With all the expense, effort and time that a political campaign entails, I am always amazed when a candidate or sitting politician is brought down by scandal. More than ever, an intense and persistent spotlight shines on politicians whose every move and every skeleton is fair game. Hundreds if not thousands of reporters and generic dirt seekers unearth and disseminate their findings at lightning speed across a hungry internet. Scandal sells. If you polled today I’m betting more people have heard the raunchy details of Herman Cain’s latest sexual harassment accuser than have heard the details of the G20 conference whose outcome directly effects (versus titillates) everyone on the planet.
Whether allegations are true or false is irrelevant (for the purposes of this argument).
To avoid feeding the scandal frenzy, the politician or candidate or for that matter prominent CEO simply must be prepared. If they cannot proactively block and/or diffuse a news item, then they should at least be prepared to act swiftly and decisively.
Cain’s responses to the media regarding the allegations have changed along the way, making his statements suspect. When asked “Have you ever been accused, sir, in your life of harassment by a woman?” Cain, after a long silence, answered the reporter with “Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment?” Ouch. Not a smooth response, even on the playground. Had Cain been better prepared, he could have given a definitive answer at the start which may not have stopped the story but would at least have minimized its momentum. I don’t know what did or did not happen but if, just for example, Cain indeed crossed the line with these ladies and it was in investigative Dossier, then he could have put the cards on the table: “Yes, I did this and that. It was wrong. Mea culpa. I have asked my family, friends and God for forgiveness. End of discussion. Let’s move on.” But one gets the impression Cain was not really prepared for the story to come out.
Thinking like the adversary is an effective proactive tool to avoid future problems. To this end, conducting a red team is essential. Anyone in or around the public spot light can benefit from a proactive investigation that involves red teaming and produces a good Dossier. In fact, Chameleon has conducted extensive due diligence for a variety of high profile clients and the results are at the very least, always interesting. Even if no juicy morsels are discovered, having a third party take an objective look can be very revealing. It is not enough to conduct criminal, court and financial background checks. Being creative and at least as sneaky as those digging for dirt is imperative. Web and social media – easily accessible to anyone on line – can expose a wide range of information. And as small as the world is today, a good investigation should of course go beyond domestic borders.
As is said, “wise men know how to avoid trouble that righteous men know only how to handle.”
As for Gloria Allred, I’d love to have her to dinner but I’d hate to have her show up at a news conference with my ex nanny. The best defense against the latter is being thoroughly prepared.
