Hear me on this: Stephen A. Smith isn’t any joke.
Democrats, don’t underestimate him. Don’t mock him. Don’t take him calmly. Don’t ignore him.
Do I believe the face of ESPN (who, based on a number of sources, simply inked a five-year, $100-million contract extension) and essentially the most influential man in sports activities media goes to run for president in your ticket? No, I don’t. However he’s not flawed when he boasts that he may wipe the ground in a debate with nearly some other potential Democratic candidate (Pete Buttigieg and New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being the exceptions).
Is he flawed when he observes that Democrats lack a coherent communications and messaging technique? No, he isn’t. The truth that the most important Democratic Celebration story popping out of President Trump’s tackle to Congress final week was the now-censured conduct of Texas Rep. Al Inexperienced underscores how weak and devoid of management the celebration is now.
So as a substitute of dismissing or mocking or ignoring Smith, Democrats can be well-served to check him. You heard me.
Every single day on his nationally syndicated radio present and on ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith presents a grasp class in storytelling, debating, reporting and leisure. The one different expertise I’ve seen function at the same stage is professional wrestling’s Paul “The Smart Man” Heyman, one other communicator anybody concerned in political messaging ought to be listening to. However I digress.
Smith effortlessly blends charisma, ardour, data, controversy, humor and emotion to impress dialog and debate. To me, that seems like a recipe the Democrats may use proper now. Ever since Donald Trump got here down that golden escalator, the Republican Celebration has been remaking itself, placing larger-than-life personalities who can dominate the brand new media panorama on the tip of the spear. In the meantime, Democrats have buried their heads within the sand, holding out hope that legacy media would carry their water for them and falling additional and additional behind Republicans.
Politics is a mirrored image of the tradition. Smith is essentially the most influential voice shaping sports activities tradition. He instructions the eye and respect of householders and gamers together with the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and the Lakers’ LeBron James, to not point out the followers. What number of Democrats have something like his cultural capital?
Fairly frankly, simply by the unapologetically direct means he talks in regards to the Democratic Celebration’s blind spots, Smith has been propelled into the nationwide political dialog. That’s as a lot a mirrored image of his efficiency as a communicator as it’s the Democratic Celebration’s impotence.
Voters are sending the message that they’re over the established order. The American persons are thirsty for disruption and are abandoning legacy establishments left and proper. Communication expertise supersede a political pedigree or public coverage data. If Democrats suppose the most effective counter to Trump and the MAGA media machine are a bunch of conventional politicians with conventional resumes, properly, to cite Smith, they have to be out of their rattling thoughts.
Kurt Bardella is a NewsNation political contributor. @KurtBardella on X and @KurtTakes on Instagram/Threads
