With the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, TX where 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers were murdered, one would think politicians would take a breath.
But for some, political power is all that is important. We are in the midst of a primary season leading to the Nov. 2022 mid-term elections. Mere hours after the shooting, we saw politicians pushing their political agendas on gun control and related matters. Today, the day after, we see would-be politicians running social media ads touting how they will stop school shootings if people would only vote for them.
Yes, a big part of public relations strategy is to be relevant. PR people always try to tie their clients or causes to current events. But to use such an incredibly horrible tragedy to further a campaign message to “vote for me I can fix this,” is nauseating.
Now is not the time to sell products or sell candidates. Now is the time for reflection, sympathy and empathy.
If there are any political strategies we would advise a client right now, it would be to stay quiet and support the grieving families in any way possible.
Not see it as an opportunity to get elected or re-elected.
Kids were murdered. Your political careers can wait.