leave no shot unanswered

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Leave No Shot Unanswered - Stephanopoulos Learns His Lesson In 1988, George Stephanopoulos was a mid-level campaign aide to Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis. He saw his candidate’s 17-point lead over then Vice President George Bush plummet as week-after-week, Bush’s campaign attacked Dukakis as someone who gave dangerous prisoners weekend furloughs and refused to require the Pledge of Allegiance in schools. Bush painted Dukakis as a big spending, big taxing, and far left Massachusetts liberal. Week-after-week, Dukakis failed to respond to these attacks quickly and effectively. By the time November rolled around, Bush won by a sizable eight points. In 1992, Stephanopoulos had learned his lesson and he created the now notorious ‘war room’ for Bill Clinton’s campaign. The purpose of the war room was not only to respond to republican attacks, but to respond to them as fast as possible, often times before they were even broadcast or published. The goal was to leave no attack unanswered and the result was a remarkable campaign that pegged Clinton as the “Comeback Kid.” - The Three Methods Used To Answer Attacks: 1. Catch Them In A Lie. Nothing turns a campaign quicker than catching the attacker in a lie. By proving that the attacks are false and that you are a victim of slander, your opponent will almost surely be unable to recover. 2. Ridicule. By making your opponent look silly for his attacking methods, their strategy will wither quickly and public opinion will immediately shift your way. Franklin Roosevelt was a master at fending off attacks by making the attacks seem ridiculous and silly. 3. Jujitsu. This is when you use the force of your opponent’s attack to bring him down. This counter-attack occurs when you find a way to take your opponent’s attack strategy and reverse it as a negative for him. Former mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown

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