Is It Too Late for Michael Steele?

The very public clash of personalities between Rush Limbaugh and Michael Steele elevated the talk show host to the role of party leader, and diminished the party chairman to the butt of late night one-liners. Has Michael Steele become the Howard Dean of the Republican Party?

The answer to the question depends entirely on Chairman Steele and his willingness to position himself as a serious and thoughtful leader going forward.

In the meantime, the Chairman could benefit from some close examination of his previous television appearances. His strengths include a comfort and confidence on camera that often makes him likable and fun to watch. He is attractive, charismatic and at times has the ability to come through the lens and capture the viewer.

The flip side of this is that he gives the appearance of not recognizing the importance of every nationally televised appearance. He appears to “wing it”, “shoot from the hip”, and recycle talking points from last week’s RNC bulletin.

One example of this is his most recent appearance with Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show. Given the tempest the Chairman found himself in at air time, he could not have had any doubt about the line of questioning he would face. Still, he seemed unprepared to answer the basic question: “Do you/Republicans want to see President Obama fail?”

Steele was non-responsive, dancing around the questioning. He came off as evasive and slick. (Side note on wardrobe: A ‘slick’ politician should never wear pinstripes, it’s a dangerous combination.) Lauer continued on this single line of attack. Steele failed to answer or successfully refocus and redirect. The longer the interview went on, the faster he talked. You see the Chairman’s anxiety rise and his body language reflected his mounting frustration. Lauer set a sprinter’s pace. Steele struggled to keep up.

Chairman Steele would benefit greatly from support staff to assist him in more carefully choosing his venues and preparing for television appearances. This should include extensive consideration of larger goals and outcomes he would like to achieve on behalf of the RNC. In short, he should be more strategic in his choices.

From time to time in his role as Chairman, Mr. Steele will no doubt be required to work with a teleprompter. Given his experiences with Fox News, it’s not surprising that once again, Steele appears quite confident and comfortable with the equipment. Still, a review of his Lincoln Day address, in which he relied on a prompter, raises a few concerns that are common to the venue.

First, this very charismatic and energetic personality gets “flattened” in this setting. His sparkle and animation are diminished, the resonance and timber of his voice seem flat (although that could be a function of the microphone) and he seems to be channeling the nightly news anchor, rather than playing to his own strengths. He seems unnecessarily restrained in this setting. Media training might appropriately focus on dialing up the personality in this venue.