Every campaign has its defining moment. It could be waving one’s fist in the air defiantly after being shot in the face; it could be an unchecked lie that sticks; or it could be a rude and unnecessary shut-down of a concerned voter in front of the nation’s cameras. Simon Harris did just that while canvassing in Kanturk, Co. Cork over the weekend. A disability worker stopped him to ask why his government ignored the disability sector in the most recent budget. Harris committed electoral suicide and disagreed with everything the woman said before he stormed off in a huff. Not a great move, especially for someone whose political career was started by activism in the disability sector. Let’s look at the biggest mistakes Harris made in this interaction and the best way he could have dealt with the crisis in Kanturk.
The voter is always right
As the youngest Taoiseach, Simon Harris carries a lot of confidence that some may consider not entirely earned. Unfortunately, this comes across in many of his interactions. Normally an affable canvasser, cracks do show in Harris’ personality which betray a young man who thinks he’s always the smartest in the room. In the words of Harry Gordon Selfridge, “Right or wrong, the customer is always right”. On the campaign trail, a candidate needs to value and listen to the voter, even if their facts are a little awry. For Harris to contradict or swiftly disagree with a voter is an unforced error. To do so with that level of contempt showing on his face is just plain dumb.
Technicalities
Throughout this campaign, Harris has tried to avoid sticky questions by fighting on technicalities. The most egregious example of this was at last week’s Leaders’ Debate on RTÉ Upfront. Host Katie Hannon asked him about the National Children’s Hospital overspend. Harris stunned Hannon – and everyone watching – by claiming that he did not sign the contract that led to the €2bn black hole. For years, his name has been accurately associated with the spending failure. To claim innocence on the basis that it was a team effort is not just inauthentic, it’s maddening. He evoked the same infuriating response in Kanturk by telling the poor woman that she was wrong about the budget. In other words, the voter made the mistake and she is wrong for not supporting him.
Harris’ priority should be the voter
The correct way to handle a difficult question like this is to prioritise how the voter feels. If the voter feels like she was listened to, other voters watching will feel that too. An undue apology should be avoided if at all possible. That just plays into the hands of Harris’ opponents without gaining any ground. Harris should have listened to the woman, empathised with her passion – not hard, given his own background in disability activism – and gently taken control of the conversation. Point out his own record, the government’s record, and the current pledges in Fine Gael’s manifesto for the sector. This balance of empathy with a focus on high-level points from the campaign would have turned this viral crisis moment into footage fit for an ad to run through the final week of the campaign.
Listening
If Harris lacked a record or if the party did not have any manifesto pledges on the area, he could still handle this situation by asking the voter to tell him more about the issues she’s facing. Humility is a rare find in politics, so it really shines through when a politician is willing to listen authentically to an ordinary member of the public. Of course, it is too late for Harris to take this advice after he’s already gone viral for disrespecting a voter, so here’s how a candidate can manage a crisis like this to save as much face as possible.
In short, the best way to manage a crisis is to duck and roll: take the defeat and redirect the unwanted attention to where you want it.
Helping Harris
Duck
In any crisis situation, speed is key. Harris needed to come out and make an immediate apology, first to the woman involved privately, and then publicly. In fairness, he did this part pretty well. Reporters bent over backwards to give him excuses and asked him if he’s tired from all the campaigning. Harris rightly dismissed this and said there was no excuse for what he did. Harris ducked well, but he didn’t roll.
Roll
The next step is to take control of the situation and to use it as a platform. It was a perfect opportunity for Harris to lean into party pledges for the disability sector, touting personal and government records in the process. If he did not have any pledges, no problem. He could have talked about how the conversation made him realise that the disability sector needs more attention and how his party will look into this in the next government. Harris stopped short of this step. He has already got the bad press from going viral, it is his responsibility to take advantage and turn it to his favour – a literal spin. His failure to do this is a wasted opportunity and leaves the incident firmly in the L column for Fine Gael in the final week of the campaign.
The best crises are the ones that never happen, but they do happen. A shrewd communicator will apologise for what they do wrong, but they’ll never miss an opportunity to redirect the spotlight where they want it to go.
