B²: Is Obama a…(fill in the blank)?

The “blank” is most often and famously filled by the words “patriot,” “liar,” “Muslim,” and “citizen.”

We were reminded of questions like this at a recent town hall hosted by Donald Trump. The backlash is centered on Trump’s poor response (or, non-response) to a question about President Obama’s citizenship and religious affiliation. It went down like this:

Likewise, Scott Walker experienced backlash when he offered the following response to a question about President Obama’s patriotism: “I’ve never asked him, so I don’t know.”

With only 15 months to go in an 8-year presidency, it’s amazing these questions still arise. But they do. And you need to know how to handle them if one comes your way. As exemplified by Trump and Walker, both a non-response and a dismissive response generate a losing narrative.

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: “Is President Obama a…(fill in the blank)?”

: “I take the President at his word. Instead, the question we should be asking is <insert talking point>?”

Wherever you take the conversation next, DO NOT ignore the accusation or assess motive. The media would love to get you on record bashing the President and making judgment calls on who he is as a person. Don’t give in! Instead, just B² it so you can focus on YOUR message and create a narrative that wins.

104 replies

Comments are closed.