choice as he tries to emerge from the worst crisis management handling since a certain President "didn't have sex" with a certain White House intern.
That the combative, articulate darling of the left could ruin himself so devastatingly in less than a week is, in itself, breathtaking.
A protégé of Chuck Schumer, the most self-servingly successful publicity-seeker this side of Donald Trump, Weiner distinguished himself in 11 years in the Congress as one of Washington's most savvy purveyors of PR.
And now this.
Either the congressman got terrible PR advice or didn't listen. And while Weiner continues to sport a stiff upper lip in damage control interviews, the fact is his political career, prospects to become mayor, and reputation have all been whacked.
Whether or not the wounded Weiner rebounds from his woes, those of us who practice the mysterious art of PR can learn plenty from the congressman's troubled tweets.
For example:
• First, review "worst case" questions before going public.
The job of the PR advisor is to make sure that every potentially dangerous or damaging question gets vetted in advance.
In the Weiner case, the two most obvious questions were:
1. Did you send the offending tweet?
2. Is the offending photo of you?
What obviously happened was that Weiner and his crew were categorical about the first question and completely ignored the second. They presumably thought that once the Congressman had strongly denied sending the tweet, that would effectively close down the dialogue.
Big mistake.
• Second, examine the hidden implications of "going public."
It's also the job of the PR counselor to scrutinize all the tangential areas that might be exposed once the issue becomes public.
In this case, what was "exposed" (besides the obvious), were two curious aspects, that added to Weiner's troubles.
1. By insisting his Twitter account was "hacked," Rep. Weiner has an obligation, spelled out in the Congressional rule book, to report the offense to the appropriate authorities. That Weiner refused to do so has only made him look more suspicious.
2. In acknowledging the comely coed who was targeted by the offensive tweet, Weiner effectively pointed enquiring reporters to the fact that many of those he followed on Twitter were similarly-fetching females.
Nothing wrong with that, of course, as long as there's a valid explanation. We're waiting.
• Third, sex scandals don't go away.
Again, if the congressman's brain trust felt that by immediately reporting the "hacking" of Weiner's account, it would swiftly extinguish the controversy – then they haven't been paying attention.
Sex scandals, unlike financial chicanery or other forms of executive malfeasance, stick around for the long-term.
Just ask John Edwards, Mark Sanford, Mark Foley, John Ensign, Chris Lee, not to mention Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Gary Hart, etc., etc., etc.
Rep. Weiner, who has capitalized on making fun of the suggestive nature of his name, should have known better; that when sex is involved, reporters don't let up.
• Fourth, control the agenda.
Anthony Weiner prides himself on his sharp tongue and quick mind, which heretofore have helped him stay on message and rebut those who would try to knock him off stride.
In this case, both his tongue and his mind betrayed him disastrously.
Weiner understood he couldn't duck the press. Weiner knew that he must stay on his agenda, i.e. insist on talking about the deficit vote and not the brewing scandal.
But he couldn't resist smacking back, when a CNN reporter kept interrupting the congressman's views on the vote with scandal questions. "Why don't you ask the questions, and I give the answers, and we let the jackass interrupt?" Weiner snapped at the media horde surrounding him outside the Capitol.
And with that, he effectively ceded the agenda to an energized press corps, which now smelled blood.
• Fifth, don't tweet.
Social media is wonderful but…
If you're a three-term congressman, with easy access to national media, and climbing name recognition – for goddsakes, don't risk it by using Twitter.
It simply ain't worth it.
Perhaps the only silver lining for the chastened congressman, whose name was frequently mispronounced, is that as a result of his stupefying self-immolation, he can be certain that no one ever again will call him, "Whine-er."
Not a chance of that happening now. Nope, forever more, Anthony will be a Weiner. A real "Weiner." |