Hotline Consultant Candids: Larry McCarthy

February 23, 2007

Larry McCarthy is pres. of McCarthy Marcus Hennings, a GOP firm that does political and issue advertising, plus corporate video production. McCarthy served as a press sec. for Sens. Jacob Javits (R-NY) and John Heinz (R-PA), and the NRSC. While working for Roger Ailes, he won the '85 nat'l Emmy for Best Writing in a Documentary. And today, McCarthy is our "Consultant Candid."
What was your first job?
At age 17, I started working in Senator Jacob Javits' mailroom. My job was to alphabetize two million Addressograph plates, then arranged by street address. This not only solidified my grasp of the alphabet, but got me my start in politics.
What is your proudest moment professionally?
Every ad guy is seeking the Holy Grail of The Perfect Spot. My last Perfect Spot was "Ashley's Story" for Progress for America Voter Fund in 04. "Ashley's Story" was the perfect combination of a touching, human story that drove a strong message, raised millions of dollars on its own merits, and, as many Democrats noted, had a decisive impact.
What one event in a candidate's past would pose the biggest problem in a campaign?
To reprise the Huey Long/Edwin Edwards line, "Live Boy/Dead Girl", although in '06, it turned out to be "Live Page."
If you could be in any other line of work, what would it be?
I want to finally become my Doppelganger, Steven Spielberg, and direct "Indiana Jones IV."
Negative campaigning -- good or bad?
This is a silly debate. Listen to people actually talk about leaders and politics. The day people say only positive things is the day all political ads will turn positive. Despite hand-wringing editorial writers, ivory tower political scientists, and free speech-curbing legislators, negative ads are frequently more accurate and informative than their positive counterparts.
Where is your happy place?
Watching our daughters play the sport du season, watching our Bernese Mountain Dogs endlessly, optimistically, and futilely chase squirrels, and re-living once again Steve McQueen's motorcycle jumps over the Nazis' barbed wire fence in "The Great Escape."
What is your favorite restaurant to meet clients?
For comfort food, The Daily Grill, for space, Sam & Harry's, for ambiance, The Tune Inn, for dessert, almost anyplace with chocolate.
What campaign (past, present or future) would you most like to be a part of?
My 14 year old daughter's presidential campaign (she swears she will be much more conservative than Geena Davis).
What is the ideal number of clients to have at one time?
The answer to this is found in some mysterious 12th century algorithm which includes the number of winning clients, hours of sleep per night, being proud of your work, feeding the IRS, and the number of laughs per day. I'll let you know when I find the precise formula.
What firm/individual who does your kind of work for the other party do you respect the most, and why?
Although they do message rather than spots, I've always admired Peter Hart and Geoff Garin. I worked with both in the 76 Heinz Senate race, the last time I think either one worked for a Republican. I've worked with Peter on corporate clients. He is a master of pulling hidden thoughts out of unlikely subjects. In a focus group with corporate CEOs once, Peter asked "If the law firm of (Dewey Screwem & Howe) was a baseball team, what team would they be?" Peter got very revealing answers to that question.
What is the first section of the newspaper you read?
Sports.
If you could only watch one news show, what would it be?
Since I already know the news by the time the shows come on, probably Leno and Letterman's monologues.
We're ending this feature with a question posed by the last interview. This is from Media, Inc.'s Neil Kammerman: What do you enjoy most about being a political consultant?
Every campaign is different, you get to know new people intensely, and you laugh a lot.
Pose a question for the next interviewee.
The 2004 election marked the mainstream emergence of blogs and online fundraising. In 2006, YouTube became a campaign phenomenon. What do you believe will be the greatest change in the 2008 election cycle that is different from 2006?