Stomping Ground: Menendez, Kim, Seton Hall, and Debate Night

New Jerseyans aren’t always civil, but it’s still possible for a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican to have a rational and pleasant conversation about politics in the state. Dan Bryan is a former senior advisor to Gov. Phil Murphy and is now the owner of his own public affairs firm, and Alex Wilkes is an attorney and former executive director of America Rising PAC who advises Republican candidates in New Jersey and across the nation, including the New Jersey GOP. Dan and Alex are both experienced strategists who are currently in the room where high-level decisions are made. They will get together weekly with New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein to discuss politics and issues.

Bob Menendez was sentenced this week to 11 years in federal prison for bribery, extortion, and serving as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.  This puts the former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman in jail until he’s 82.  Did the judge get this right?

Alex Wilkes: Yes. We can’t have state secrets being sold for gold bars. Claiming to be the victim of a politicized Obama-Holder Justice Department during his first trial? I can somewhat buy that. Claiming that he was once again unfairly targeted, as he did this week? Sorry, betraying your country for a vibrating recliner doesn’t cut it. 

Dan Bryan: The judge got this right – the punishment fits the crime. There needs to be significant deterrence from the type of blatant corruption we see all too often in politics (and not just in New Jersey). 

I hope we can all move on and start to build a far better political system in New Jersey, on both sides of the aisle.

Andy Kim was one of seven Democrats in the U.S. Senate to vote yes on the confirmation of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security.  He said he strongly disagreed with her on many issues but thinks he can work with her from his seat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.  Is this an early indication that the freshman senator might sometimes confound people?

Dan: Clearly, Senator Kim wants to build a reputation as someone who can work across the aisle to build relationships, regardless of the consequences. The upside is following in the footsteps of someone like John Fetterman, who isn’t bound by party politics and seems to enjoy defying the base’s expectations. The downside is the disappointment and anger he saw from the Democratic party base and from progressives, who are not in the mood for their elected officials to give President Trump and his appointees, especially Secretary Noem, the benefit of the doubt.

Senator Kim has six years to build a reputation, so I won’t put too much into how he handles his first month one way or the other. But for someone who got to the Senate by bucking the party establishment, it’s significant now to see his openness to bucking his own base, the base that helped him win the Senate seat.+

Alex: I agree with Dan that it can be a sign that Kim is trying to be Fetterman-lite. And, really, why shouldn’t he? He can spend the next 40 years working on a 750,000 piece Lego kit of the U.S. Capitol with little to no scrutiny. The guy will likely keep the seat until he dies (we know he’s not one for private sector work, after all), so wouldn’t you want to mix things up and piss a few people off from time-to-time? If I were a more a cynical person, I would say that voting for Noem (even if it is with a little nasty-gram) gives him cover to reject some of the President’s other – but badly needed – more “controversial” nominees, but I’m trying to keep positive before this year really devolves into madness!

Msgr. Joseph Reilly, the president of Seton Hall University, is facing severe criticism for looking the other way on sexual abuse allegations in matters linked to Theodore McCarrick, the defrocked former cardinal.  The Seton Hall Board of Regents seems to be in “nothing to see here” mode.  As public affairs and crisis management professionals, what would be your advice on how Seton Hall should handle this?

Alex: A sharp and focused communications strategy cannot outrun abject immorality, particularly if there is an unwillingness to admit to wrongdoing. Professionals can help craft apologies, a plan of action, or even a tasteful resignation, but we cannot excuse the inexcusable. And while I am a fierce believer in loyalty, the truth always comes out in these situations, so do you (as a professional) want your name forever linked to some kind of cover up? If you’re facing something as serious as this, the best thing you can do is state your best advice and resign if it is not taken. Loyalty is a two-way street, and no one should be forced to sign up for that. 

Dan: Their handling of the situation truly baffles the mind. If, in theory, Monsignor Reilly did nothing wrong and followed the proper protocol, why not come out and say that? And on the flip side, if he did in fact look the other way, then why is he still in the position of President? Their actions (and lack thereof) have only exacerbated their problems. A masterclass in bad crisis comms

Sometimes, the most important thing to do in crisis comms is put your head down and say nothing. This is not one of those times. They should put out a clear, direct statement that explains the situation, and they pivot and move forward. That is, of course, if he has nothing to hide. 

If they don’t directly address this situation, it will follow Monsignor Reilly for the rest of his time in office. It’s not too late to act now.

The first debates of the New Jersey gubernatorial primaries are coming up: Democrats on Sunday, February 2 and Republicans on Tuesday, February 4.  What do the candidates need to accomplish — and what will  you be looking for? 

Dan: The candidates need to prove to voters that they deserve to be up on stage contending for one of the most powerful elected offices in America. That means having a reasonable command of the subject matter, not getting rattled, and not being afraid to take or throw a punch at the right time.

Here’s a few quick debate tips I’d give to the candidates:

– When you get on stage, write down three guiding principles to follow throughout the debate (for example: Fighter, Affordability, People not politics). Circle back to them throughout.

– This isn’t an oral exam. Don’t recite facts, tell stories.

– Voters don’t care how smart you are, or how intricately you know policy. They want to know if you’ll fight for them.

– In a similar vein, voters don’t care about you, they care about what you’ll do for them. They only care about your experience and your background through that prism.

– Answer the question you want to answer, not the one you were asked.

– Know the key points you want to get across before you get on stage, and work them in regardless of what you’re asked.

– Stay within yourself. A debate stage is not the place to take big chances.

Alex: It is really hard to follow Dan’s fantastic advice here, so I won’t try. What I would add is:

Most voters tend to tune out quickly (except for the New Jersey Globe debate, of course, which will be watched by everyone in its entirety), so your big points need to be made right up front, regardless of the prompt.

Gimmicks and engineered breakout moments are tough to pull off and probably distract you and your team away from the fundamentals. In 2019, it took weeks of planning for Kamala Harris to map out her delivery of the segregated busing line that would lead to her labeling her future boss as a racist. She dropped out before Iowa. In the 2000 Senate debate between Hillary Clinton and Rick Lazio, Lazio walked over with a pledge that he demanded she sign. It made Clinton, who would probably drone her next-door neighbor for having an overgrown tree, look like Little Bo Peep. Aim for error free baseball, not fireworks.

Extra Credit: This is hard, as we’ve seen from State of the Union responses from both sides, but try to be yourself as much as possible. Love him or hate him, it’s how Donald Trump turned the Republican field upside down in 2015 on the debate stage. Politicians have so much difficulty with this because they’re so used to the safety blankets of careful talking points and poll-tested language. So, aim to be yourself, even if that’s not particularly cool or slick. BUT, if you’re truly unable to sound like a normal person, err on the side of sounding like a sharp politician, rather than a mediocre politician playing the part of an average, folksy American.

Editor’s Note:  Stomping Grounds is going on the road, with Dan Bryan and Alex Wilkes joining Laura Jones immediately following the gubernatorial debate on Sunday and Tuesday for commentary.  They’re growing like gangbusters.