Responding to scandal makes the criticized leader the primary story

Evidence

But response was a self-defeating tactic now. Its primary effect was to bring himself, hitherto only a figure behind the Shanahans, Spargos and Lebwohls, front and center, thereby accomplishing what the reporters, despite all their efforts, had not previously been able to accomplish: to make himself, rather than them, the primary target. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 4283

Categorization

• DEFINE: A clear articulation of the Streisand-effect-like mechanism where defensive response converts the responder into the main target.
• XREF: connects to: Critiques conducted within political discourse reinforce the system they claim to scrutinize — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism: A Critique of…, 446

Broader Connections

• Critiques conducted within political discourse reinforce the system they claim to scrutinize #expands (0.85) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 446