"Whether the biggest problem is that Priebus comes from the establishment or because he's just not used to playing any role other than leading an opposition, it's past time for him to go."

Based on what we've seen so far, it doesn't seem like Priebus gets it even now. It should be obvious that President Trump was elected by a block of voters who wanted nothing to do with established Washington and urged Trump to quickly "drain the swamp."

Priebus is a card-carrying member of that "swamp" who helped lead a Republican re-taking of Congress in 2010 and 2014 when he was head of the RNC. But remember, when the GOP won the House in 2010 and then the Senate in 2014, the Republican Party failed to make any of its goals clear beyond opposing President Obama. Now Priebus is in charge of the White House, not in opposition to it, and he doesn't seem at ease in that job.

The result is the very "swamp-like" and slow process that has dominated efforts to craft and pass the GOP Obamacare replacement bill. It often seems that the main goal of the process is to keep certain aspects hidden from the public.

The tax reform efforts, led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, seem similarly byzantine and slow. This hasn't just angered the "drain the swamp" types, but also more established conservatives who don't understand the delays and lack of clear messaging on the plan.

In the end, it really does come down to messaging. All presidents have the world's eyes on them at all times, but President Trump takes that to new highs with the media uber-focused on him, and with his own Twitter bully pulpit that he can use at any time. When he makes short and clear statements, it works even without clear policy in place. There's solid proof of this on key issues like the economy and immigration.

Without his promised wall even started, illegal immigration has plummeted by 76 percent since the election. And consumer confidence seems to be rising along with Trump's blustery and optimistic talk.

The problem is, President Trump's and his administration's messaging on just about everything else hasn't been nearly as clear or consistent. From the health care bill, to the tax reform bill, to the Saudi feud with Qatar, the Trump White House has been sending plenty of mixed messages.

It may not be Priebus' personal fault that he can't control or at least pare the number of tweets President Trump sends out at any time. But that's the point. It's not about assigning blame but recognizing that if there is such a person who could control President Trump's tweeting, it's not Priebus. He bears professional, if not personal, responsibility.

President Trump needs to replace him with someone who not only understands the Trump phenomenon, but also understands the power of clear and consistent messaging.

It may be hard to believe, but that person does exist. A handful of President Trump's contacts and colleagues from Wall Street and reality TV could step in, including "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" creator Mark Burnett who overcame his public statements opposing Trump's candidacy to join in the president's inaugural planning efforts.

Even the embattled Anthony Scaramucci, who more closely embodies President Trump's combative outsider persona, could be a better fit here.

If Priebus is pushed out of the White House, he needn't leave Washington altogether. He could go back to helping the Congressional Republicans find their footing after getting essentially overshadowed by Trump and almost ousted from power by the Democrats in November.

With the 2018 election looming, Priebus might be more useful protecting the House GOP majority and going after Democratic Senators up for re-election in states that went for President Trump in 2016.

But whether it's essentially his fault or not, Priebus just isn't able to get the job done at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump's election was indeed a revolution and the revolution cannot be managed by an establishment figure like Reince Priebus.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.