Ford drives spin research

STUART Middleton will go to the US to test his theory that the Republicans have been able to weather the Watergate, Iran-Contra and weapons-of-mass-destruction scandals because they have "a credible narrative".

The University of Queensland post-doctoral researcher has won access to former president Gerald Ford's archive. He will follow a paper trail he expects will reveal Republican spin-meisters' efforts to build a powerful story around "Ford the man" in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

Dr Middleton -- who cut his teeth on reputation crisis management in research on the Salvation Army -- said the efforts of the Ford campaign team to overcome its party's tainted image following Watergate represented an intriguing and important political story.

In the wake of Richard Nixon's resignation over the break-in at the Democratic party's headquarters at Watergate, Congress appointed to the presidency Ford, who pardoned Nixon -- the least popular president in American history -- ahead of any trial or indictment.

Yet despite these adverse effects, the result of the 1976 election was surprisingly close. Ford claimed 48 per cent of the vote in a narrow loss to Democrat Jimmy Carter.

Dr Middleton's initial research has shown that Ford's campaign highlighted five themes: Ford the man; Ford the leader; Ford the unelected president; Ford the man of compassion; and Carter the Southern Nixon.

"These are important because each has elements which ultimately rebuke the reputational effects of Nixon and Watergate," he said.

Asked by the HES why the campaign tactics weren't just spin, Dr Middleton said that somehow the Republicans had "got to the heart" of what makes a narrative credible. "That gets to understanding the heart of the audience, and that means it's more than spin," hesaid.

Like the Salvation Army, the Republicans "are really good at knowing who they are, and what they stand for," he said.

Dr Middleton is doing the research in stages and on top of other research investigating the conflicting missions of hospital medical staff and management under an Australian Research Council grant won by UQ's business school.
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17/07/2009