The decline of Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign has accelerated on news that her star campaign manager is stepping back into an advisory role. Ed Rollins’ claim to fame is the 1894 Regan-Bush campaign, although he has been instrumental in engineering Republican victories for several decades.
Known for his belief that “you can fool all the people all the time if the advertising budget is big enough,” his candid remarks have frequently proved controversial. Nevertheless, the Bachmann campaign derived a sort of cache from Rollins’ stewardship, which is now in question.
Bachmann spokeswoman Alice Steward played down the significance of Rollins’ changing role in the campaign, insisting, “the plan all along has been to restructure things after the straw poll,” according to Politico. Rollins blames his declining health for the change, quipping, “I wish I was 40 years old, but I’m not, I’m 68 years old. I had a stroke a year and a half ago. I’m worn out.”
While health concerns make sense in Rollins’ case, they don’t explain why his deputy, David Polyansky, is quitting the campaign entirely. Campaign officials have quietly avoided discussing Polyansky’s exit from the campaign in their statements about the “planned restructuring” of the team.
Both Rollins and Polyansky played significant roles in Bachmann’s Iowa Straw Poll victory. According to Bachmann, “in less than 50 days and with fewer resources than other campaigns, Ed was the architect that lead our campaign to victory in Iowa.” Rollins, Polyansky, and Steward also worked together on Mike Huckabee’s 2007 presidential campaign.
Campaign strategist Keith Nahigian has been named interim campaign manager, according to CBS News. In a statement about the appointment, 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 across the country.”
Is the phrase “strong finish” some kind of Freudian slip? Shouldn’t it be rousing victory? As much as the Bachmann campaign insists that its commitment hasn’t wavered, word choice speaks volumes about what they are actually thinking.
Rollins admitted to CNN that “legitimately it’s a Romney-Perry race. I think she’s the third candidate at this point in time,” reports Reuters. In fact the latest CNN poll puts her fourth behind Perry (27 percent), Romney (14 percent), and Sarah Palin (10 percent) – who isn’t even running. Adding insult to injury, Bachmann has to share her fourth place ranking with former New York City Mayor Rudy Guliani, who also drew 9 percent of GOP voters.
In true Tea Party fashion, Bachmann stubbornly pushes on, despite the clear indicators that her campaign is nearing its end. She will appear at a Republican debate Wednesday with both Perry and Romney. If nothing else, she seems determined to give them a run for their money.