How not to handle a crisis

by: Thurman Hart

Mon Jan 03, 2011 at 06:32:22 PM EST

promoted by Rosi

Remember when your mom used to say, "If you can't say something nice; then don't say anything at all?" Apparently Michael Drewniak doesn't.

In response to Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan and Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono's press conference today, Governor Christie's ~~trained monkey~~ mouthpiece responded with disrespectful and sexist remarks:

...Barbara Buono's track record has been to complain and point fingers over every budget cut that had to be made, never offering any real solutions, just high-pitched partisan attacks or endorsements for more spending and taxing."

Really? "High-pitched?" Why not "shrill?" "Shrewish?" Why not call her out for not ironing shirts, too?

Make the flip (and get your suitable-for-framing photo of the real Michael Drewniak).

Thurman Hart :: How not to handle a crisis

It's easy to be easy-going when things are going well. When you've managed to throw a scare into the press and you're the belle of the ball across the land. But real character comes to the fore when things go badly. And, as far as it goes, the blizzard wasn't that bad - it was only made worse by poor responses on behalf of the Governor's office. But the character of the Governor was on full display at his press conference and now his press-guy is following his boss down Disrespectful Highway.

You notice how Joe Cryan didn't get called out for "high-pitched" comments? No, Drewniak, a professional who chooses his words carefully, chooses to frame the legitimate comments from the highest ranking woman in the State Senate in terms reserved for brow-beating wives in sitcoms.

It's inexcusable. If the Governor's office wants to respond to a press conference; then they need to find a way to do so with the respect due the people's elected representatives. If they can't do that; then they should just keep silent. You know. Like they did when the state was snowed in.

Tags: snowscam, Chris Christie, Drewniak, (All Tags)

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How not to handle a crisis | 5 comments

She did have a pretty dumb quote... (0.00 / 0)

today in the Ledger though...

To suggest that tweeting and telephone and e-mail can replace a person's physical presence here to make on-the-spot decisions on a dime, it just boggles the mind.

It's been more than suggested, it's been done, quite efficiently, from working from home, to heading huge corporations, to leading the federal government, to waging simultaneous wars.

But I can agree, I don't think 'high-pitched' is used if she's a man... that seems to be a dig at her gender. And I have to agree with Kathleen O'Brien as well from the Ledger today...I don't think a woman can pull the 'family comes first' excuse either.

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 13:47:02 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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William (0.00 / 0)

For all the blather about running NJ like a business (as though that's automatically a gold-standard model), Christie would have been out on his ass as CEO if he'd caused the kind of public relations disaster for a company he was hired to run.

prioritizing his job below a vacation during an emergency.

failing to leave his 2nd in command in charge (as he knew she was unavailable months ago).

lying to the public that he was in touch with Sweeney, who he left to run things (we now find out that Christie was not in touch).

failing to recognize he made a mistake, and correct it by returning, or at least by acknowledging it afterwards.

blaming his wife for his own decisions.

This was a mistake in judgement, and his response since returning is a mistake of hubris. As to your point that people in charge can run things via tweeting, telephone and email, it's unclear to me how much of that was going on for Christie given that it's now been revealed (oops) that he lied about talking to Sweeney during the blizzard.

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.

by: Rosi Efthim @ Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 18:44:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Please look at the quote... (0.00 / 0)

That's all I addressed. It's a dumb thing to say.

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 18:52:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I can't agree. (0.00 / 0)

First of all, Christie's lie about talking to Sweeney during his vacation calls into question everything Christie said about how he was in contact and helping to manage everything from Disney. Christie's created a credibility problem for himself with some shady CYA behavior that makes it easy to conceive the possibility that none of those other methods of distance management - tweeting, telephone (one big lie already exposed) and email - even happened, or happened to the degree the Governor now says.

The problem with running a cult of personality job, as Christie designed for himself, is that if things go wrong (or lies you've told come out) you'd better take responsibility, because you've already told everyone it's all you.

This isn't about whether executives can run things distantly if they have to, because (a) Christie didn't have to, this was a vacation not a work obligation elsewhere (b) his choice to fly out on pretty much the last plane outta here, and his refusal to return, suggest his sense of responsibility to the job he ran for is tinged with the same kind of disdain for government that the Bush regime showed during its tenure, running government while running down government, doing not enough (Katrina, the War) and calling it brilliant (Heckuva job, Brownie, Mission Accomplished).

I don't think Sen. Buono failed to understand, as you suggest, that CEOs have tools to manage things from somewhere else if need be. I think she understands that that's not what happened.

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.

by: Rosi Efthim @ Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 19:17:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]