PR Straight Talk

There is of course no perfect presidential candidate.  Each contender has his or her strengths and weaknesses.  In my article, “Candidates’ Style Vs. Substance: A Media Trainer’s Scorecard,” published on July 2^nd by PR Week Magazine (see url below*), I pronounced Hillary Clinton the debate winner in the field of Democratic candidates, based on my media trainer’s perception that she led or ran high in a number of the ten determinants of style delineated in the article. 

Among Senator Clinton’s strongest suits were: projecting confidence; ability to connect; ability to articulate/communicate; perception of centeredness and balance; intelligence; perception of strength.  She either led or was a close second in these categories.  Interestingly, Senator Joe Biden scored high in these categories too, which leads one to suspect that the one category not covered in the article – name recognition – can be a linchpin determinant when thrown into the mix.  It should have been the eleventh determinant. 

Yet Senator Clinton, while she was the winner, and now apparently seems headed for the nomination of her party, is not the perfect candidate.  Senator Obama took the lead in three other determinants:  heart and humanity (based on his inspirational stance of projecting a new paradigm of rising above dualism and being an advocate of inclusionism, unity and hope); likeability; and wisdom (heart combined with intelligence.)  The perception of these attributes of Obama may not be enough to carry him into the lead, at least among registered Democrats, but they have attracted many into his orbit.

What I found attractive in Joe Biden, from a media trainer’s perspective, is that he clearly represents a man of great experience, especially in foreign affairs.  That came across through his strength of message in this area, and his having projected stylistic strengths that came close to Senator Clinton’s, including self-confidence, intelligence and strength. But lack of name recognition is clearly one of the good Senator’s handicaps.

Today, on CNN, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, gave what I thought was a tour de force in his interview with Wolf Blitzer.  What struck me about Mr. Huckabee’s performance was that he maintained a cheerful disposition, deflecting harsh criticisms of him by his opponents without going into a personal attack mode.  On the contrary, when Mr. Blitzer quoted tough criticsm by Conservative Phyllis Schlafly, questioning the authenticity of Mr. Huckabee’s conservatism, the former Governor simply and politely suggested Ms. Schlafly was misinformed, and then praised and acknowledged her for her strong and consistent track record as a Conservative.

When other criticisms were drawn about his stance against abortion and his support for Intelligent Design vs. Evolution, Huckabee was not apologetic.  Rather than get into the mire of the debate on the latter, he simply presented his belief in God and the Bible, and with a sincerity that was admirable (irrespective of one’s own conviction on the matter). On abortion, he made a strong case in opposition to it which was perceived as heartfelt, that all human life must be treated with reverence, including life in the womb.  Again, I think that people of another point-of-view, if they were fair, would not have disrespected Mr. Huckabee’s sincerity in expositing his belief on this issue.

What was appealing about Mr. Huckabee’s performance was that he came across as a man with a strongly held inner value system, and yet not arrogantly so.  Moreover, he presented himself as someone who could listen to criticism without getting personal of his opponents’ expressions.  To me, this conveys character.  “Character” is a quality that can only be shown or evidenced by strength of conviction combined with a tolerance for others’ views, and by action.  With respect to the former, Mr. Huckabee seems to potentially be such a person.

In my July 2^nd article, former Mayor Guiliani seems to have been underrated.  While he had decent scores in some categories, I did not perceive him as the winner.  Instead, former Governors Romney and Huckabee came out on top.  I think here, again, as Rudy is as of now the front runner among the Republican field of candidates, “name recognition” turns out to be a linchpin determinant.  The other strength that the former New York mayor plays on is his strong and hawkish position against terrorism and the Iranian threat.  That is a strength that obviously plays well among a goodly number of Americans, and Senator Clinton seems to be taking a strong stance here as well.  Part of the reason for this may be political so as to neutralize Mayor Guiliani’s criticisms in this area were he to be her opponent in a national election (and it appears this is moving in that direction).

So who’s the ideal candidate in this current presidential political campaign?  It’s clear.  It’s Clinton-Obama-Biden-Huckabee, and perhaps with a dash of Rudy Guiliani thrown in. Since there is no such “animal,” Americans can hope that as the campaign gels into one with two major candidates on either side, that these individuals will either grow by cultivating and integrating aspects of themselves that had been more submerged – or bring to their respective tickets Vice Presidential choices that are more developed in those areas of lack.

* July 2nd PR Week Magazine article can be found at: http://www.mediamavens.com/Articles/ArticlesbyMike/PRWeed_USAJul207.pdf