Rest Of Press Finally Catches Up With FITSNews
LET THE TIPTOEING AROUND THE OBVIOUS BEGIN
FITSNews - March 25, 2007 - Now that every journalist in America has had a good cry and gotten in touch with their inner Barbara Walters’, the mainstream press is finally beginning to rationally assess the political fallout from John and Elizabeth Edwards’ press conference last week announcing that he will continue his presidential campaign in spite of her cancer. From this morning’s Washington Post article:
After an early flurry of good wishes directed toward the Edwards family, political operatives have begun the awkward process of asking an inevitable question: How will news of Elizabeth Edwards’s cancer recurrence, and her husband’s decision to continue campaigning for president, affect the race for the Democratic nomination?
Actually it’s not an awkward process at all if you just close your eyes, click your heels three times and say “there’s no place like home” over and over again.
Anyway, what struck us most about the Post article this morning was this paragraph:
Others marveled at the careful choreography of the Edwardses’ Thursday appearance, which was as visually striking as any campaign event in Iowa or New Hampshire, down to the lapel microphones the couple wore.
No argument there. Hell, the first question at the Edwardses’ press conference was a health question, the kind campaigns specifically “plant” with gullible reporters in an effort to further define the parameters of the story. You know, kind of like they tried to do for President Bartlett at his dramatic multiple sclerosis press conference six years ago.
Wait, that wasn’t real?
Right now, everything is coming up “roses and Katie Couric” for the Edwards’ campaign. He’s getting a bump in the polls because people feel sorry for his wife, and on top of that the whole cancer discussion has people talking about his issues - health care issues - on his terms. But the story isn’t sustainable, and the way Edwards’ campaign handled the announcement actually sowed the seeds for serious future problems.
How so?
Well, root public perceptions are a b*tch, people. And they can turn on a dime. This week people are looking at Mrs. Edwards and thinking to themselves, “She is so brave, I like her.” Next week? Well, unless hubby is on 24/7 chocolate fetching and toenail blowing duty, the perception becomes, “He should really be focusing on her, I don’t like him.”
Edwards’ campaign also got some poor communications advice. Instead of holding an elaborate press event announcing all of this in the manner that they did, they should have let the news of Mrs. Edwards’ diagnosis linger out there for a few days, begging off questions with repeated “we appreciate your prayers” statements until the media crescendo got so loud that they “had” to respond to it. And that’s when you hold your elaborate press event, with (Mr.) Edwards saying something like:
“We never wanted our personal lives to be part of the public debate, but Elizabeth and I have decided together that this is a reason to continue, not a reason to quit. After all, now more than ever this country needs a President who understands how important it is that we provide universal health care for all Americans.”
Of course we believe that anything preceded by the words “universal government” is a terrible idea, but you get the drift.
