Kevin Madden is a Washington-based Republican media strategist who has worked for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, among others. He is a senior vice president of public affairs at the Glover Park Group and a frequent television pundit.
So, your party is in exile now. What are the next four years going to be like?
I guess a lot of us will feel like orphans at a family picnic. Seriously though, politics and government all go through cycles, and this is a cycle where we also have an opportunity to have a re-examination of our identity, the ideas we care about and how we communicate that to voters. I think what we all have to remember, and like my former boss John Boehner used to say, is that in order for a ball to bounce, it has to hit rock bottom.
Do you think the Republicans have gone off course?
We’ve lost our ability — not entirely, but somewhat — to speak to the big middle. The party’s success has always been our ability to make pragmatic arguments on the economy and national security. I think we still have an edge on national security, but we’ve lost our ability to make a difference on the kitchen table issues that are driving voters right now.
How long do you give the Democrats to screw it up?
Well, Democrats never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The most important thing now is that we have to regroup and fix our own house before we knock down our neighbors. We recognize that Democrats tend to fight amongst themselves, and ideally that will come sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, we can’t just deploy hope as a strategy. We have to be able to answer the question, “Why us?”
So, what’s the secret to sounding good on TV?
I can’t tell you, because if I give away my secret, all the anchors will know just how to trip up Madden. I do think one of the most important things you can do for the audience is to give insight, be thoughtful. It’s never enough to just shout at the other guy. One trick I have is to answer the topic, but not the question.
