Live-stream commentary by TJ Walker on U.S. political leadership and communication. Walker critiques the Democratic Party’s decision to keep Nancy Pelosi in top leadership, arguing voters prefer new messengers and fresh faces; he contrasts this with Republican choices (e.g., Jeb Bush’s primary failure) and says he will continue assessing party spokespeople and their messages.
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Earlier this week, Democrats in the United States House of Representatives voted for Nancy Pelosi to once again be their leader. She's been their leader for a decade and a half. Many have questioned whether this is really the best spokesperson. Oh, by the way, violating one of my own rules, my glasses darken in sunlight. People see you wearing sunglasses when you're doing video, it can be distracting. So. So don't do that. I'm going to practice what I preach. Many have questioned whether Nancy Pelosi is really the best spokesperson because it is a spokesperson's role. She is, depending on how you define it, now the highest ranking or tied for highest ranking Democrat in the land, along with Chuck Schumer, who is going to be the new Democratic leader for the United States Senate. Here's the problem with Nancy Pelosi. I don't think that she is a bad communicator. She certainly does not have a record of saying wildly stupid or idiotic or inflammatory things. And she comes across, I think, as a reasonably attractive, intelligent person. But there is a problem. Voters are fickle. Voters want the new thing. And no matter how you slice it and dice it, Nancy Pelosi, who's been in politics a lifetime and comes from a family of politicians, is not a new face. Let's not criticize her face. Her face is a lot better looking than mine, but she is just a few short years away from being 80 years old and she's been on the national stage for a long, long time. Sometimes the solution for a political party or any organization isn't just a new message or a better message. Sometimes it's just a new messenger. The Republican Party chose earlier this year to completely throw away longtime established veterans like Bush. Former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida went nowhere in the primary because people were just, frankly, tired. They wanted a fresh face. They wanted something new. Now, you could argue many of the policies and many of the appointments made by the incoming administration may be exactly the same as what Jeb Bush would have done. But it's done with a new face on this program and on this site. Whether you're watching YouTube, Facebook, or wherever you're watching this, I am going to explore from time to time the messages of both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. What's working, what is isn't working, and try to figure out if they're on the right track. Are they helping themselves? Are they hurting themselves? At the moment, I don't think the Democratic Party's decision to keep some of the same old faces in top leadership positions is going to help them. I don't think it's the end of the world. They have bigger problems. But the whole rationale why so many people in the Congress like Nancy Pelosi is she's good at fundraising. And historically, that has been wildly important if you are a Democrat or a Republican running for congressional seat. One of the things that Donald Trump's win this past fall has shown is that money or message can be more important than money. And you have to have strong messages. You have to have messages and messengers who can clearly articulate what voters are thinking. So stay tuned. We'll be assessing both spokespersons for the Republican Party and the Democratic Party and their respective messages in the months to come.
