This is the first in an occasional series looking at the possible 2012 presidential contenders. Click here to learn more about the series.
Most Americans don’t know much, if anything, about Senator John Thune (R-SD).
But the Washington press corps does. They, along with other politicians, are increasingly citing Sen. Thune as a viable challenger to President Obama in 2012.
Mr. Thune, 49, first gained national prominence for knocking Tom Daschle, then Minority Leader, out of the U.S. Senate in 2004. With perfect hair, a winning smile, and a passing resemblance to NBC’s Brian Williams, Thune looks like he came straight out of central casting.
Overall, he is an impressive media presence.
Sen. Thune is confident, easygoing, and comfortable in his own skin. He laughs easily, which will be a helpful trait when his opponents’ darts start flying his way. When challenged in interviews, he remains calm and even-tempered. His knowledge of policy is impressive, and he argues his positions well. He is charismatic – in the first clip below, he seems to hold his charm back a bit until the end of the interview, when it becomes more evident.
Still he’s not a perfect media spokesperson. I’ll review his flaws and give him his overall grade below.
Thune speaks the language of a U.S. Senator, not the language of everyday Americans. In the six minute video clip, he refers to “Kerry-Lieberman,” “Waxman-Markey,” “money that’s not off-set,” “budget authorities and outlays,” and the “CBO.”
Although those words mean something to the interviewers, they mean nothing to most Americans. Instead of delivering a strong, clear message, Thune buried his words with meaningless jargon.
His messaging is weak. He didn’t seem to have a consistent theme to the interview, but instead answered the questions without doing much to advance his agenda.
Still, Mr. Thune’s gifts as a public figure are real, and he has the potential to become a great public communicator. In terms of messaging and jargon, he’s roughly where Barack Obama was two years from the 2008 election. We all saw how much Obama improved during the 2008 campaign. Now the question is whether Sen. Thune can follow his trajectory.
OVERALL GRADE: B
To see the other candidates I’ve reviewed so far, click on their names: Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour, Newt Gingrich, Jeb Bush, Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, Bobby Jindal, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Gary Johnson, Jim DeMint, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama
