Heather Mills’ PR Prowess

Catching up on my TiVo, so I caught Heather Mills’ interview on Larry King and boy, has she had some good media training.  Non-defensive, states the facts calmly.  When she’s asked about all the ugly stuff that’s come out since she and Paul McCartney separated, she calmly states that it’s all rubbish and how she’s more concerned about saving baby seals and raising money for charity and converting everyone to veganism.  Of course, the British news reports through the past year have displayed quite a different message about Heather’s notorious past, with fellow call girls and former clients coming forward right and left.  But you have to hand it to Heather — she’s going on a dancing show with a prosthetic leg, for heaven’s sake.  Americans love redemption stories.  Heather is going to be a big hit on this side of the
Atlantic. She herself said it best when she told Larry “I could have been Mother Theresa and I would have been vilified” just like Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney were when they married their Beatles. 

She’s got a point.  And she’s smart enough to deliver it well.   And no denying it takes guts to dance with a fake leg.  Guts are so irresistable to us Americans.  Watch.  She’ll  bag a book deal and an endorsement contract while she’s here. 

Any guesses as to companies that would hire her for a spokesmodel?  What about Dove and their everyone-is-beautiful campaign? 

  

Larry King’s Hardball Question

Barack Obama is on Larry King right now and Larry just asked a question for which Obama didn’t have a good answer.

Larry: “Are you surprised by how well you are doing” in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination?

Obama just stammered around before fixing on saying that “it’s early” in the campaign.  But he was clearly flummoxed. 

Now, Larry King is not known for his hardball questions, but sometimes the questions that do you in are the easy ones.  So always watch out for the easy ones because those are the ones that get you. 

Remember back when the first President Bush was debating Bill Clinton and at a “town hall” debate, a woman asked if the candidates know how much a loaf of bread cost.  Bush answered first and he didn’t know and he stuttered around and basically just solidified the general impression that the preppie from Kennebunkport didn’t have to count his pennies like the working folks.  Bill Clinton then piped up and said that a loaf of bread cost “too much” and went on to talk about how he’s “grow the economy”.  Clinton probably didn’t go grocerty shopping any more than Bush, but he was prepared for the easy question. 

What should Obama have answered?  Hmmmm.  It’s a tricky balancing act.  He doesn’t want to be widely considered the frontrunner, because part of his potency as a candidate is based on people “discovering” him.  He doesn’t want to insist he’s at the bottom of the polls because it’s simply not true.  Besides, people like to support a winner.  But he doesn’t want to appear arrogant, either. 

I probably would have wanted to hear him say something like, “that’s about the most flattering question I’ve been asked on the campaign trail so far, Larry, and I’ve been asked just about everything.  Certainly, I am really gratified that voters are listening to me and I think that voters have been searching for a while for a candidate who reflects their beliefs.  Balanced budget, honesty in government, care for our veterans….”  and so on and so on….