Peter Shankman appeared on CNN in June 2011 to discuss how Congressman Anthony Weiner could restore his reputation. He proposed that Weiner is prolonging the scandal by taking a leave of absence instead of disappearing from public eye for a length of time. He outlines some steps that could provide reputation management and benefit Weiner’s professional and personal relationships in the long run.
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CNN: Probably at 12 minutes past the hour on this CNN Sunday morning, Congressman Anthony Wiener says he wants to be a better husband. So he’s taking a temporary break from Congress to seek professional help. He is still refusing right now to resign his seat. Well, is there anything the congressmen can really do right now to try to turn things around Peter Shankman as a branding and social media consulting. He’s also [00:01:00] the author of, can we do that? Outrageous PR stunts that work. He joins me now from New York. Good morning to you kind, sir.
Peter Shankman: I guess two different things here. It’s one thing he may be can save his reputation down the road and rebuild it, but do you think he can do something to save his job right now? No, it’s a really tough situation he’s in and he’s not making it any easier on himself. The biggest question is he’s what is a leave of absence, you know, in the house who does that?
That’s not, you know, everything that he’s been asked to do, he’s figuring out ways around it and different ways to do it. And what he’s doing is prolonging the scandal. If he was smart, he would simplify it. If I were advising him, I would tell him, you have to go away, take, you know, resigned the seat. Take a few years, let people forget about you.
Then you can come back, rebuild your image. We love nothing more in this country after ripping people down, then bringing them back up. But he has to take that first step as long as it’s still a major story.
CNN: It sounds like Peter, at this point, you’re saying he should just give up on trying to save the job.
Peter Shankman: He really should. I mean, the biggest mistake he made was lying to begin with. Had he come clean when it first happened, you know what? Yeah, I did this. I screwed up. It would have been an eight hour story, but everything he’s done against that, I wasn’t me. It was a hack job. It was this, it was that, you know, it continues to grow.
And, you know, the fact is he is taking attention away from actual issues in Congress that people are dealing with. No one, no one knows no one remembers this week, the Democrats went, went, went crazy on the, on the Republicans, um, Medicare terms. So then all these things are happening and we’re focusing on this only Peter, was this a bad idea yesterday?
Go run errands. I don’t know if he was caught off guard by reporters outside. Surely he had to know, but he said, he’s going to the ATM, he stopped and picked up some dry cleaning. Was this bad mood he’s carrying, he’s carrying a bunch of shirts, right. It’s carrying a bunch of shirts and he’s, he’s asking questions.
Did he think the media was just going to give him the weekend off? I mean, it doesn’t work like that. I gotta wonder who’s coaching him. I wonder who’s coaching him. What, how does this play into it as well? When you, um, I guess everybody’s heart goes out to, and it’s been the toughest part of this story, his wife.
Who apparently is just a very likable and popular person within a many of those circles. Also Washington DC in democratic circles. Um, how does she play into this and his, I guess his resurgence or maybe redoing his image down the road. Yeah, unfortunately, I mean, that’s one of the big problems that he has.
I mean, this, this woman from all accounts is a lovely, lovely woman. Who’s been dragged into this and you have to think also she’s pregnant now. So what does that mean? That means if he tries to keep his job in six or seven months, when she does give birth, this whole story is going to resurface again. And so, I mean, literally the best thing he could do, if he, if he steps down, you know, he goes and maybe they move somewhere and she has the kid, everything stays private.
No, and there’s nothing to follow through. And then, and then in a couple of years, he comes back, it’s happened to senators. It’s happened to governors of New York. This is nothing new, but he needs to go away for a while for it to happen for the healing to start. Okay. Peter, last thing here, you said your advice would be to go away literally for years.
CNN: Okay. But what if he insists on staying in the job?What is your advice then? Well, the question becomes, can he do his job effectively when, uh, essentially all of his coworkers don’t want him there. So, so the question becomes, can he make any real change in politics? Can he make it legislation? Can he do anything?
Peter Shankman: He has a, a coworker situation. No one really wants him there. And if he believes he can and he tries and he can, you know, maybe there’s some hope for him, but from what we’re seeing yesterday, from, from multiple times calls for him to step down, it doesn’t seem like that’s possible right now, but things can change.
CNN: Of course. Now it doesn’t seem like that’s possible. All right. And no more interviews, right? Oh God, no. Peter, Peter. Shankman Peter. We appreciate you spending some time with us, uh, on the CNN Sunday morning. Good to see you enjoy the rest of your weekend. YouTube. All right. We’re at 17 minutes past the hour.
About Peter Shankman
Peter Shankman is a worldwide influencer and spokesperson for brands across the globe. He is a 5x best selling author, entrepreneur and corporate in-person and digital keynote speaker, focusing on customer service and the new and emerging customer and neuroatypical economy. He is available now for virtual keynote speaking opportunities. Peter’s virtual keynote talks are engaging, inspiring, and full of real-world ideas and practices that companies can immediately implement to build their business and increase their revenue. Take a look at his speaking reel, and then reach out to find out how he can skyrocket your next event.
