Boehner's Orange Glow

Worth Clicking: Blasts from the past wound Romney

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August 16, 2010

Boehner's Orange Glow

Brad Phillips, a specialist in media communications, suggests House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-OH) extreme tan might be getting in the way of his message.

"I know an article about Rep. Boehner's tan may seem superficial, but it underscores a vital truth about communications: Audiences take more meaning from a spokesperson's vocal tone and body language than they do from words alone. That doesn't mean words don't matter - they do. But if the audience is distracted by something in an interview - whether it's a monotone delivery, a few dozen 'uhhhs' or 'ummms,' or an overly-tanned face - they are not going to hear what you have to say."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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August 16, 2010