In politics, you’re either on-message or you’re losing. Let’s get to it.
Welcome to On Message, a weekly look at where the battle lines are drawn and who is winning the war of words.
This week… Take the W.
Just before Labor Day weekend, I noticed an interesting headline in the Salt Lake Tribune.
“Rocky Mountain Power’s parent company wants to reduce carbon by 98% by 2050, but environmentalists say it’s not enough”
The story goes on to outline the details that include RMP’s conversion from coal fired plants to natural gas, cutting its emissions by 74 percent in by 2030 and 98 percent twenty years after that.
Evidently, that’s still not good enough for some environmentalists groups like HEAL Utah.
And I know I’ve preached the importance of being media savvy and knowing the headlines don’t convey the full story. That’s literally why there’s a story under a headline.
But, when I read this headline, I couldn’t help but think there was a lot of high-fiving going on at Rocky Mountain Power’s headquarters.
The headline stands out for two reasons:
First, that seems like really great news that Rocky Mountain Power is moving in a positive direction and the number – 98 percent – is impressive to almost anyone who reads it.
But what had me rolling my eyes is that second part… that it still isn’t good enough for environmentalists. You get 98 out of 100 and you still aren’t satisfied?
So, not only does Rocky Mountain Power get a great headline about its emissions reduction, it gets a freebie showing that nothing is good enough for its tormentors.
It reminds me of the scene from Austin Powers: Goldmember.
SOT Clip
Goldmember: Would you like a smoke and a pancake?
Austin: … What?
Goldmember: A smoke and a pancake. You know, a flapjack and a cigarette? No?
Austin: [shakes head]
Goldmember: Cigar and a waffle? No?
Austin: [shakes head]
Goldmember: Pipe and a crepe? No?
Austin: [shakes head]
Goldmember: Bong and a blintz?
Austin and Nigel: No.
Goldmember: Well, then there ish no pleashing you.
No pleasing you, indeed.
So, what’s the lesson?
Look, I get it, it’s tough to fight a battle against an adversary and then congratulate them when they do something right.
The better communication strategy is to applaud their decision and talk about how it fits into the overall picture. Encourage other industries to follow suit.
When you get what you want and complain, you don’t incentivize anyone to offer you any concessions in the future.
When you get a win – even if it’s not a complete victory – take it. Celebrate it. Be gracious and keep fighting for what you believe in.
If you reward good behavior with criticism you lose credibility by not recognizing the good everyone else can clearly see.
That’s it for this week.
More On Message in the next issue of the Utah Political Underground.
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