It’s not your fault. Our country’s entire theory of justice is predicated on proportional penalties — that the “punishment fits the crime.” It’s derived from the Biblical edict of “an eye for an eye” and has been drilled into your head since birth.
So, no wonder it seems weird and counterintuitive when two people commit the same “crime,” and the first guy’s career is absolutely, completely destroyed — his reputation is annihilated and he never works in his field again — but the second guy shakes it off like a bad case of fleas.
You’ve seen it happen repeatedly in music, Hollywood, sports, news/entertainment, and business… but especially in politics. (Just off the top of your head, you’ve probably got half a dozen examples.)
That’s because our legal system is based on the “punishment fits the crime,” but the court of public opinion is based on something else. And it’s less about the “crime” and more about your personal brand.
More specifically, how the “crime” relates to your brand identity.
Why did Bill Clinton’s approval rating increase during the Monica Lewinsky scandal? Part of the reason was a strong economy. And in a battle of personalities, Bill Clinton was far more likable (and charismatic) than his GOP adversary, Newt Gingrich.
Those were two important factors.
But the biggest reason — by far — was Bill Clinton’s brand identity: Boinking an intern sure sounded like something Slick Willy would do, so when his DNA was found on Monica’s dress, it didn’t really change how we thought about him.
When Pete Rose died, I wrote that his biggest PR mistake was admitting to gambling. Even though it was 100% obvious he was guilty! Before, his brand identity was based on being a scrappy, hard-working, elbow-throwing, record-setting baseball outcast.
He was the perfect American antihero.
But then he admitted to gambling in 2004, and his image changed in an instant. He was a liar — a desperate, degenerate liar!
And near-immediately, support for his inclusion in Cooperstown fell off a cliff. The passion of his supporters vanished overnight, and Pete Rose died without ever reaching the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Different brand identities have different vulnerabilities.
Which brings us to Zohran Mamdani, the next mayor of New York City. The ex-governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo — an experienced, savvy politician in his own right — has been hammering Mamdani as hard as he can, focusing on his far-left positions, support of radical Islam, and lack of experience.
Hellbound and Down 