Hear me on this: Stephen A. Smith is no joke.
Democrats, do not underestimate him. Do not mock him. Do not take him lightly. Do not ignore him.
Do I think the face of ESPN (who, according to multiple sources, just inked a five-year, $100-million contract extension) and the most influential man in sports media is going to run for president on your ticket? No, I do not. But he’s not wrong when he boasts that he could wipe the floor in a debate with just about any other prospective Democratic candidate (Pete Buttigieg and New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being the exceptions).
Is he wrong when he observes that Democrats lack a coherent communications and messaging strategy? No, he is not. The fact that the biggest Democratic Party story coming out of President Trump’s address to Congress last week was the now-censured behavior of Texas Rep. Al Green underscores how weak and devoid of leadership the party is now.
So instead of dismissing or mocking or ignoring Smith, Democrats would be well-served to study him. You heard me.
Every day on his nationally syndicated radio show and on ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith offers a master class in storytelling, debating, reporting and entertainment. The only other talent I’ve seen operate at a similar level is pro wrestling’s Paul “The Wise Man” Heyman, another communicator anyone involved in political messaging should be paying attention to. But I digress.
Smith effortlessly blends charisma, passion, knowledge, controversy, humor and emotion to provoke conversation and debate. To me, that sounds like a recipe the Democrats could use right now. Ever since Donald Trump came down that golden escalator, the Republican Party has been remaking itself, putting larger-than-life personalities who can dominate the new media landscape at the tip of the spear. Meanwhile, Democrats have buried their heads in the sand, holding out hope that legacy media would carry their water for them and falling further and further behind Republicans.
Politics is a reflection of the culture. Smith is the most influential voice shaping sports culture. He commands the attention and respect of owners and players including the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and the Lakers’ LeBron James, not to mention the fans. How many Democrats have anything like his cultural capital?
Quite frankly, just by the unapologetically direct way he talks about the Democratic Party’s blind spots, Smith has been propelled into the national political conversation. That’s as much a reflection of his potency as a communicator as it is the Democratic Party’s impotence.
Voters are sending the message that they are over the status quo. The American people are thirsty for disruption and are abandoning legacy institutions left and right. Communication skills supersede a political pedigree or public policy knowledge. If Democrats think the best counter to Trump and the MAGA media machine are a bunch of traditional politicians with traditional resumes, well, to quote Smith, they must be out of their damn mind.
Kurt Bardella is a NewsNation political contributor. @KurtBardella on X and @KurtTakes on Instagram/Threads
