You would have to be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about Governor Christie’s recent troubles with ‘Bridgegate.’ Members of his team deliberately caused lane closures and traffic jams in Fort Lee, New Jersey, in retaliation to Mayor Sokolich, who had not endorsed the governor. The big question – was Christie aware of these actions? And if not, how does that lack of knowledge correlate with his hands-on, detail-oriented persona that was created in the wake of Superstorm Sandy?
As a strategic communicator and crisis management expert, what do you think of his handling of the scandal?
With the demands of 24-hour news and on-demand journalism, the crisis has of course deepened with waves of accusation, first that he was deliberately inaccurate in a campaign ad for his first public office and second that he withheld funds from the city of Hoboken (my former hometown of nine years) in the aftermath of Sandy – perhaps the defining moment of his career that solidified him in the nation’s conscience as a Republican frontrunner for the 2016 White House.
A lot of ink has been spilled discussing whether Christie can navigate these crises and remain the leading Republican contender. In truth, his political future may depend on his ability to answer three simple questions honestly:
What did he know?
When did he know it?
What is he going to do about it?
What message do you think will resonate loudest in reestablishing Governor Christie’s reputation?
“The news conference to end all news conferences” and “To be honest I couldn’t pick him out of a lineup” are just a couple of lines Christie is well known for saying.
Perhaps the message that will resonate the loudest and help the governor reestablish his integrity is the one that he delivered for the first time last weekend, “I am going to learn from this,” even if Christie is not yet sure what it is that he might learn. At his second term inauguration in Trenton yesterday, Christie stuck to the script of bipartisanship, perhaps his safe harbor message for now as the investigation continues.
Do you have any advice for the governor?
My advice: goodwill is built on the back of good behavior. It’s time to move on from the sound bites, figure out what you have learned and then act in a way that builds trust.
What do you think? How would you tweak Christie’s message or counsel him on this current crisis?