Miracle on the Campaign Trail

In the movie "Miracle on 34th Street," there is a scene which I think is highly instructive to any candidate or campaign spokesman who wants to be effective.

If you've seen the movie, you'll recall the scene in which R.H. Macy, the owner of Macy's department store is on the stand. It goes like this:

The lawyer against Kris Kringle pointedly asks Mr. Macy if he really believes Kris to be Santa Claus.

Macy starts to answer, but when asked point-blank if he believes Kris is Santa Claus, Macy (who has employed Kringle to be around children as Santa, and realizes many children are rooting for Santa) envisions a newspaper headline that reads:

"Macy Admits His Santa Claus a Fraud"

Realizing the headline would make him look very bad, Macy says: "... He gives every indication ...", before he is cut-off by the lawyer. Then, after being asked point blank, and envisioning children looking up to Santa, he says: "I do."

A lot of political candidates would do well to take this lesson to heart. When a reporter asks you a tough question, before answering, imagine what the headline will be...