"Most questions were given to witnesses in advance, and witnesses came armed with polite, deferential answers. Not always what members wanted to hear, pro or con, but at least you knew what you were getting. And deference was the key word. Whether it was an administration official or a corporate executive, the standing rule was simple, which was don't ruffle feathers, don't get on the committee's bad side, and above all, don't lie. I carried that same advice into my corporate PR roles, where I helped prep a couple of executives for testimony. My golden rule was always the same, show deference."
"When I worked on the Hill, my boss chaired the Labor Standards Subcommittee. He once presided over high-level hearings on raising the minimum wage, legislation that ultimately passed and was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1989. That was a proud moment. It's not easy to get a bill to the Oval Office and into law. Back in those days, those hearings were mostly perfunctory."
Congressional hearings were once largely perfunctory affairs with questions provided to witnesses in advance and polite, deferential answers expected. High-profile legislation, such as the 1989 minimum wage increase signed by President George H.W. Bush, went through controlled hearings that reflected institutional respect. Deference to committees was a standing rule: don't ruffle feathers, don't get on the committee's bad side, and above all, don't lie. Corporate public relations practice emphasized preparing witnesses to show deference because Congress controls funding and law. That era of controlled testimony is diminished, with past examples of fiery or embarrassing hearings like Sen. Joseph McCarthy's.
Read at Advocate.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]