Posted on 06/07/2011 5:54:01 PM PDT by Bigtigermike
Not surprisingly, Bachmann has come under the same types of snide attack as Sarah Palin from the mainstream media, entertainment industry and left-blogosphere. There is a special place reserved for conservative women in the Democratic toolkit of mockery and derision.
But Bachmann just made a big mistake. I'll repeat what I wrote when Mike Huckabee was considering whether to run again with Ed Rollins as his campaign manager:
Run, don't walk, away from Ed Rollins and the others who think that demeaning Sarah Palin is the best way to advance your campaign.
Sure enough, Rollins having just been hired by Bachmann, is at it again (via Ben Smith):
Michele Bachmann's new top consultant, Ed Rollins, began his tenure with scathing criticism of potential Bachmann rival Sarah Palin. "Sarah has not been serious over the last couple of years," Rollins told Brian Kilmeade on his radio show, Kilmeade and Friends. "She got the Vice Presidential thing handed to her, she didn't go to work in the sense of trying to gain more substance, she gave up her governorship."
He suggested that the contrast would favor Bachmann.
"Michele Bachmann and others [have] worked hard, she has been a leader of the Tea Party which is a very important element here, she has been an attorney, she has done important things with family values."
"She is probably the best communicator [in the GOP field] now that Mike Huckabee's not in there," he said.
Rollins has long been skeptical of Palin, but his new role with Bachmann suggests that criticism will become part of her campaign, though she has publicly praised the former Alaska governor
Michele Bachmann's new top consultant, Ed Rollins, began his tenure with scathing criticism of potential Bachmann rival Sarah Palin.
Hiring Rollins was a mistake. In order to have a chance, you will have to unite the non-establishment wing of the party behind you, and you lose a big chunk of that base when your campaign spokesman trashes Palin.
Additionally, the Democrats and their supporters are going to Palinize you, and already have started. Having your campaign spokesman engage in the same sort of rhetoric against Palin simply legitimizes the tactic, and will hurt your campaign.
Please take advice from someone who likes you. Dump Rollins overboard now, before it's too late.
Update: Ed Rollins is on the Chris Matthews show as this update is being written, and is going out of his way to belittle Palin, including saying that Palin ""doesn't matter if she doesn't run." Rollins also jumped on the Paul Revere controversy. According to Rollins, Palin "has the movie star quality but it doesn't go very far."
Hiring Rollins is an enormous mistake for Bachmann. It could be campaign killing. The people who hate Palin are the same people who hate Bachmann, and no amount of trashing of Palin by Rollins will change that. Bachmann needs to focus on building, not tearing down.
>> Michele Bachmann ... has been an attorney
Rollins is marketing that as a *plus*??!? ROFL!
Poor judgment!
My opinion of her has certainly gone down in the past 24 hours.
That is why someone way outside the belt way and not a political hack is so appealing That is Sarah Palin
Grrr. Anyone have contact for Ed Rollins. Nice he dumps and runs
They are dissing someone who has not announced yet.. hummm
Ed has to be fired.
See Ronald Wilson Reagan
Because she is doing to bidding of someone to make sure that either Palin doesn’t run or is damaged further when she does run.....think about this: Mitt said that he will take it easy until after Labor Day! Hmmm!
I agree. I think republicans are making a huge mistake if they think that they can win in 2012 by trashing Sarah Palin. It would be like a democratic candidate thinking he can win by trashing black people.
Michelle was just filling the vacuum.
Makes me wonder how sharp she really is
I'd reserve judgment to see if she puts a muzzle on Rollins
And Sarah has the perfect name for the first woman President sorta like Sally Ride for being the first Free woman to fly in space
Make no mistake about it, he speaks for her.
“The way of the RINO”
“Hiring the same people that have resulted in the RINO infestation is the path to more RINOS and more RINO/Socialism.”
This isn’t too hard for a hick like me to figure out, so what does that say about MB? Looks like she’s part of the problem too.
Campaigns are odd things. I always anticipate an opponent taking on a candidate, yet in many cases the candidate take themselves out.
Bad decision by Bachmann (perhaps a purely naive move) and a possible campaign finisher, unless (as you posted) she fires Rollins pronto.
Remember she ran for the Republican Conference Chair position after the November election but Boehner and Cantor slapped her down. As a consolation, they assigned her to the House Intelligence Committee.
Bachmann to Intelligence Committee
Soon after (in January), Bachmann's staff appeared in South Carolina and Iowa and began slamming Palin during meetings with local GOP organizers and chairmen.
A deal was cut somewhere, and Bachmann's buddy Steve King was undoubtedly a part of it since he is pretty much her shadow.
Mitt / Bachmann .. just hope she’s a better shot than cheney.
ed rollins has become a bob shrumesque character, she probably got his services cheap.
oh well, that’s baseball.
I have not been happy with Michelle Bachmann.
She was a terrific force in congress for her last couple of terms, and I donated to her campaign last year. But since then, I have been disappointed. I expected her to lead the Freshman Tea Partiers in congress and put pressure on the leadership to honor the election.
Instead, she has pretty much dropped out of sight in her congressional dealings. Boehner has pulled one boner after another, and Bachman has done nothing to show him up.
Now she hires Ed Rollins. What that says to me is that she is “moving to the middle.” Very, very disappointing. We elected her for a reason, and she doesn’t seem to get it.
She is in too much of a hurry to climb the career ladder. I’m afraid that will simply make her another fading star, like so many others who just wouldn’t wait until they were ready and had EARNED it.
Trashing ‘Cuda kills the deal.
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