Mike Paul's Blog - August 2008

According to A.P., former President Bill Clinton's mythic political skills face a major test when he takes the rostrum at the Democratic convention tonight, looking past his disappointment -- some say anger -- to speak in support of Barack Obama, the man who ended Hillary Clinton's run for the White House.

Hillary Clinton passed the same test last night with a soaring rhetorical paean to her own historic run to be America's first woman commander in chief and a convincing call for her still-angry backers to unify behind Obama, whose victory would make him the first black U.S. president.

While Bill Clinton's speech on the third night of the convention will only be a courtesy accorded former presidents, Obama -- who speaks tomorrow, the last night of the convention -- needs his support desperately. And there were fears Clinton, one of the finest political orators of a generation, would overshadow Obama's vice presidential running mate Sen. Joe Biden, who closes out today's session.

Bill Clinton, who showed flashes of anger over what he felt were unfair attacks on his wife during the Democratic primaries, has given Obama only tepid support since Hillary Clinton ceded to Obama in the close and hard-fought battle for the party's nomination in June. The ex-president was to speak shortly after his wife's name was symbolically placed in nomination -- a nod to the New York senator's strong bloc of delegates who will be in the hall here in Denver, many of them still itching for a fight.

There were fears in the Obama camp, which felt obliged to allow Clinton's pro forma nomination, that the floor demonstration for his vanquished rival could be a blot on the party's hopes of showing a unified front against the Republicans and their resurgent candidate, John McCain.

A FEW POLITICAL PR TIPS FROM THE REPUTATION DOCTOR FOR BARACK OBAMA RE: THE CLINTONS:

* Continue to look over your shoulder in regard to your relationship with the Clintons. Bill Clinton wants the presidency for his wife more than anything right now and Hillary Clinton would do almost anything to get it too!

* No matter what Bill Clinton says tonight and what Hillary Clinton said last night at the Democratic Convention, they both still think you will lose on election day. Trust me, they start their presidential campaign for 2012 for Hillary this fall!

* The Clintons believe your inexperience, and the racial divide that still exists in America, will be your down fall in November. I believe if you can gain the trust of white women, Latinos and some independents still on the fence by the end of October, you can still win against the odds!

* Don't be afraid to respond directly to your critics, expose their vulnerabilities and also still stay on your message of CHANGE. You will need both a great jab and a right hook to win this election. Use both!

* Allow your greatest third-party endorsees to discuss your great strengths much more in public. If you do most by yourself, it appears like chest pounding. Let them discuss your strengths much more in the coming months. Especially Caroline Kennedy and Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Joe Biden and your wonderful wife.

* Don't be afraid to take a stand on major issues. You will never have all Americans agree with you. Stop trying to make everyone happy! Some will ALWAYS disagree with you. That is O.K. Speak clearly and loudly about your opinion and policies on key issues. With risk comes reward!

* Go to church each Sunday morning with your family with Bible in hand. This will help show those American who have doubts about your faith exactly who you are spiritually.

* Your reputation with your God, your family and with yourself is most important. If you remember those three key audiences in that order when dealing with tough decisions, they will allow you to sleep more soundly at night. These key audiences should be your guide day in and day out to stay on the path to truth, integrity and morality. God bless you on your continued journey!

Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything!™

Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Court TV (now TruTV), ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, CNBC, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding corporations, CEOs, celebrities, athletes, politicians and other public organizations and public individuals with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.

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Comment from: Mathew Farney [Visitor]

Why do politicians fight so dirty? Can't the Clintons just admit their defeat? Sore losers...
___________
Mathew Farney | Web Hosting

Feb 15, 2010, 9:37 am

Comment from: Cameron Sandra [Visitor]

Impressive article, how long did the research take?

Feb 16, 2010, 6:10 pm

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According to the Washington Post, Rielle Hunter, the former presidential campaign aide who had an affair with John Edwards, said Saturday that she will not pursue DNA testing to establish the paternity of her 5-month-old daughter, despite the former senator’s offer to participate in such a test.

Hunter said through her attorney that she will not be party to such a test "now or in the future."

The lawyer, Robert Gordon, called Hunter a private person who is "not running for public office" and would not comment further.

"She wishes to maintain her privacy and her daughter’s privacy," he said in a statement.

On Friday, Edwards dropped his denials and admitted having an affair with Hunter in 2006, but he denied being the father of the child.

Edwards, a Democrat who represented North Carolina and ran in the Democratic presidential race this year, maintained that the affair ended too soon for him to have fathered her baby, Frances Quinn Hunter, who was born Feb. 27. Hunter and a former Edwards fundraiser, Andrew Young, have maintained that Young is the father.

On its Web site Saturday, ABC News quoted Hunter’s sister Melissa as complaining that Rielle Hunter was being falsely portrayed as a "promiscuous person" and said she was not involved in "setting up" Edwards.

Meanwhile, the editor of the National Enquirer, which broke the story of the affair and Hunter’s pregnancy, took issue with Edwards’ statement distancing himself from photos purporting to be him holding Hunter’s baby. Edwards admitted to ABC that he met secretly with Hunter last month at the Beverly Hilton.

The Enquirer published a blurry photo this week of a man who looks like Edwards holding a baby. The tabloid said the photo was taken at the hotel.

"I don’t know if that picture is me," Edwards told ABC’s Bob Woodruff. "It could well be. It looks like me. I don’t know who that baby is. I have no idea what the picture is."

When pressed, Edwards continued: "I mean, do you know how many pictures have been taken of me holding children in the last three years? I mean, it happens all the time."

David Perel, the Enquirer’s editor-in-chief, said, "I think it’s amazing, even as the man’s coming clean, that he’s continuing to lie."

Fred Baron, a friend of Edwards’ and a campaign fundraiser, acknowledged Saturday that he had helped Hunter so that she could move to a home in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The court of law offers one verdict at the end of trial, but the court of public opinion offers many verdicts each day and 'round the clock pressure!

It is no shock to me that both the attorney of John Edwards' mistress and John Edwards himself, a former high-priced personal injury attorney, are making big mistakes in the court of public opinion. Their hubris allowed them to move from the court of law to the court of public opinion. Sadly, it is not uncommon for attorneys to do so. They both thought they could control the media, and more importantly, the public. They believed the tactics they learned in law school and in the court would guide them effortlessly in the court of public opinion. They are both terribly mistaken! They both look like dumb and dumber with their horrible plan. Haven't they heard that the cover up is what always sinks the criminal?

Ultimately, when the heat gets hot, you choose your own reputation over protecting another's reputation every single time!

Even the the extended family of John Edwards' mistress is facing the heat from the court of public opinion. They too are calling for a DNA paternity test to give certainty to the debate over whether John Edwards is the father of the child. But they will not be the only victims of reputations in crisis due to association. Look for others to surface soon and for those associated with the parties involved in this adulterous affair to defend their own reputations by spilling their guts about further details of the affair and the cover up.

* If not, why did he not insist both he and Reille Hunter's daughter take DNA paternity tests already?

* Did John Edwards really discuss his adulterous affair with his wife back in 2006, or did he recently do so and asked her to lie for him?

* Is he still covering up important details regarding helping his mistress (directly or indirectly through friends) with money, housing and more?

* Are there other details about this relationship and maybe other relationships we still don't know about?

John Edwards and his entire family need our prayers. Will you pray for them?

When asked during the presidential campaign by Beliefnet.com about his own faith in God and what the Lord had taught him, John Edwards responded with the following:

"That God will be there when you need him. That I believe in a benevolent and merciful God. That when things seem at their worst and their lowest, he will always be there for you. That no matter what you do, he will forgive you. And it is important to ask for his forgiveness. It's important in my case to have a personal relationship with the Lord, so that I pray daily and I feel that relationship all the time. And when I'm faced with difficult decisions, which I regularly am, I very often go to him in prayer."

I honestly believe John Edwards believes in God and believes in prayer. He is an evangelical Christian. He was raised as a Southern Baptist. I also believe he lost is path to truth because he turned his back on his faith and his family and started worshipping a new God, the God of self. I have been and will continue to pray for John Edwards and his family. As a fellow Christian, I believe in the power of prayer. Edwards will need God's help to come clean with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

* Senator Edwards, be TOTALLY honest with yourself before you can be totally honest with others.

* Lean on your faith FIRST to help humble you, and put your heart in the right place - on the path to truth. Seek the help of your pastor and your church. You and your family will need them weekly.

* Seek the counsel of a crisis PR and reputation management counselor with integrity. Share the entire truth with them to help communicate the whole truth to the world. That is the FIRST step in reputation repair: being totally honest.

* Your reputation management counselor will also help hold you accountable and stop the lying, spinning and half-truths.

* Spend quality and quantity time with your family. They are hurting and you will have to find more patience than ever before to save your marriage and your family. This should be job # 1 for the rest of your life. Nothing else is more important at this time, but it starts with the whole truth and your faith in God.

* You will have to fight your legal training and human nature to understand silence is deadly with these issues. Your reputation will only repair itself over time with the building blocks of an excellent reputation: truth, honesty, humility, transparency, accountability and consistency. These are key areas where you have failed yourself, your family and your public for many years. A seasoned reputation management counselor with integrity can help with all.

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