The art of the political apology

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie publicly apologized Thursday for the traffic jams allegedly created as part of a political vendetta. The two-hour press conference/apology included Christie saying he was blindsided and “What did I do wrong to have these folks think it was OK to lie to me?”

Christie, who was a potential presidential candidate, took the two hours to apologize, explain and reiterate his position. In a year of political apologies from Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (for many, many things), Prime Minister Stephen Harper (the Senate scandal) and now Christie, who did it best? We asked PR and reputation management experts Jane Wilcox, President of Xposure PR; Amanda Alvaro, Managing Director of Narrative PR and Geoff Owen, Vice President at Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada their opinion on recent political apologies.

When comparing apologies from Christie, Ford and Harper, who did it best and why? 

Alvaro: Christie did it best. Unusually contrite, he apologized quickly with a tone that came off as authentic, humble and believable. He delivered a public apology and a personal apology to Fort Lee’s mayor. The mayor’s subsequent ‘forgiveness’ is key to how well Christie will survive the scandal. The forgiveness sends a cue to the public to react similarly.

The only thing that can derail this apology is if it is revealed that he actually knew about, or implicitly encouraged the behaviour of his staffers.

Some have speculated that Harper could have benefited from apologizing like Christie, ending the Senate scandal instead of allowing it to dominate for months. Time will tell. The opposition can effectively keep a scandal alive – and in the media- despite a well-crafted apology.

Wilcox: Governor Christie offered the best apology for a number of reasons.

He clearly apologized to a variety of stakeholders. This shows he is concerned and thoughtful about a wide audience. He is also visiting Fort Lee to personally apologize to the mayor and the people in that community who were directly affected by the lane closures.

He took responsibility for his part in not being more aware of what was happening on his team.  “I am responsible for what happened. I am sad to report to the people of New Jersey that we fell short,” he said.

He took action by firing the aide and offering the reason “that she lied to me.” He backed up his actions with reason.

He made it a priority. Nothing else was more important than dealing with this issue. He cancelled other commitments to address the situation.

He demonstrated humility by admitting that he is “heartbroken, embarrassed and humiliated.”

The only way that he could have done an even better job would have been if he actually said he was “sorry.”

Owen: Chris Christie’s was the best: he was frank, sincere and relatively quick to take decisive action.  He also took responsibility. Of course, if new facts come out that in any way suggest he actually knew what was going on then that would put the Governor’s apology in a whole different light.

The situations with Mayor Ford and Prime Minister Harper are months old, and the way they have owned up (or not) to their mistakes are relatively unsatisfying. Assuming everything Christie said on Thursday is true, then the approach is consistent with best practice and was a remarkable performance. And that’s because he did the honourable thing.

WATCH: Chaos and apologies at Toronto City Council

Why does it seem like the politicians involved have no idea what’s happening in their office and blame a staffer?

Alvaro:  In some cases, the act that is being apologized for may legitimately be the responsibility of someone other than the politician. In other cases, a staffer might play the ‘fall guy’ in order to protect the politician. Firing someone in the inner circle is a show of action – that the problem has been dealt with swiftly and that the blame can be redirected. It gives the public a tidy conclusion to the scandal and keeps the politician out of an ongoing ordeal that could be career-ending.

I generally have a hard time believing that major scandals, involving trusted advisors occur without any knowledge, inkling or involvement on the part of the politician but there are certainly enough examples in which politicians have been completely absolved, at the demise of a staffer.

Of course any apology is completely negated if it is later revealed that the politician was indeed privy to the act.

Owen: Sometimes staffers make mistakes.  Sometimes staffers decide not to include politicians in discussions that could damage their boss.  Sometimes politicians look for scapegoats.  There is a number of plausible reasons and it is impossible to generalize.

WATCH: Taking action after the Senate scandal

What is the goal of the political apology?

Alvaro:  It is the fastest, most efficient way out of a scandal. The goal is to appear more human, foster public empathy and forgiveness and eventually regain public trust and confidence. The politician is at the mercy of the court of public opinion.

It relies completely on how well the message is delivered, how sincerely it comes across and how believable it is. It also relies on how well the media (and social media) carry the message.

The apology – if effective – will allow the politician to get past the mistake or scandal and give them a new lease on political life (or a chance to bounce back in the polls).

Walk us through the process of a political apology – who is involved, who writes it and who takes the blame

Alvaro:  There isn’t a formula for a political apology. It depends entirely on the nature of the issue, the severity of the issue and if it’s personal vs. professional (i.e. Ford’s substance abuse and John Edward’s infidelity vs. Harper’s Senate scandal.)

But loosely, any public apology would likely require the strategic input of trusted advisors to determine the best course of action. The apology would be drafted by a communication person in the office (or sometimes directly by the politician). A press secretary would issue the statement or call a media availability to have the politician deliver the apology in person (most effective).

Owen: There is no standard procedure; much depends on the situation, the personalities and the people allegedly involved in the incident. For example, while one might expect that the chief or deputy chief of staff would be part of the decision making process, sometimes they are at the centre of the controversy.  Best practice is to act quickly, take responsibility and try to put the matter to rest.  Some politicians – like Christie – act quickly and decisively.  Others – like Bill Clinton or Rob Ford – allow the issue(s) to metastasize for several weeks or months before finally apologizing.

Who had the worst apology and how can he come back from that? 

Alvaro: Ford challenged every rule in the issue management book. He refused to apologize until the evidence was simply too great for even him to ignore. No one else in the modern era has refused to apologize as much as Ford.

That being said, despite his resistance to apologize, his battered relationship with the news media and becoming mocked internationally, he has somehow maintained a base of public support. Only time will tell if the damage will sink his next mayoral bid or if he has effectively altered the rules of the apology game!

Owen: Rob Ford’s many apologies are probably the worst because they lack credibility. That does not mean he can’t make a comeback.  Bill Clinton had a whole variety of misdeeds and won two terms. George W. Bush won two terms but apologized for an ineffective war strategy in Iraq. Barack Obama had to distance himself from his pastor and recently apologized for the Obamacare website. Ford, Harper and Christie are all viable political candidates as and when they run for re-election notwithstanding their various apologies.

Any great apologies in history that you think they can learn from?

Owen: David Letterman got in front of the story about his indiscretions.  That is, we heard about everything from him directly; he wasn’t responding to media questions or Internet rumours.  The story went away and his reputation is intact.  I can’t think of any politician who apologized for something before they had to, the way Letterman did.  It’s not part of the political scandal playbook.  But it really should be.

Alvaro: Experts have said that, ‘a good apology must contain an expression such as “I’m sorry” to indicate that the statement is an apology, an admission of responsibility, an offer of restitution or repair, and a promise not to repeat the offense.’

The most famous political apology of all time had to be the one was delivered by then-President Bill Clinton on the Lewinsky affair. While the apology couldn’t save him from an impeachment, he was eventually able to move past the scandal and regain much of his prior status and power.

The worst political apology of all time had to have been the one delivered by former Senator Robert Packwood who famously said, after being accused of sexual assault, and abuse, “I’m apologizing for the conduct that it was alleged that I did.”

Ouch. That one breaks all the rules!