Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) has shown the world how not to be a class act. Well, actually, he showed he’s in a class, but not one we admire.
The Senator, who is retiring and not seeking reelection, blocked the bill to extend unemployment benefits to hundreds of thousands Americans who have lost their jobs during this economic crisis. Apparently, he only feels confident while standing his ground on the safety of the Senate floor. But, when asked by reporters to stay and talk to their cameras about a move that seems heartless, Senator Bunning scowled, growled, and displayed his middle finger while rushing to hide out in an elevator.
I’ve been conducting media training for years, many times for members of the U.S. Senate. Keeping your cool under pressure is critical to a public image and something I repeatedly emphasize. And, I have actually flat out told clients never to use that infamous, universal sign language under any circumstances, no matter how heated the situation.
Senator Bunning broke every media training rule of dealing with a tense media situation. He looked angry and defensive. He tried to outrun reporters to the safety of an elevator when being questioned. He refused to answer their questions. He yelled sarcastically, “Excuse me! I’ve got to go to the floor!” when a reporter got close to the elevator door and still asked a question. And to top things off, he made the loutish move of flipping off the reporter. All while he sees cameras rolling.
Is this a case of stupidity? No. This is a case of “I don’t need your votes any more” arrogance. Good thing Bunning is retiring and not running for reelection. He’d be a media trainer’s nightmare. No one likes to work with someone who has behaved so unprofessionally so publically.
Senator Bunning has been a loose cannon ever since he was elected. I won’t try to argue that his conduct is a good example of classy public relations, but his reasons for taking the position he has taken are not so easily dismissed. The following, taken from SEN Bunning’s web site at http://bunning.senate.gov/public , was delivered on the Senate floor last week. I think it goes far toward explaining the prinicple behind his stance.
Mr. Bunning: “Mr. President, it’s — it’s amazing to me that the Senator from Illinois has what we call a convenient memory just last week, there was a bipartisan bill proposed by Senator Baucus and Senator Grassley that would have covered these extension of unemployment benefits, cobra health care assistance, flood insurance, highway bill assistance, the doc fix, small business loans and the rural satellite television viewer act, and his convenient memory loss allowed him to forget that his Leader, Senator Reid, did not allow that bill to come to the floor, and instead substituted his jobs bill which was also not fully paid for, by the way. $10 billion wasn’t, $5 billion was. And so $10 billion from the jobs bill that was passed went to the bottom of the deficit.”
So what if the effect of his stance is to block unemployment checks for some people who have already been drawing them under previous extensions. Whether they should have been extended is debatable on its face, and one should not too readily attribute to vindictiveness his principled positon that “pay-go” should apply to all bills equally. Neither party should get to pick and choose which ones based on their social agenda.
By the way, Mr. Bunning has suggested funding the jobs bill from already-approved stimulus funding. He just doesn’t want to tack it onto the debt in addition to the stimulus that is already part of the deficit.
Comment by W.M. Bransford — March 2, 2010 @ 10:25 |
Thanks for your comments! Your position is well taken, but his argument against extending benefits isn’t my point. My point is coming from that of a professional media trainer. When anyone behaves unprofessionally in any setting, especially when in the presence of the media,it doesn’t exactly help promote their cause or create an admirable image. If Senator Bunning wants buy-in for his position, he needs to calmly repeat his reasons, explain how he feels his actions will benefit America, and refrain from snapping at reports and using obscene gestures.
Comment by Carmie McCook — March 2, 2010 @ 10:25 |
I don’t disagree with you at all in that respect, Carmie. Senator Bunning’s conduct has for years made him the poster child for referral to an anger management class, and such rudeness always gets in the way of effective commications. It is easy to dismiss people who respond that way to to challenges. When I run across such behavior, I find myself muttering, “Jerk!” (or worse) under my breath and disregarding any germ of a good idea that might actually be part of their position. It makes me focus on their behavior and not on the logic of their position, no matter how hard I try to contain my own response.
–wmb
Comment by W.M. Bransford — March 2, 2010 @ 10:25
If only there were a method to make his retirement benefits, paid by the U.S. taxpayer, expire!! I mean, those benefits must also contribute to the deficit, correct? Sounds like a case of “I got mine, so screw you”. Maybe this is the Senator and former hurler’s final “bean ball”. Makes me wanna hurl!!
Comment by Trane R — March 2, 2010 @ 10:25 |
Am I the only one that thinks that Capitol Hill is running amok with JERKS this season? I think the “Change” that is coming is really going to be a sound one and very surprising to those in office! Bunning is certainly not the only one who has flipped the American public off lately…the others have just been not as flagrant (an insinuated “bird” is often worse than the physical one…)
Comment by S.S. Moon — March 5, 2010 @ 10:25 |