His hire was also her first real campaign decision. If you’re not up to speed on the story, here’s what’s going on. Rep. Bachmann hired veteran Republican campaign strategist Ed Rollins to manage her campaign. Campaign managers have to carry a few qualities, among them toughness, a bit of ruthlessness, communications and fundraising savvy (and there are many qualities packed into those two qualities), and a certain ability to provide useful leadership and simultaneously blend into the background. That last is because, while they manage the campaign, the campaign isn’t about them. It’s about the candidate.
But Ed Rollins tends to overshadow his candidates, and has already done so since Bachmann hired him. He came out swinging this week, declaring that Sarah Palin is not a “serious” person. Whether you agree with that or not, the fact is that Bachmann’s and Palin’s support bases overlap on the issues, and at some point Bachmann will presumably have to depend on Palin supporters. She’ll need them to win the primary, and to win the general if she wins the primary. But if they’re alienated from the start by what they’re hearing from Bachmann’s campaign, they’re less likely to support Bachmann.
Campaign managers are hired to make it easier to win, but Rollins has made it harder for Bachmann to win. And today, he made it harder again by insinuating that Palin isn’t intelligent.
Bachmann will “be so much more substantive [than Palin],” Rollins said. “People are going to say, ‘I gotta make a choice and go with the intelligent woman who’s every bit as attractive.’”
Again, if you want Palin’s base to support your candidate at some point, it’s not a good idea to slam Palin in such personal ways. And it’s especially not a good idea when Rollins has been quoted insinuating that Bachmann herself also is not serious.
Ed Rollins has been among the GOP’s mouthier consultants for a couple of decades, but he’s seldom mouthy in a productive way in the way that, say, James Carville is for the Democrats. Carville is mouthy and annoying to to the right because he consistently attacks the right and finds ways to get under our skin. Carville’s mouth is a targeted weapon most of the time, because contrary to the way he comes off, he’s very disciplined. Rollins isn’t disciplined, and therefore tends to hurt his own side and even his own candidates.
His hire is an indication that Rep. Bachmann may not be all that good a judge of political talent.
simply shocked that bachmann chose rollins or has anything to do with him, firmly believe ” birds of a feather flock together”, sure raises a red flag, dfoubt if i will have anything to do with her or support her4
Bachmann is going McCain rogue.. idiot..
I had a mentor tell once that 1st class managers hire 1st class workers and 2nd class managers hire 3rd class workers.
Starting to think that Michelle is more int he 2nd class manager group.
If she’s willing to hire this idiot, I have to wonder what type of people she would pick for her cabinet.
And you won what recently, Ed? Reagan was his own best pitch man.
maybe bachmann will fire rollins for his collateral damage
otherwise it will most probably be “on to the next candidate”
Is there a Republican campaign manager who doesn’t spend most of his time attacking conservatives in general?
No, there is not. By definition, Republican campaign managers are establishment Republicans. They are “moderates”, and they hate Conservatives, who are anti-establishment Republicans.
These guys are hired to play hardball, but one can easily be too ruthless for the Republican voter sensibilities. None of these hardball guys should ever, EVER be allowed to speak publicly. Only the Candidate and her campaign spokespeople should be allowed to comment.
Besides the above, it is very stupid to attack Palin. No one in the Republican Party is that big. No one.
She is the 800-lb canary. She perches wherever she wants. If she decides to perch on your campaign and cover you with bird-droppings, there is not a damned thing you can do about it. Here’s a sample of a potential bird-dropping:
“I supported Bachmann in her last re-election campaign. I thought we had become friends. Yet now, she has hired a new campaign manager who believes his first job is to attack me. I cannot help but see these unprovoked attacks as ingratitude and false friendship. I cannot support her this time, and I urge all my fans to please avoid the Bachmann campaign. She has demonstrated herself to be just another political insider, playing the usual slimy political games. I have certainly not decided whom I would endorse, yet, but it certainly will NOT be Bachmann.”
The Press would take this and run with it. CATFIGHT! It would hurt Palin a bit, but would likely destroy Bachmann. Palin would walk away from that rumble. Bachmann would not.
I was quite interested in Bachmann’s candidacy until she hired Rollins. That automatically took her off the list of candidates I might vote for in the primary. I agree totally. Choosing Rollins is proof positive of very poor judgment. Then, proof of my judgment came within 24 hours.
LOL at all the folks complaining about Ed Rollins comments about Sarah Palin. Politics ain’t beanbag, and if Palin wants to be taken seriously then she should stop doing publicity stunts and announce her candidacy.
Hey Sarah, we’ll keep a chair open for you at the June 13th debate. If you’re ‘serious’ you’ll be there.
Maybe she got him at a discount.
Ed Rollins sabotaged the Perot Campaign from the inside.
We were there …
Palin supported Bachmann in her 2010 re-election. It’s sad she, hiding behind her campaign manager, badmouths Palin now. Sounds very much like that Joe guy in Alaska’s 2010 senate run. Remember him? He totally depended on Palin’s support to win the Republican nomination, then bad mouthed Palin afterwards.
Unlike Palin, who is said to be too far right and unelectable–Michele Bachmann–actually is.