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Outside the Beltway

Michele Bachmann Hires Former Reagan Advisor Ed Rollins To Run Campaign

Doug Mataconis
12

If you needed any more confirmation that Michele Bachmann is serious about running for President, it comes today with the news that she has hired the architect of Ronald Reagan’s 1984 re-election bid to run her campaign for President:

As she prepares to enter the race in Iowa later this month, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has signed on high-profile political strategist Ed Rollins to run her presidential campaign, according to two sources close to Bachmann.

Rollins, who was Mike Huckabee’s national campaign director in the 2008 campaign, is an experienced political operative with a well-earned reputation for his tough tactics and willingness to play hardball. He’s probably best known for running the 1984 Reagan-Bush reelection campaign, which Reagan won in a landslide.

As Mark Halperin notes, this is only the latest big hire by Bachmann as she prepares to run for the highest office in the land:

This is only the latest big-league hire the Minnesotan has signed up. Bachmann’s political gifts plus the experience of old pros like Rollins give her a potentially formidable candidacy. This is bad news for Tim Pawlenty (Rollins managed Huckabee to an Iowa caucuses win four years ago) and great news for Romney (a strong Bachmann will push the establishment faster into the arms of the frontrunner.

I tend to agree with Halperin about the consequences of this decision. With all the attention that Sarah Palin gets, Michele Bachmann has been slipping under the radar lately but it looks like she’s about to make a very big splash.

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12 responses to “Michele Bachmann Hires Former Reagan Advisor Ed Rollins To Run Campaign”

  1. An Interested Party Avatar
    An Interested Party

    Wow, Ed Rollins agreed to work for this loon? I guess money really does talk…

  2. James Joyner Avatar
    James Joyner

    @An Interested Party: Working for loons is what Ed Rollins does. He ran Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign. It’s been downhill ever since.

  3. Terrye Avatar
    Terrye

    She sounds serious.

  4. Talmadge East Avatar
    Talmadge East

    Don’t forget, whether Rollins is truly responsible or not, Huckabee won Iowa. I would imagine that is what prompted this decision.

  5. Tsar Nicholas Avatar
    Tsar Nicholas

    Rollins knows how to work politics at the street level. That doesn’t work in larger states, but it certainly can affect early contests in smaller states, not coincidentally Iowa and New Hampshire.

    Obviously Bachmann has zero chance at the nomination. But with Rollins on board it’s not inconceivable that she could surprise to the upside in Iowa and New Hampshire. That in turn might be the springboard for a legitimate run at a higher office further on down the road, or at minimum higher and more frequent appearance/speaking fees in the short term.

  6. Joe Harkins Avatar
    Joe Harkins

    DREAM TICKET – Bachman and Palin or Palin and Bachman.

    Either way, we all have a lot of laughs and Obama gets the second term he deserves.

  7. Talmadge East Avatar
    Talmadge East

    @Joe: “That’s it! Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is Einhorn!”

  8. Franklin Avatar
    Franklin

    Working for loons is what Ed Rollins does. He ran Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign. It’s been downhill ever since.

    Count me as surprised as well. Ed Rollins seems like a reasonable person. Michelle Bachmann makes Palin seem like a genius.

    I’m not sure I agree that Ross Perot is a loon, I prefer eccentric.

  9. DaveinDetroit Avatar
    DaveinDetroit

    LIBs are purely morons. Bachmann is anything but a “loon”. You dopes are so sick and twisted that you see everything BACKWARDS. Wake up, LOONEY LIBS. Your sick party of liars, incompetents, crooks and serial adulterers is falling to pieces before your very eyes.

  10. DaveinDetroit Avatar
    DaveinDetroit

    “Obama will get the 2nd term he deserves.”

    LOLOLOLOL

    What a bunch of LIB drones. Just laughable. Costs have skyrocketed. Unemployment has skyrocketed. The economy sucks. We are involved in a 3rd war with no end in sight… “days, not weeks!”, Obama said. And the drones love him. What a hoot. The party of stupidity. All that matters is that these ignorant drones think SOMEONE is taking it in the behind. And that’s good enough for them. Like it yet, morons? God, what a party of losers. Honest to God.

  11. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    I agree with this observation

    http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2011/06/michele-bachmanns-first-big-mistake.html

    After all the years of vicious nasty that Conservative women have to put-up with and overcome(from Michelle Malkin to Ann Coulter, to Sarah Palin and even Michelle Bachmann etc ) Bachmann’ decision to hire a man who proceeds to trash another Conservative woman-who has yet to even announce by the way-on MSNBC is a huge and damaging mistake.

    Since Hermann Cain has officially announced his camapign (while Bachmann has not) he at least shows respect to those of us who are not going to put up with this relentless misogynistic trashing ie stupid, dumb, idiots, whores, cunts, barbie dolls blah, blah blah Conservative women endure not only from Liberals, from the Rulling Class GOP establishment.

    When the trashing comes upon Michelle Bachmann (it has and will) I cannot defend her for placing herself in a position of weakness by hiring Ed Rollins to run her campaign.

  12. Bill Reesor Avatar
    Bill Reesor

    I would remind Mr Rollins that countless politicians have “bailed’ on their consituents to seek hgher office including the Presidency. Hilary Clinton, John Kerry, and yes Michelle Bachman who will abandon those who elected her prior to serving out the term she was elected to. I don’t have to remind you that most vice presidential running mates are chosen because of the potential voters they would bring especially in swing states . I like Michelle Bachman,just don’t violate Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment and turn us conservatives against her with democrat style politics

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