In an increasingly crowded field, many 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls are taking the opportunity early in the race to apologize for previous positions or comments and clarify their stance on controversial issues.
While it’s still early in the campaign, are voters receptive to these apologies? Do they find them sincere? Why are politicians always apologizing? Take a look at the advice CEO Andy Gilman gave in the New York Times article, “2020 Democrats Agree: They’re Very, Very Sorry ”
Andrew Gilman, the chief executive of the Washington-based crisis communications firm CommCore Consulting Group, said politicians are recognizing that some voters and constituencies might not be receptive to their message unless they apologize for past blunders first.
“This might be a precondition for some people to listen to the rest of what you want to say,” Mr. Gilman said. “But I think you need to stand for something, not just apologize for something. It becomes less of an issue in this gotcha world if you can get it out early if it’s perceived to be sincere.”
…For Democrats, the frequency of apologies has already reached parody status. Mr. Gilman said he would not be surprised to see a sketch on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” about which Democrat was the best apologist, and the satirical website The Onion has already joined in.