Soften the ground...

Posted by Little Ms Purple at 1/22/2005 12:24 AM
Categories: Political strategies, All Posts
When the President or politician wants to come out with a position or "bad news" that they know is going to create controversy, they try to "soften the ground".  As such, they use anonymous sourcing to "test the waters" and see what the reaction is towards that new policy or "bad news".  Based on that reaction, they can:
  1. Come out with the "bad news" or new position.
  2. Wait until the "bad news" is better to release it / Change the position to fit the reaction.
  3. Suppress the "bad news" / scuttle the position change.
So when you read, "An anonymous administration official tells...", you ears should pick up and realize that they are "softening the ground" with whatever follows after.

 
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