Communications During Times of Scandal

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Communications During Times of Scandal

• National PAC Conference
• Feb. 14, 2006
• Doug Pinkham
• President, Public Affairs Council

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A Brief History of Scandals
Nixon Admin. Watergate Pentagon
Papers Nixon/Agnew Resignations
Grant Admin. Credit Mobilier Whiskey Ring Sec.
of War Bribery
Harding Admin. Teapot Dome
1870s 1920s 1970s
Reagan Admin. Iran-Contra Savings Loan Speaker
Jim Wright
Bush Admin. Duke Cunningham Delay
Indictment Jack Abramoff
Clinton Admin. Whitewater Monica-gate
Carter Admin. Korea-gate Abscam
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
3
Historical Impact of Scandals

• Credit Mobilier (1872)
• Both parties guilty
• Ruined political careers, but Garfield later
  became President
• Whiskey Ring (1875)
• 110 convictions and 3 million in taxes recovered
• Grant appointed special prosecutor and then fired
  him
• Teapot Dome (1922)
• Civil and criminal suits first cabinet member to
  go to prison
• Supreme Court case gave Congress right to compel
  testimony
• Watergate (1972)
• Campaign finance law amendments in 1974 and birth
  of FEC
• Led to expansion of Freedom of Info Act and
  greater disclosure
• Abscam (1980)
• Government hasnt used fake front companies since
  1980s

4
What History Has Told Us

• America has a history of political corruption
• Cover-ups create additional scandals
• Scandals are always politicized by opponents
• Since Watergate, the number of alleged scandals
  has increased
• Political scandals often ruin careers, but rarely
  produce groundbreaking legislation

5
What the Public Has Told Us

• Only 45 have favorable view of government
  (compared with 59 in 2004)
• Only 45 have favorable view of corporations
• 81 believe its common practice for lobbyists to
  bribe Congress
• Source Pew Research Center surveys published on
  10/25/05 and 1/11/06

6
What John Boehner Has Told Us

• "In the past, when these scandals have erupted,
  what's happened is Congress has overreacted, and
  two days later nobody knew what happenedBringing
  more transparency to this relationship, I think,
  is the best way to control it.
• Fox News Sunday
• I believe that privately funded travel ought to
  be pre-cleared. There ought to be a good public
  purpose in members going on a trip, and if there
  isnt, then they shouldnt go. Meet the Press

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Lobbying Reform Proposals

• Lobbying Disclosure Overhaul (McCain/Shays)
• Tougher lobbying disclosure and transparency
• Better reporting and oversight of congressional
  travel
• Review of conflicts of interest in hiring of
  Members
• Lobbying and Ethics Overhaul (Feingold/Meehan)
• Tougher lobbying disclosure and transparency
• Two-year ban on lobbying
• Lobbyists couldnt arrange trips greater trip
  oversight
• Prohibition on Lobbyist Gifts (Miller)
• No gifts of any kind allowed
• House Rules Overhaul (Obey/Frank/Price/Allen)
• Lobbyists couldnt pay for, arrange or attend
  trips
• Former House members couldnt lobby on floor

Source CQWeekly 1/16/06
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Likely Outcomes

• More restrictions on travel and gifts
• Greater lobbying disclosure
• Longer waiting periods before Members and staff
  can lobby
• Minor rule changes governing earmarks

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Other Possible Consequences

• Mass exodus of senior congressional staff
• Greater focus on technical lobbying
  (rather than on lobbying for access)
• Increased importance of grassroots and PACs
• Empty seats at Redskins games
• Continued public distrust of political process

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How to Deal with Public Distrust

• Talk about it
• Be the preferred source of information
• Develop strategies for internal and external
  audiences
• Be more transparent
• Be proud of your political involvement
• Look for opportunities to discuss politics openly
• Give PAC supporters information they need to
  defend your program
• Be more consistent
• Integrate political involvement activities into
  public relations and social responsibility
  initiatives
• State your commitment to ethics
• Revisit your bylaws and ethics guidelines
• Decide how you will respond to various ethical
  dilemmas
• Show senior management you can minimize
  reputation risk

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PAC Newsletters
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Public Affairs Blogs/E-Updates
U.S. Politics and Policy Frustrating and
Fascinating . . . Corruption is a big topic in
Washington these days obviously because of Jack
Abramoff, but rather than reacting to the news in
front of their faces (both sides recently came
out with Lobbying Reform Measures), how about
focusing on the issues that will actually be
impactful to the citizens of this nation?
Healthcare anyone? Education? Broadband for every
man, woman and child who wants it? No, let's
focus on lobbying reform. Politics is obviously a
part of policy. It is the way the U.S. system
works. . . . In related news, The Gallup Poll
came out today and stated that only 27 of voters
see the Congress in a favorable light. Perhaps
lobbying reform (i.e. my read not trusting
themselves to throw a vote in exchange for a
steak) will get them to 28. I doubt it. Posted
by John Earnhardt at 0635 PM Permalink
Comments (5) TrackBacks (0)
 
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Communications During Times of Scandal

• National PAC Conference
• Feb. 14, 2006
• Doug Pinkham
• President, Public Affairs Council