But there s no reason for a future President George W. Bush or President Al Gore to learn this lesson the hard way. Edited by presidential scholar Alvin Felzenberg, the book offers the distilled wisdom of more than three dozen experts, including White House officials dating back to the Kennedy administration. Humility is normally a virtue, but waiting until November to plan your transition is a vice. President Reagan s team, by contrast, was ready to hit the ground running when Inauguration Day rolled around and it showed. Treat journalists with care.
Reporters are human beings, too, and they respond negatively when they aren t treated well.
The press loved to go to Manhattan, and they loved to go to Palm Beach. Keep it clear and concise, says President Reagan s former Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver, and be prepared to repeat it over and over. Such repetition can wear thin, even on great communicators like Ronald Reagan, who once told Deaver he was tired of giving the same education speech at every whistle stop while the White House press corps ignored it. Deaver reminded him that the local media, along with key education people, were following it very closely. Seek advice before unveiling policy initiatives.