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Interview with Robbie Vorhaus

Aired December 17, 2002 - 14:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's move along to our other top story, and that's: What should a senator do to save his political skin? Trent Lott took his PR campaign to Black Entertainment Television last night. Going public to apologize is a well-worth political path.
Take a look at this, President Clinton, as you remember, went on TV to tell his side of the story when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke out. And Gary Condit, he eventually gave in and gave a TV interview to Connie Chung after massive speculation about his relationship with missing intern Chandra Levy. And the Reverend Jesse Jackson, he didn't stay out of the public eye for long after revelations last January that he fathered a child out of wedlock with a woman with whom he worked.

So how effective are these strategies for spinning the tale of politicians in trouble? Well, for that, we turn to Robbie Vorhaus, he's president and CEO of Vorhaus Company, a New York-based public relations firm.

Hi, Robbie.

ROBBIE VORHAUS, PRESIDENT, VORHAUS AND COMPANY: Hey, Kyra, how are you?

PHILLIPS: All right, well -- not bad, thank you. Taking a look at those three instances. Clinton, and Jesse Jackson and Gary Condit, did they recover? Did they spin it properly?

VORHAUS: Well Condit didn't, he is out of the political picture now. Clinton is as popular as ever, but he still -- he was impeached. Jesse Jackson, it was not an issue of leadership, it was a personal situation that he told a very sound story and apologized and has moved on.

PHILLIPS: So what makes someone recover well and not recover? What was it that maybe the other two did that Condit didn't do?

VORHAUS: Well, let's look at -- when we're talking about spinning, we're really talking about telling the truth, and truth is the ultimate spin. So if you're looking at Trent Lott and how he can recover, I mean, the way that he can recover is by doing the right thing and stepping down as head of the Senate majority. It's not going to -- he can do great things as a senator, but the question is, he can spin this however he wants, his issues still seem to be public and have resonated and it doesn't fit with the collective.

PHILLIPS: Well, in these past instances, too, we have been talking about basically sex scandals, now we're talking about racism.

VORHAUS: That's right.

PHILLIPS: These are two very different issues.

VORHAUS: That's right. The racism resonates. I mean, this is a time when our entire country has changed, and we want people to speak the truth. If we hear the truth and collectively we don't agree, then you've got to pay the price. I mean, Trent Lott is a big boy, he is playing in the major leagues. He said what he felt, and he can apologize for that. And now is the time that he can use this to do great things, to heal our country in terms of racism or prejudice, but he still needs to do the right thing in terms of his leadership, and that is to step down.

PHILLIPS: Would you take Trent Lott as a client?

VORHAUS: We would take anyone as a client who was interested in telling the truth and is interested in being part of what is going to help this country move forward, so....

PHILLIPS: All right, what would you tell him to do? Let's say you took him on as a client. The first thing you would tell him to do? Step down.

VORHAUS: Step down, and make sure that his political, what his agenda has been. is he can help this country heal in terms of racism and prejudice. He can now -- I mean, he's probably had over the last 48 hours some incredible sensitivity training to some issues that are affecting some fine Americans. So what could he do? He could in his power and as a great senator from Mississippi really help move the agenda forward to get rid of more prejudice and racism.

PHILLIPS: So, do you think there is something down deep in his heart that is making him do all this? Or does he have a huge staff behind him saying, "This is what you've go to do, sir"?

VORHAUS: Well, he's got a huge staff. And I think that his staff wants to protect him politically. They would like to see him remain as the Senate majority leader. And if I worked for him, then I would say, that's, you know, that's great, if I worked on his staff. But the truth is, is that those people have an agenda for their own political career and probably not for the American agenda. The American agenda is that we need leadership, whether you're Republican or Democrat, who is going to speak and represent the collective. And in this case, I don't believe he does.

PHILLIPS: All right, Robbie, you know, you're in public relations, you deal with the clients who need an image boost, OK. I want to read a couple e-mails to you from folks. and just react to them and give me your thoughts, OK?

This one comes from Michael Janich (ph) out of St. Louis: Whether there are tribes in the jungle or democratic societies, we all have stereotypes programmed in our minds by our respective cultures which dictate how we treat each other. I am white, not a bigot, and I would like to think that I have no prejudice toward people that are not white.

VORHAUS: I don't know Michael, it sounds to me --

PHILLIPS: So, what do you think about that? I mean, do we all have stereotypes programmed in our minds? And are we all fighting some type of racism, no matter who we are or how we are brought up?

VORHAUS: Kyra, I help people how to tell their stories better than anyone else. I know that -- I think that we all have prejudice in some form or another, whether it is related to another country, a neighbor, a race, a culture, and I think that the issue is whether or not we can be truthful with ourselves and then rid ourselves of that prejudice if we so choose to raise ourselves up. It could be -- it could be -- I mean, Trent Lott could do great things now to move this agenda forward. It is just a question of how he tells the story and whether or not he acts as a leader, which I believe he is.

PHILLIPS: Does it ever bother you when clients say, but, Robbie, I am not a racist, I have black friends, I have black friends working for me. You hear that a lot, when people come to their defense.

VORHAUS: Well, we hear that and, you know, I have Jewish friends and I have black friends. And, I mean, they're kind of telling you where they're coming from. It is like someone saying, well, trust me. Well, as soon as you say that and we know that in any form of story telling, that's just -- it is called being too on the nose. You kind of believe that those people are racist or you can't trust them.

You really need to show how you feel, not just say how you feel. And I think that that's one of the issues here. People have looked at this, they looked at some of Trent Lott's past and some of his not voting for Martin Luther King as a holiday, and I think that they put a picture together. And he can try to spin it. And I think that unfortunately, as far as his leadership goes, not as a senator, but as his leadership, I think that he needs to move on.

PHILLIPS: All right, another e-mail from Vince in D.C.: There is no doubt that Americans are racist, some intentionally, others not. When every government form asks you to check the box which describes your race, it installs a mentality of belonging to one group and not to another. In the U.S. there are TV channels for African-Americans, BET, others for Hispanics, Univision, cities are still segregated with the black section, Chinatown, and a Latin neighborhood, the white area. Anyone who does not admit that the U.S. is a racist society can only be blind or a hypocrite. React to that and then talk to me as someone in public relations, that you try to dispel that sort of image, I guess.

VORHAUS: Well, the truth is is that we all have prejudice in some way, shape or form, whether it is what side of the tracks you choose to live on, what kind of a car you have, when it translates to a human being, such as whether or not as a white person I am prejudiced against blacks or whether or not as a certain religion I am prejudiced against that type of a person, there is a great opportunity today to raise ourselves up. I think that part of the prejudice, we look at what has happened recently in terms of terrorism, and we know that there is a great deal of hate. We need to purge ourselves of that hate. We need to look at what is the truth. What is the truth within a religion, what is the truth within a race, and to realize that we're all connected, we all come from the same place. And this is a great opportunity to raise ourselves and to rid ourselves of prejudice.

PHILLIPS: Perfect place to end the discussion. Robbie Vorhaus, thanks so much. Appreciate your time and your insight.

VORHAUS: It is a pleasure, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 17, 2002 - 14:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's move along to our other top story, and that's: What should a senator do to save his political skin? Trent Lott took his PR campaign to Black Entertainment Television last night. Going public to apologize is a well-worth political path.
Take a look at this, President Clinton, as you remember, went on TV to tell his side of the story when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke out. And Gary Condit, he eventually gave in and gave a TV interview to Connie Chung after massive speculation about his relationship with missing intern Chandra Levy. And the Reverend Jesse Jackson, he didn't stay out of the public eye for long after revelations last January that he fathered a child out of wedlock with a woman with whom he worked.

So how effective are these strategies for spinning the tale of politicians in trouble? Well, for that, we turn to Robbie Vorhaus, he's president and CEO of Vorhaus Company, a New York-based public relations firm.

Hi, Robbie.

ROBBIE VORHAUS, PRESIDENT, VORHAUS AND COMPANY: Hey, Kyra, how are you?

PHILLIPS: All right, well -- not bad, thank you. Taking a look at those three instances. Clinton, and Jesse Jackson and Gary Condit, did they recover? Did they spin it properly?

VORHAUS: Well Condit didn't, he is out of the political picture now. Clinton is as popular as ever, but he still -- he was impeached. Jesse Jackson, it was not an issue of leadership, it was a personal situation that he told a very sound story and apologized and has moved on.

PHILLIPS: So what makes someone recover well and not recover? What was it that maybe the other two did that Condit didn't do?

VORHAUS: Well, let's look at -- when we're talking about spinning, we're really talking about telling the truth, and truth is the ultimate spin. So if you're looking at Trent Lott and how he can recover, I mean, the way that he can recover is by doing the right thing and stepping down as head of the Senate majority. It's not going to -- he can do great things as a senator, but the question is, he can spin this however he wants, his issues still seem to be public and have resonated and it doesn't fit with the collective.

PHILLIPS: Well, in these past instances, too, we have been talking about basically sex scandals, now we're talking about racism.

VORHAUS: That's right.

PHILLIPS: These are two very different issues.

VORHAUS: That's right. The racism resonates. I mean, this is a time when our entire country has changed, and we want people to speak the truth. If we hear the truth and collectively we don't agree, then you've got to pay the price. I mean, Trent Lott is a big boy, he is playing in the major leagues. He said what he felt, and he can apologize for that. And now is the time that he can use this to do great things, to heal our country in terms of racism or prejudice, but he still needs to do the right thing in terms of his leadership, and that is to step down.

PHILLIPS: Would you take Trent Lott as a client?

VORHAUS: We would take anyone as a client who was interested in telling the truth and is interested in being part of what is going to help this country move forward, so....

PHILLIPS: All right, what would you tell him to do? Let's say you took him on as a client. The first thing you would tell him to do? Step down.

VORHAUS: Step down, and make sure that his political, what his agenda has been. is he can help this country heal in terms of racism and prejudice. He can now -- I mean, he's probably had over the last 48 hours some incredible sensitivity training to some issues that are affecting some fine Americans. So what could he do? He could in his power and as a great senator from Mississippi really help move the agenda forward to get rid of more prejudice and racism.

PHILLIPS: So, do you think there is something down deep in his heart that is making him do all this? Or does he have a huge staff behind him saying, "This is what you've go to do, sir"?

VORHAUS: Well, he's got a huge staff. And I think that his staff wants to protect him politically. They would like to see him remain as the Senate majority leader. And if I worked for him, then I would say, that's, you know, that's great, if I worked on his staff. But the truth is, is that those people have an agenda for their own political career and probably not for the American agenda. The American agenda is that we need leadership, whether you're Republican or Democrat, who is going to speak and represent the collective. And in this case, I don't believe he does.

PHILLIPS: All right, Robbie, you know, you're in public relations, you deal with the clients who need an image boost, OK. I want to read a couple e-mails to you from folks. and just react to them and give me your thoughts, OK?

This one comes from Michael Janich (ph) out of St. Louis: Whether there are tribes in the jungle or democratic societies, we all have stereotypes programmed in our minds by our respective cultures which dictate how we treat each other. I am white, not a bigot, and I would like to think that I have no prejudice toward people that are not white.

VORHAUS: I don't know Michael, it sounds to me --

PHILLIPS: So, what do you think about that? I mean, do we all have stereotypes programmed in our minds? And are we all fighting some type of racism, no matter who we are or how we are brought up?

VORHAUS: Kyra, I help people how to tell their stories better than anyone else. I know that -- I think that we all have prejudice in some form or another, whether it is related to another country, a neighbor, a race, a culture, and I think that the issue is whether or not we can be truthful with ourselves and then rid ourselves of that prejudice if we so choose to raise ourselves up. It could be -- it could be -- I mean, Trent Lott could do great things now to move this agenda forward. It is just a question of how he tells the story and whether or not he acts as a leader, which I believe he is.

PHILLIPS: Does it ever bother you when clients say, but, Robbie, I am not a racist, I have black friends, I have black friends working for me. You hear that a lot, when people come to their defense.

VORHAUS: Well, we hear that and, you know, I have Jewish friends and I have black friends. And, I mean, they're kind of telling you where they're coming from. It is like someone saying, well, trust me. Well, as soon as you say that and we know that in any form of story telling, that's just -- it is called being too on the nose. You kind of believe that those people are racist or you can't trust them.

You really need to show how you feel, not just say how you feel. And I think that that's one of the issues here. People have looked at this, they looked at some of Trent Lott's past and some of his not voting for Martin Luther King as a holiday, and I think that they put a picture together. And he can try to spin it. And I think that unfortunately, as far as his leadership goes, not as a senator, but as his leadership, I think that he needs to move on.

PHILLIPS: All right, another e-mail from Vince in D.C.: There is no doubt that Americans are racist, some intentionally, others not. When every government form asks you to check the box which describes your race, it installs a mentality of belonging to one group and not to another. In the U.S. there are TV channels for African-Americans, BET, others for Hispanics, Univision, cities are still segregated with the black section, Chinatown, and a Latin neighborhood, the white area. Anyone who does not admit that the U.S. is a racist society can only be blind or a hypocrite. React to that and then talk to me as someone in public relations, that you try to dispel that sort of image, I guess.

VORHAUS: Well, the truth is is that we all have prejudice in some way, shape or form, whether it is what side of the tracks you choose to live on, what kind of a car you have, when it translates to a human being, such as whether or not as a white person I am prejudiced against blacks or whether or not as a certain religion I am prejudiced against that type of a person, there is a great opportunity today to raise ourselves up. I think that part of the prejudice, we look at what has happened recently in terms of terrorism, and we know that there is a great deal of hate. We need to purge ourselves of that hate. We need to look at what is the truth. What is the truth within a religion, what is the truth within a race, and to realize that we're all connected, we all come from the same place. And this is a great opportunity to raise ourselves and to rid ourselves of prejudice.

PHILLIPS: Perfect place to end the discussion. Robbie Vorhaus, thanks so much. Appreciate your time and your insight.

VORHAUS: It is a pleasure, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com