Michele Bachmann Campaign: All Over But the Official Announcement

[sailingaway]

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/2094...arty.htm?cid=2

[Aratus]

two words
hillary clinton

or mayhap
belay that

[MarcNY]

[acptulsa]

So, does this mean Randy Travis will throw his hat in the ring next?

[michaelkellenger]

This is horrible new for Ron Paul. Bachmann's votes are going to Rick Perry.....

[emr1028]

This is horrible new for Ron Paul. Bachmann's votes are going to Rick Perry.....

Not necessarily, I think that Paul will pick up a couple percentage points from Bachmann because they both use the same anti-government, anti-fed rhetoric that Ron uses. We need to be nice to them, show up at their rallies, and talk on their forums. A couple percentage points for us is far more valuable than whatever Perry will be able to gain from her leaving.

[Guitarzan]

This is horrible new for Ron Paul. Bachmann's votes are going to Rick Perry.....

Link?

[low preference guy]

Bachmann, endorse Ron Paul and I'll forgive you.

[Aratus]

dr. ron paul may get to make cabinet appointments. let's hint agriculture etc...

[michaelkellenger]

Link?

Read the polls, dude. Perry's numbers have sky rocketed while Bachmann's has plummeted. Romney's, Paul's and the others remain largely and statistically unchanged.

[Rothbardian Girl]

How did her campaign suddenly implode? Am I missing something?

[specsaregood]

How did her campaign suddenly implode? Am I missing something?

She was never a serious campaign. She was a placeholder, her place has been taken and all that is left for her is to exit gracefully stage left.

[Kregisen]

This is horrible new for Ron Paul. Bachmann's votes are going to Rick Perry.....

No way...this is great news. We can not win without people like Bachmann dropping out. If it's a 3-way race between Romney, Perry, and Paul, I think we'd win. We need all of these fake tea party candidates out to secure the tea party vote. Perry has SO much dirt on him he can't win...just look at Ron's new ad. That's only bringing up one controversial thing about Perry...it's not mentioning anything else, like the mandating shots in texas for example. This is amazing news.

[Feelgood]

Bachmann did what even decent candidate would do, claiming the poll, in which she bested Ron Paul and seven other Republican candidates, as a major victory.

They all, always bring this up. IMO this always shows who is the real front runner. They know who their competition is.

[Cutlerzzz]

Read the polls, dude. Perry's numbers have sky rocketed while Bachmann's has plummeted. Romney's, Paul's and the others remain largely and statistically unchanged.

That would imply that those votes would go to Paul, or at least not to Romney. Bachmann's base that was looking towards Perry already left. Now she is mostly left with Tea Partiers.

Her (and Cain) dropping out should help Paul more than the others.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Bachmann's role for the establishment in denying Ron Paul a win at Ames is finished. She is now expendable.

[Nathan Hale]

I am of the opinion that Bachmann leaving the race benefits Paul. She'd give him at least 5 points if she dropped for the aforementioned reason that Perry already took a lot of her lukewarm support.

The rest she'd likely split between Perry and Cain, but the boost to either of them won't make a difference because Cain is too far down and Perry is too far up. For Paul, there is much to gain because the drop would would create a three way race dynamic between Perry, Romney, and Paul.

[IDefendThePlatform]

Has an Ames straw poll winner ever dropped out before Iowa? Seems like a stretch, but she has definitely lost momentum. I'd certainly think she'd get a cabinet invite from Dr. P if he gets the nomination.

[sailingaway]

Read the polls, dude. Perry's numbers have sky rocketed while Bachmann's has plummeted. Romney's, Paul's and the others remain largely and statistically unchanged.

Actually, Ron's have gone up. But he seems to finally be making his move.

[rp08orbust]

Has an Ames straw poll winner ever dropped out before Iowa?

Has the straw poll winner ever been a country music singer before?

[Kregisen]

Has the straw poll ever been won by a country music singer before?

lol

[LibertyEagle]

Remember that a great many of Bachmann's supporters are Christians, so if they come here and you want to keep them around to vote for Ron, I would highly recommend that there be no God or Christian bashing. Because if there is, it is highly likely that they will run out of here and away from Ron Paul, faster than you can spit.

[The Midnight Ride]

I have a hunch that when it comes to Iowa, many Bachmann voters will head Ron's way. This may not be the case nationally but right now we do not need to worry about that. First thing is to show the average GOP Primary voter that we CAN win an election. People are always hesitant to support candidates who they perceive (rightly or wrongly) as unelectable. It must start with Iowa.

[rp08orbust]

I have a hunch that when it comes to Iowa, many Bachmann voters will head Ron's way.

I agree. The most common incorrect answer to my robocall question, "Who is known as the champion of the Constitution and the taxpayer's best friend", was Michele Bachmann. These people are searching for a Ron Paul.

[FreedomProsperityPeace]

While I agree that Bachmann's campaign is in trouble, that article came off as a lot of wishful thinking by a Perry supporter.

[HOLLYWOOD]

http://washingtonindependent.com/111...aign-step-down

Top aides to Bachmann campaign step down
By Andy Birkey | 09.06.11 | 11:01 am
| More from The Minnesota Independent

Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign saw a major shakeup on Monday as her campaign manager and deputy campaign manager quit. Ed Rollins, who said he was leaving the campaign for health reasons, and David Polyansky both wished the campaign well in several media appearances Monday evening. The shakeup comes at an unfortunate time for Bachmann, whose campaign has been pushed to the middle of the Republican pack by Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s recent announcement of a run for the nation’s highest office.

“I wish I was 40 years old, but I’m not,” Rollins told Politico which broke the story Monday evening. “I’m 68 years old, I had a stroke a year and a half ago. I’m worn out. I want nothing but the best for her, she’s a great candidate, I’ll continue to be there for her.”
Politico also reported that Polyansky is quitting. “I wish Michele nothing but the best, and anyone who underestimates her as a candidate does so at their own peril,” Polyansky told Politico.


The move comes a day after Rollins told the Washington Post that the campaign had lost its top-tier status.
“The Perry-Romney race is now the story, with us the third candidate,” Rollins said.
While Rollins quit for health reasons and will remain an adviser to the campaign, Politico says that Polyansky had “strategic differences on the path forward” with the candidate, according to an unnamed source.
Bachmann’s campaign released a statement on Monday night announced that Keith Nahigian would be taking over as campaign manager.
“In less than 50 days and with fewer resources than other campaigns, Ed was the architect that led our campaign to a historic victory in Iowa,” Bachmann said. “Keith has played a vital role in the success we have had to date and I’m confident he can lead us to a strong finish in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and across the country.”


The Associated Press was quick to note that Bachmann often struggles to maintain top staff, and some have even noted difficulty working with her. The AP counted up the tally and found that Bachmann has lost six chiefs of staff, five press secretaries, five legislative directors and three communications directors since she settled into the House in 2007.
Bachmann, known for being gaffe-prone yet agile enough to recover among her base, will likely provide Nahigian with some challenges.
Nahigian was former Vice President Dan Quayle’s handler during his infamous gaffe. At a Trenton, N.J., after school program, Quayle told a student that he had spelled “potato” wrong. Insisting it was spelled “P-O-T-A-T-O-E,” he became the laughing stock of late night comedians.
Capitol Century recounted the gaffe:

When he got the Munoz Rivera School, Quayle spoke with some women involved in the program, saw a drill team perform and looked in on some self-esteem classes before his aides started hustling him off to another classroom for a staged spelling bee.
“What are we supposed to do?’’ I asked Keith Nahigian, the advance man who had prepared this little photo op,’’ Quayle wrote.
“Just sit there and read these words off some flash cards, and the kids will go up and spell them at the blackboard,’’ the handler told the VP.
“Has anyone checked the card?’’ another aide asked.
“Oh, yeah,’’ responded Nahigian. “We looked at them and they’re just very simple words. No big deal.’’
Enter William Figueroa, 12, a sixth-grader from the Mott School in the South Ward who had been bused to Munoz Rivera to take part in the vice presidential event.
Figueroa knew how to spell potato, and he wrote it in a legible script on the blackboard when Quayle announced his word for the spelling bee.
Quayle looked at the blackboard, then at his contest card, and gently and quietly told the boy, “You’re close, but you left a little something off. The e on the end.

Here's the New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/us...1&ref=politics

Senior Aide to Bachmann Leaves Post By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Published: September 5, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Ed Rollins, the veteran campaign operative who helped engineer an Iowa straw poll victory for Representative Michele Bachmann this summer, has stepped down from running the day-to-day operations of her presidential campaign, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Bachmann said Monday night.


Michele Bachmann spoke during the
American Principles Project Palmetto
Freedom Forum in Columbia, S.C., on Monday.

Mrs. Bachmann’s campaign cited health reasons for the abrupt change in the role Mr. Rollins, 68, will play in the presidential campaign.
“Ed is moving away from the demanding day-to-day operations of the campaign and into a senior adviser role,” said the spokeswoman, Alice Stewart. “He is fantastic and will continue to be invaluable on the campaign.”

Politico reported the change in Mr. Rollins’s role. The Web site also reported on Monday night that Mr. Rollins’s deputy, David Polyansky, would leave the campaign. “I wish Michele nothing but the best, and anyone who underestimates her as a candidate does so at their own peril,” Mr. Polyansky told Politico.
The change in roles for Mr. Rollins came on a day he was quoted in The Washington Post as expressing pessimism about Mrs. Bachmann’s campaign. “The Perry-Romney race is now the story, with us the third candidate,” Mr. Rollins said.

The moves raise questions about the future of Mrs. Bachmann’s campaign. After winning the straw poll in August, Mrs. Bachmann, of Minnesota, has struggled to maintain momentum, especially after Gov. Rick Perry of Texas entered the Republican contest.
Mr. Rollins, whose campaign experience dates back decades, helped Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, win the Iowa caucuses in 2007. He joined Mrs. Bachmann’s campaign this summer as it caught on in Iowa.

But since then, Mrs. Bachmann has dropped below Mr. Perry and Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, in some national polls. The possibility of a candidacy by Sarah Palin also looms over Mrs. Bachmann’s campaign.
Mr. Rollins has worked for Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush and briefly managed the presidential campaign of the billionaire H. Ross Perot.
Mrs. Bachmann appeared on Monday at a Tea Party forum in South Carolina. She is scheduled to take part in the Republican debate in California on Wednesday.
In a statement late Monday night, Mrs. Bachmann called the changes part of a "planned restructuring strategy" and said that Keith Nahigian, a campaign strategist, would assume the position of campaign manager.

“In less than 50 days and with fewer resources than other campaigns, Ed was the architect that led our campaign to a historic victory in Iowa,” Mrs. Bachmann said. “Keith has played a vital role in the success we have had to date and I’m confident he can lead us to a strong finish in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and across the country.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/us...07rollins.html

Highlights of Ed Rollins’s Career

Published: September 6, 2011

Ed Rollins, below, stepped down this week from running the day-to-day operations of Representative Michele Bachmann’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. It was the latest in a series of jobs, often short-term ones, in Mr. Rollins’s busy political career.


Ed Rollins

1981-83 Political adviser in Reagan White House.
1984 Campaign director for President Reagan’s re-election effort.
1985 Returns as political adviser.
1988 Advises the presidential campaign of Representative Jack Kemp, who wins no primaries.
1992 Co-manager of Ross Perot’s presidential campaign; resigns after two months.
1993 Campaign manager for Gov. Christie Whitman of New Jersey, but after the campaign he creates a furor with his remarks that he paid black ministers to suppress black turnout.
2007-8 Runs presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee, who wins the Iowa Republican caucuses but no other nominating contests.
2011 Manages Mrs. Bachmann’s presidential campaign but quits after two months, citing health reasons.

[reduen]

Bachmann was in this thing to take support away from Dr. Paul mainly in Iowa. She will be in until the Iowa caucus is over with at least...

[Brown Sapper]

I think anyone that would jump her ship for Perry has already done so, leaving only the people that can't stand him. Her other supporters know we are the other Tea Party candidate so should be coming to us...or I'm just being too optimistic.

[FrankRep]

Michele Bachmann Campaign: All Over But the Official Announcement

Michele Bachmann hopes to gain back momentum at Calif. debate
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_..._calif_debate/

[AuH20]

Bachmann needs to stay in the race and attack Perry. Paul and Bachmann's supporters can sabotage Perry if they're smart.
Ron, by himself, isn't going to cut it.