Tom Mulcair appears set to go the entire summer without balancing a single baby in his hand.

In fact, so ill-suited is he to assume the top office in the land, he doesn’t even have a baby.

He doesn’t have the famous family name, he is not on the cover of a national newsmagazine. He doesn’t strike photogenic poses and no one propels him to the top of the nightly newscast by breaking into his home.

When the leader of the official Opposition pops up in the news, it is largely defending himself against findings that the party inappropriately spent tax money on satellite offices or explaining away his latest caucus defection.

The sense of frustration in the party is palpable and no longer being sugar-coated.

Mulcair is battling Justin Trudeau’s political style and it is no secret that many in NDP ranks feel the Canadian media is stuck on the superficiality of Trudeau over the substance of Mulcair.

They are right, of course, in one respect.

In English Canada, studies have shown mentions of Trudeau far eclipse references to Mulcair, but New Democrats also acknowledge Trudeau drives media traffic.

They also know that they need more photos of their leader taking the ALS ice bucket challenge (which he did Thursday even if he was still wearing a suit) and fewer photos of Mulcair sitting in a boardroom with NDP MP Nathan Cullen holding a phone press conference.

Mulcair, in mocking Trudeau’s celebrity on the Télé-Québec show, Deux Hommes en or,last winter compared himself to a National Geographic cover campaigning against a People magazine cover.

The show displays a more personable side of the NDP leader that is rarely on display in English Canada, where he is trapped in a caricature — to the extent he has any profile at all — as the earnest, deeply solemn prosecutor-in-chief.

NDP strategists are watching the leader of the third party boldly predict a majority government while polls are beginning to settle into the traditional pre-2011 Liberal vs. Conservative landscape.

The NDP may still be in a stronger pre-election standing than at any time in their history, but that claim rings hollow when the party forms the official Opposition.

But there will be no radical change in Mulcair heading into the crucial fall session when Canada essentially enters a long election period.

He will not shave his beard, strike a yoga pose for the cameras or wade into crowds demanding selfies, because it would appear — and certainly would be — contrived.

Mulcair will make himself more available for interviews, particularly on television and radio, but the party desperately needs a return of the Commons where he routinely outperforms the oft-absent Trudeau

The party is also preparing to roll out major policy planks on national daycare and the treatment of veterans, if not by their summer caucus in Edmonton early next month, then shortly after the return of the Commons.

And they will continue to portray Trudeau as an empty suit, something they believe will be fully revealed when the election writ is dropped in 2015.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The question that must cause the party the night yips is whether that will be too late

Trudeau is demonstrating daily that style can go a long way in building support in 2014, particularly after eight years of Stephen Harper, another earnest politician who is a charisma-free zone.

Sometimes, however, a lack of profile can be helpful and this week’s resignation of MP Sana Hassainia received scant national attention.

She claimed she left the caucus because of Mulcair’s pro-Israel policy and the party countered it was dealing with an MP who had chosen not to run again anyway, who didn’t show up for work, who almost immediately complained about an MP’s workload and was offered the leader’s office to breast feed after giving birth twice while in office.

But her departure could presage a looming problem for Mulcair.

This will be the first time the party has campaigned to win power and the inevitable move to the middle will almost certainly cause difficulty with party purists who will resist being dragged there.

That is a potential challenge as large as piercing the Trudeau fascination.

Right now, the party says it is status quo. It will not be distracted by the Liberal leader.

In essence, it is using the Wizard of Oz strategy: “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.’’

Mulcair’s challenge will to keep his team focused on the job at hand, not the menacing Wizard.

Tim Harper is a national affairs writer. His column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. tharper@thestar.ca Twitter:@nutgraf1

Read more about: