Bruno
07-26-2011, 09:49 AM
http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/07/26/war-of-words-intensifies-between-minnesotans-bachmann-pawlenty/
Escalating attacks from the campaigns of Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann underscore the importance of the fast-approaching Ames straw poll for both candidates, political experts said.
The Aug. 13 Republican presidential contest, an early test of campaign strength, is shaping up to be a “Minnesota primary” between Pawlenty, the state’s former governor, and Bachmann, a three-term congresswoman, said Drake University Professor Dennis Goldford.
“It would be a huge shot in the arm for Pawlenty if he could beat Bachmann. The problem is he’s beige, and she’s neon orange,” said Goldford, referring to Pawlenty’s steady demeanor and Bachmann’s ability to inspire with fiery speeches.
Pawlenty fired the latest round in the war of words Monday, when he downplayed Bachmann’s criticisms by saying she has a history of “saying things that are off the mark.”
The impact of the straw poll, like the caucuses themselves, comes from beating expectations.
Pawlenty, who has registered in single digits in recent polls in Iowa, has said the straw poll can make or break campaigns. The consensus is he needs a strong showing to remain a viable candidate, Goldford said.
“For his campaign to survive, if he can’t beat her, he’s got to be a reasonably close second, and put a lot of distance between himself and the third-place finisher,” Goldford said.
For Bachmann, who has topped recent polls in Iowa, an Ames straw poll loss wouldn’t deliver a fatal blow to her campaign, said longtime campaign strategist Doug Gross, a Des Moines lawyer. But she still needs to meet expectations as the front-runner to maintain momentum, he said.
“If Bachmann doesn’t win, it’s a huge downer,” he said. “(The attacks) are simply a reflection of the stakes, and the stakes are high for both of them.”
The straw poll can offer a major boost of momentum, as it did in 2007 for Mike Huckabee, when he was running a low-budget campaign but finished a surprisingly strong second to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Or it can be a blow that sends candidates packing, as it did in 2007 with former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, within hours, or then-U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, within a few months as money dried up.
Pawlenty started highlighting what he called Bachmann’s thin resume in a wide-ranging interview with Register editors and reporters three weeks ago.
Since then, he has stepped up his rhetoric, going as far as to call Bachmann’s record nonexistent.
The latest blow came Friday in an interview with CNN, in which Pawlenty said, “These are really serious times, and there hasn’t been somebody who went from the U.S. House of Representatives to the presidency, I think, in over a hundred years, and there’s a reason for that.” (Republican James Garfield, elected in 1880, is the only example of a sitting member of the House being elected president.)
It was the end of a week in which stories about Bachmann’s migraines dominated headlines about her campaign. She was forced to answer questions about them after a report from the Daily Caller quoted anonymous former aides who claimed the headaches sometimes incapacitated her. Bachmann said the condition does not derail her schedule, and she released a letter from the attending physician of Congress saying her migraines are infrequent and controlled well with medication.
Just two weeks ago at an appearance in Indianola, Bachmann had taken the high road. Her aides were careful to point out that her general criticisms about poor executive experience were not directed at Pawlenty.
“Executive experience in government is one thing, but not when it comes to a promise of more of the same big government as usual,” Bachmann said on July 11, without calling out any candidates by name.
But on Sunday, Bachmann finally fired back against Pawlenty’s characterizations of her own record and pointedly attacked his.
The congresswoman said Pawlenty helped create a multibillion-dollar deficit in Minnesota, and she said he had voiced support of President Barack Obama’s health care plan and the federal bailout of financial companies.
“Executive experience is not an asset if it simply means bigger and more intrusive government,” she said in a statement.
At a campaign stop Monday in Davenport, Pawlenty questioned the accuracy of Bachmann’s criticisms and also reiterated a common theme of his campaign: In the GOP field, only he has a strong conservative record of accomplishment.
“There’s one thing to be against Obamacare and give a speech against it; it’s another thing to lead the charge in Minnesota to opt out of it and take health care in a different and better way,” he said.
Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt said he’s surprised the campaigns didn’t start throwing elbows earlier. The delay in negative campaigning is likely a result of an unsettled Republican presidential field that is just now crystallizing, he said.
“I guess she doesn’t want to take any chances with him catching up to her,” he said.
Goldford, the Drake University professor, agreed. Bachmann pushing back against Pawlenty’s repeated criticisms is not proof that he’s gaining enough traction in the state to beat her in the straw poll, he said.
Rather, it’s more likely a result of Bachmann deciding she can no longer ignore Pawlenty as the contest nears, he said.
“You can’t let someone chip away at you,” he said. “When someone’s hitting away at you, you’ve got to hit back.”
Escalating attacks from the campaigns of Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann underscore the importance of the fast-approaching Ames straw poll for both candidates, political experts said.
The Aug. 13 Republican presidential contest, an early test of campaign strength, is shaping up to be a “Minnesota primary” between Pawlenty, the state’s former governor, and Bachmann, a three-term congresswoman, said Drake University Professor Dennis Goldford.
“It would be a huge shot in the arm for Pawlenty if he could beat Bachmann. The problem is he’s beige, and she’s neon orange,” said Goldford, referring to Pawlenty’s steady demeanor and Bachmann’s ability to inspire with fiery speeches.
Pawlenty fired the latest round in the war of words Monday, when he downplayed Bachmann’s criticisms by saying she has a history of “saying things that are off the mark.”
The impact of the straw poll, like the caucuses themselves, comes from beating expectations.
Pawlenty, who has registered in single digits in recent polls in Iowa, has said the straw poll can make or break campaigns. The consensus is he needs a strong showing to remain a viable candidate, Goldford said.
“For his campaign to survive, if he can’t beat her, he’s got to be a reasonably close second, and put a lot of distance between himself and the third-place finisher,” Goldford said.
For Bachmann, who has topped recent polls in Iowa, an Ames straw poll loss wouldn’t deliver a fatal blow to her campaign, said longtime campaign strategist Doug Gross, a Des Moines lawyer. But she still needs to meet expectations as the front-runner to maintain momentum, he said.
“If Bachmann doesn’t win, it’s a huge downer,” he said. “(The attacks) are simply a reflection of the stakes, and the stakes are high for both of them.”
The straw poll can offer a major boost of momentum, as it did in 2007 for Mike Huckabee, when he was running a low-budget campaign but finished a surprisingly strong second to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Or it can be a blow that sends candidates packing, as it did in 2007 with former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, within hours, or then-U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, within a few months as money dried up.
Pawlenty started highlighting what he called Bachmann’s thin resume in a wide-ranging interview with Register editors and reporters three weeks ago.
Since then, he has stepped up his rhetoric, going as far as to call Bachmann’s record nonexistent.
The latest blow came Friday in an interview with CNN, in which Pawlenty said, “These are really serious times, and there hasn’t been somebody who went from the U.S. House of Representatives to the presidency, I think, in over a hundred years, and there’s a reason for that.” (Republican James Garfield, elected in 1880, is the only example of a sitting member of the House being elected president.)
It was the end of a week in which stories about Bachmann’s migraines dominated headlines about her campaign. She was forced to answer questions about them after a report from the Daily Caller quoted anonymous former aides who claimed the headaches sometimes incapacitated her. Bachmann said the condition does not derail her schedule, and she released a letter from the attending physician of Congress saying her migraines are infrequent and controlled well with medication.
Just two weeks ago at an appearance in Indianola, Bachmann had taken the high road. Her aides were careful to point out that her general criticisms about poor executive experience were not directed at Pawlenty.
“Executive experience in government is one thing, but not when it comes to a promise of more of the same big government as usual,” Bachmann said on July 11, without calling out any candidates by name.
But on Sunday, Bachmann finally fired back against Pawlenty’s characterizations of her own record and pointedly attacked his.
The congresswoman said Pawlenty helped create a multibillion-dollar deficit in Minnesota, and she said he had voiced support of President Barack Obama’s health care plan and the federal bailout of financial companies.
“Executive experience is not an asset if it simply means bigger and more intrusive government,” she said in a statement.
At a campaign stop Monday in Davenport, Pawlenty questioned the accuracy of Bachmann’s criticisms and also reiterated a common theme of his campaign: In the GOP field, only he has a strong conservative record of accomplishment.
“There’s one thing to be against Obamacare and give a speech against it; it’s another thing to lead the charge in Minnesota to opt out of it and take health care in a different and better way,” he said.
Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt said he’s surprised the campaigns didn’t start throwing elbows earlier. The delay in negative campaigning is likely a result of an unsettled Republican presidential field that is just now crystallizing, he said.
“I guess she doesn’t want to take any chances with him catching up to her,” he said.
Goldford, the Drake University professor, agreed. Bachmann pushing back against Pawlenty’s repeated criticisms is not proof that he’s gaining enough traction in the state to beat her in the straw poll, he said.
Rather, it’s more likely a result of Bachmann deciding she can no longer ignore Pawlenty as the contest nears, he said.
“You can’t let someone chip away at you,” he said. “When someone’s hitting away at you, you’ve got to hit back.”