Tom Delay on Dancing with the Stars

In this news report, we see that former House Majority Leader Tom Delay is going to be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Delay has kind of fallen off the map after being linked to the Jack Abramoff political scandal a couple of years ago. After laying low for a while, I wonder if this is meant to be a forerunner to a return to politics for him—perhaps as a Congressperson or maybe even as a potential 2012 candidate for president. As such, it would fit into the surfacing stage of campaigning. In addition to simply giving Delay exposure, being on the show might help to make Delay seem more relatable and, thus, serve the function of demonstrating fitness for office. Our textbook indicates charisma as something people desire in a presidential candidate. That’s certainly something he might be able to show by being on this program. Our textbook also indicates humor as a quality people desire in a presidential candidate. Being on Dancing with the Stars potentially shows a lighter side of Delay that would connect him with humor. In the process, especially if he lasts more than one episode, people might learn a little bit about Delay as a person, which would thus allow this to perform another function of the surfacing stage. Along with that, it could serve the function of developing voter expectations of the candidate’s style, as we might get a sense of his interpersonal style by how he dances, speaks, and acts on the show.