2016: B² Candidate Questions

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Sen. Rubio is now in the 2016 presidential campaign game. HRC tweeted her bid over the weekend. Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are already in, and signals from many mean this campaign season is well under way.

Buzz generates opinions. The problem is, someone will inevitably solicit yours. And even if campaign laws aren’t an issue, corporate codes and/or offending a friend could be.

Inexperienced journalists may not know the limits of what you can say given the tax status of your workplace, but they sure know how to test the waters. Do you know how to avoid a direct question about the 2016 presidential candidates?

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here’s the likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “Who do you think is the best candidate to run our country?”

B²: “Regardless of who wins the presidency, the main policy issue that needs attention is <insert talking point>.”

Wherever the interviewer goes on the candidate, take the answer back to policy. There is no need to predict or discuss who should win. That’s the campaign spokesperson’s job, and a tricky one at that. But, no candidate knows every issue as well as the issue-matter experts know it.

Use the question as an opportunity to highlight your specific expertise on the issue at hand, and educate viewers and listeners on what a solid candidate may do to set the country in the right direction. You never know who might be listening.

Stop Playing Dodgeball: B² Religious Freedom

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Indiana Governor Mike Pence had quite a week. It started with signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) into law and ended with “the fix.” In between, threats of boycotts and travel bans were announced, a local pizzeria was forced to shut down, and the relentless media cycle covered it all.

The aftermath has left many wondering, “How did this all happen?” While Governor Pence is currently on vacation with his family (Europe must seem like a warm welcome in comparison), I suspect he is asking himself the same question.

The train wreck started with “The Interview.” Not the Seth Rogan/James Franco flick, but the now infamous appearance on ABC’s “This Week.” It all went downhill – fast – when Governor Pence refused to answer the same question again, and again, and… well, you get the point.

Instead of dodging, he should have B²ed it! And with religious liberty battles still raging, no doubt these questions will come round again.

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here’s the likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “If you support Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and others like it, aren’t you supporting discrimination?”

B²: “Not at all. What I support is allowing any person who claims discrimination to have their day in court. It eliminates your opinion and my opinion from the equation, and puts the decision in the hands of our judicial system so that everyone’s rights are protected.”

Don’t dodge questions like Governor Pence did. Whenever you sound like you are dodging a question, people assume you are guilty of the accusation contained in that question. Just B² it!

Also, put forth a narrative that states who you are defending – focus on what you do stand for instead of what you don’t.

B² School Choice in Your State

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School choice is a state-level fight that is quickly becoming a federal concern.

Lawmakers in Austin are now debating a bill that would provide the most comprehensive school choice plan in the nation to more than five million Texas public school students.

The B² news analysis team believes this bill has the potential to gain further national media attention and will no doubt be framed by unions and opponents as “anti-teacher” and “anti-public school.”

Combine the national spotlight and the inevitable spin with the confusion surrounding the issue (see The Heritage Foundation’s handy glossary and state-by-state map here to get a handle on what’s happening in your state) and…well, you better know what to say.

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here’s this week’s likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “If you are taking money away from traditional public schools, won’t that hurt them further?”

B²: “What we find is that all schools improve, including traditional public schools, when funding follows the child instead of a school building. Just look at <insert talking point>.”

Wherever you take the conversation next, avoid demonizing traditional public schools and/or teachers. Instead, focus on the possibility of choice to improve all schools and thus lead to a better educational environment for everyone. Remember, a child’s zip code shouldn’t determine whether or not they receive a quality education.

B² the Doc Fix

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If Congress doesn’t agree to a solution by April 1, doctors who participate with Medicare could take a 21 percent cut in payments.

House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are working together to change the way Medicare pays doctors.

Even while both sides of the aisle are aligning to meet the realities of how the costs of healthcare are outpacing economic growth, some worry the proposed payment system could add to the deficit.

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here’s this week’s likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “What is Congress doing to make sure our doctors’ pay remains stable?”

B²: “Quality healthcare starts with treating our doctors fairly. This is exactly why Congress needs a permanent fix to doctors’ pay, so we can remove the cloud of uncertainty they have faced over the past two decades. We can get there by <insert talking point>.”

Wherever you take the conversation next, try to avoid definitions of the Sustainable Growth Rate or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Your inevitably long-winded answer isn’t going to earn you air time. Instead, communicate respect for our nation’s doctors, an honorable profession now in turmoil, and how we owe it to them and our nation to reform Medicare – that’s where the true fix is needed.

B² Iran Negotiations

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With an end-of-March deadline, the showdown between U.S. and Iranian negotiators heats up.

This regime is very good at negotiating and many believe is getting everything it wants. On Monday, Iranian lawmakers “overwhelmingly demanded the removal of all sanctions against the country as a prerequisite for the implementation of any comprehensive nuclear deal.” With the Iranian government and lawmakers in lockstep, the only way U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gets a deal is to kowtow.

Add to that the back-and-forth between the White House and Congress over tactics, and, well, it gets messy.

The White House has openly criticized the letter sent by nearly four-dozen Republican senators warning Iran’s Ayatollah of negotiating with a lame duck President. On the other side, those who argue for maintaining the strength of executive authority risk establishing a new precedent for negotiating nuclear arms deals without Congressional assent.

Both groups need a media response to the Administration’s expected announcement.

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here’s this week’s likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “Are you in favor of Congress asserting their power to approve a potential unilateral nuclear deal with Iran by President Obama or should we respect the president’s executive authority?

A: “Regardless of tactics, history proves that executive authority is best maintained when Congress is kept in the loop, especially with a negotiation of this magnitude. Therefore, <insert talking point>.”

Wherever you take the narrative next, your message should acknowledge the seriousness of the negotiations and refrain from any suggestion that this might be yet another power struggle between the White House and Congress.

Don’t talk tactics. Instead, focus on the narrative of what Iranian policy should be.

B² the Debt Limit. Go on Offense.

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DC and Deadlines could be synonymous. The latest target date approaching is the debt ceiling, which we hit on March 16th.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi used catastrophic language Friday, saying, “Failure to act would have savage impacts on American families.”

That fear mongering, combined with the recent DHS shutdown drama, means the media are ready to pounce. The trap? Spending your media time answering the questions framed by the Obama Administration on default and shutdown instead of addressing the larger problem of our nation’s debt.

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here’s this week’s likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “We hit the debt ceiling on March 16th. This means the possibility of shutting down the government and defaulting on our debt, which could be disastrous to our economy. Do you support raising the debt ceiling?”

A: “Congress will do its job, and the Administration already has the tools it needs. But we can’t keep putting a band-aid on a cancer. If we truly want to avoid hitting the debt ceiling we must reform a government that spends too much, and all against future generations. And we can start by <insert talking point>.”

Wherever you take the narrative next, don’t let Administration talking points box you in, or impel you to prove a negative about default and shutdown. Take a cue from the Obama communicators. Go on offense and call out Lucy’s political football for what it is – a smokescreen to hide how we climbed to a national debt of more than $18 trillion.  Then, lay out the pathway back.

B²: King v. Burwell

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Washington attorneys aren’t alone in their efforts to gear up for another round of oral arguments before the Supreme Court.  Communicators everywhere are realizing that most Americans aren’t aware the Court will once again be deciding how the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or ObamaCare, affects them.

We are experiencing déjà vu since the case has potential to decide the future of the law. We eagerly await the moment when news correspondents flood down the steps to report bits of news, guessing at what the Justices are thinking.  But, we’ve learned to refrain from predicting what the Supreme Court will do.

This time, the Court will be looking at how the government may provide subsidies to people buying health insurance through the federal exchanges the law created.

It’s complicated, but the B² team is here to help you wade through the complexity and get to your simple message.  We expect questions that are loaded with phrases such as “take away,” and “eliminating.”  So how do you avoid the trap of a messaging position in apparent support leaving people high and dry, especially those who are struggling to pay for healthcare?  That message would make you seem callous to the concerns of Americans sitting at their kitchen tables everywhere.

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here is this week’s likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “The Supreme Court is deciding whether or not those on federal exchanges can “take away”/“eliminate” subsidies.  If the Court rules that these subsidies aren’t adhering to the law, how will these people pay for healthcare?”

B²: “That is a concern.  And while we agree that healthcare should be of high quality and affordable, that isn’t what we are seeing.  What’s happening is Americans are being taxed even more to be able to offset the high costs of insurance premiums. <insert talking point>.”

Wherever you take the conversation next, realize that saying, “we need to eliminate subsidies” or anything in that vein makes it sound like you want to make it harder for low-income individuals to pay for insurance.

Instead, first find common ground and then talk about whether or not it’s lawful for Americans to be taxed more to pay for the inflated costs of health care.  Then, move to your talking point on a solution to get to quality, affordable health care.

B²: Patriotism and War Powers

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Do you love America? That’s one media question you wouldn’t expect to leave you flat-footed. Radio hosts around the nation are asking our leaders their opinion on the president’s patriotism following Rudy Giuliani’s salvo on the subject. The B² team noticed that some have found themselves on their heels (no names!).

Red State reported how Sen. Marco Rubio came out clean on this non-winner of a question:

“Democrats aren’t asked to answer every time Joe Biden says something embarrassing, so I don’t know why I should answer every time a Republican does. I’ll suffice it to say that I believe the president loves America; I think his ideas are bad.”

The B² team anticipates journalists will ask questions coupling the president’s love for America with the current debate in Congress over when and how America should go to war against a growing global terrorist threat.

Our political leaders are making decisions about whether to commit tens of thousand of troops, air strikes, and/or proxy warfare. These decisions are not light ones: they have the potential to shape U.S. foreign policy for the next decade, and will require American blood and money. What is patriotic is to effectively combat terrorism.

If you stumble in a media interview question about our political leaders’ patriotic commitment to dealing with ISIS, you could be called an Islamaphobe, a bigot, a weak leader, or worst of all… unpatriotic. That’s not your message.

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B² day.

Here is this week’s likely media question and the B² (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q1: When and how should America beat ISIS? Wouldn’t it be unpatriotic to commit troops when it will only inflame ISIS and feed more violent extremism?

Q2: When and how should America beat ISIS? Wouldn’t it be unpatriotic to fail to commit troops because Americans can’t sustain a long war and it won’t work?

B²: America has always stood for defending the natural rights of women and men to enjoy life and liberty. ISIS oppresses people, denies their human rights, and silences dissent. This – terrorism – is what we are fighting. That’s real patriotism. What’s most important is to stop it, and this is how <insert talking point>.

Wherever you take the conversation next, realize that “patriotism” and “policy” are different. Your implementation of policy may seem patriotic to you, but take the extra three seconds in your sound bite to explain why. Use your next answer to explain the policy nuance. Don’t get caught in an ad hominem attack that makes you look weak. Keep your eye on the ball – preventing another terrorist attack.

B² the Government Shutdown

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As the arctic cold lingers around Washington D.C. this week, another deep freeze settles in on Capitol Hill.

Whatever your stance, two things are true:

  1. The average American doesn’t like government shutdowns; and
  2. Democrats will blame Republicans, especially since they control both houses of Congress.

So as the clock ticks and the deadline of February 27th approaches, how should you respond to questions about the standoff?

Good thing it’s Tuesday, B2 day.

Here is this week’s likely media question and the B2 (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “The deadline is quickly approaching. Are you willing to let DHS funding run out and, therefore, threaten the safety of the American people?”

B²: “We need to do whatever we can to make sure the Department of Homeland Security has the funding it needs to keep us safe. In order to guarantee the funding we must <insert talking point>.”

Whatever your talking point is, avoid the word “shutdown” and verbs that imply you are “forcing” this situation. And, avoid using Washington acronyms (DHS), even if your interviewer does.

Instead, emphasize that the safety of the American people is the priority and then follow up with solutions to secure the funding.

B² the Budget

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President Barack Obama laid out his $4 trillion budget proposal last week. In response, the GOP took advantage of Groundhog Day and cried “more of the same.”

The true messaging test for the GOP will come when Republicans submit their own budget. It’s easy to pan a lackluster proposal with the help of a Bill Murray movie (great movie, btw), but to defend a budget with deep cuts…? Unpopular cuts? Well, that’s another story.

Good thing it’s Tuesday. B2 day.

Here is this week’s likely media question and the B2 (block and bridge) that sets the narrative straight:

Q: “You’re proposing cuts to entitlements. How can you suggest this when people are struggling to make ends meet?”

A: “People are struggling out there. And, if we want to protect the safety net for those people, we must reform entitlements. That starts with <insert talking point>.”

Whatever talking point you insert, start by acknowledging the victim in their question. If you skip over the human element and move straight to a policy position, you sound like you don’t care.

Also, avoid words and phrases that bring life to their narrative. Don’t use “cut” or “eliminate,” instead talk about “reform.” People don’t like cuts, but they do like reform.

You’ve got this one.