# Bachmann losing staff in NH **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 22, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423 "2011-10-22T04:49:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/1 "2011-10-22T04:49:57Z")
The other Bachmann threads are hopelessly out of date or just plain silly (much like the candidate herself), so I decided this news could use it’s own thread. [ > [@AP News](#): > > Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is losing her New Hampshire staff. As many as five staffers formally left Bachmann’s campaign this week, two people with direct knowledge of the situation said Friday. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose internal workings of the campaign. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_BACHMANN\_NEW\_HAMPSHIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-22-00-25-02](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BACHMANN_NEW_HAMPSHIRE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-22-00-25-02)) I thought [the recent SNL skit about the GOP debates](http://thehill.com/video/campaign/187951-santorum-criticizes-snl-sketch-as-bullying) was pretty damn funny (and pretty damning as well), and it looks like they might have been prescient about Bachmann’s campaign (not that I think it took much to discern this state of affairs). Could this be just the break the McCain campaign has been waiting for? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/2 "2011-10-22T13:34:14Z")
She’s been circling the drain for a couple months now. Still, there has to be an anti-Romney among the current crowd. Perry rose and fell. Cain rose and will surely fall. Who’s to say that they won’t fall in love with Bachmann again? 75% of the Republicans aren’t behind Romney. If they can’t fall in love with him, they’ll fall in line behind someone. It might as well be her. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/3 "2011-10-22T14:55:13Z")
I don’t think NH was part of her key strategy anyway. She is throwing her effort into Iowa and South Carolina… not that I think she will be in the race much past those contests. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/4 "2011-10-22T15:15:05Z")
Rats abandoning the USS Loony. Apparently she didn’t even know they had gone until the press asked her about it. At this point she just provides not-so-funny comic relief, and will soon be joined by Herman Cain in that role. Perhaps they can create a stage act and go on tour. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/5 "2011-10-22T17:44:05Z")
And tonight we have, for your entertainment: _The Nutty Black Guy and the Crazy White Woman!_ ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/6 "2011-10-22T18:01:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And tonight we have, for your entertainment: _The Nutty Black Guy and the Crazy White Woman!_ They’re saving that title for the Michael Jackson biopic. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/7 "2011-10-22T18:16:22Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > They’re saving that title for the Michael Jackson biopic. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Da\_Mikster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Da\_Mikster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Da_Mikster)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/8 "2011-10-22T19:46:48Z")
They ran out of LSD and 'shrooms, and discovered she wasn’t on them? ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/9 "2011-10-22T20:24:33Z")
The only reason this would hurt her is if her base realizes she’s just a follower. Herman Cain’s NH staff quit months ago and he’s been to busy selling his book to bother replacing them. Why bother with state campaign offices anyway? Everything Republican is handled nationally by FOX News. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/10 "2011-10-22T22:04:26Z")
HA! Did you see the prayer circles from her camp? WTF. I really wish all of her supporters would just pray her into office. When that doesn’t work-- well, I doubt they’d pray for Cain. (Against republican rules.). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/11 "2011-10-22T22:09:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > SStill, there has to be an anti-Romney among the current crowd. I still think the anti-Romney lot will crystalize around Perry. Bachmann has been an also-ran for some time, and Cain is on borrowed time. Now, whether they crystalize in time for Perry to have a shot, that’s a different question. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/12 "2011-10-22T22:38:28Z")
So is anyone saying _why_ they quit? I can’t imagine they all woke up yesterday and realized Bachmann was a nut. Presumably there was some sort of spat with the central national campaign? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/13 "2011-10-23T01:10:16Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > So is anyone saying _why_ they quit? I can’t imagine they all woke up yesterday and realized Bachmann was a nut. Presumably there was some sort of spat with the central national campaign? They’re supposed to release a statement soon as to their reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/14 "2011-10-24T19:05:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > They’re supposed to release a statement soon as to their reasons. [I guess the statement is out.](http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/bachmann-ex-staff-hampshire-calls-campaign-dishonest-cruel-180407826.html) It’s kind of light on the juicy details, but apparently the NH team was asked to work without pay and ignored if not actively dissed by the national campaign. Remarkably, the drafters of the statement appear to remain loyal to Bachmann herself: > [@Outgoing New Hampshire Team](#): > > "Yet the members of Team-NH remained committed to Congressman Bachmann, often at peril to their own personal and professional reputations within New Hampshire. > > Sadly, all of this could have been avoided. It saddens this team to see a dedicated patriot - a person so desperately needed in the White House - sequestered behind a wall of pretense, guarded by political operatives consumed by their own egos." I’m not totally sure why you’d support someone for Chief Executive who can’t even select a campaign team that isn’t a bunch of pillocks and who initially denied the whole resignation story, indicating either a complete lack of executive ability or a complete willingness to lie pathologically. But I guess if you’re a Bachmann supporter, logic may not be your primary coping mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/15 "2011-10-24T19:07:46Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And tonight we have, for your entertainment: _The Nutty Black Guy and the Crazy White Woman!_ Oh Mrs. Bachmann. Oh Mr. Cain … Cain: Holding up his 9-9-9 plan. “See what I have here, Mrs. Bachmann”. Bachmann: Flips him over to a drum roll. “666! How Satanic.” Cain: Releases spring loaded forked tail as he flips back upright. “Some Sympathy, you frozen toots!” It would do boffo business. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/16 "2011-10-24T20:07:05Z")
> [@](#): > > They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose internal workings of the campaign. Why does this bother me so much. It seems so skeevy. “I’m not suppossed to tell, and it’s actually unethical from pretty much every way, seeing as how I was taking money and was supposed to be a trusted part of team and all, but her it is. But can I hide behind anonymity??” If you are not authorized and want to keep your name out of the paper, **KEEP YOUR DAMN MOUTH SHUT.** And get off my lawn! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/17 "2011-10-25T04:31:49Z")
[ > [@AP News](#): > > Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann’s former New Hampshire staffers say they were deceived and treated as second-class citizens before they quit in frustration last week. > > In a news release, the five former staffers said they hold no ill will toward the Minnesota congresswoman, but they could not continue working for her because her national campaign team had been “rude, unprofessional, dishonest, and at times cruel” to them and “abrasive, discourteous, and dismissive” of the state’s voters. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_BACHMANN\_NH\_STAFF?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-24-17-38-47](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BACHMANN_NH_STAFF?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-24-17-38-47)) I guess whoever Mrs. Bachmann has hired to run her campaign thinks that’s how you win the hearts and minds (and votes) of the populace. It says a lot about her judgement that she hired said person and continues to let them manage her campaign. I also found this gem: [ > [@Miami Herald](#): > > Bachmann’s national campaign on Monday said the statement should be ignored because it was issued by someone never formally employed by the campaign, Karen Testerman, who ran for governor in New Hampshire last year. > > “The unauthorized news release was sent by a person who doesn’t even work for the campaign and has never had authority to speak on behalf of the campaign,” Bachmann campaign manager Keith Nahigian said in a statement. “We are not responding to comments made by a person who was not even a staff member in New Hampshire. Our focus is on Iowa.” > > Testerman said she was asked by the national campaign as recently as last Thursday to get ready to file papers with the Secretary of State for Bachmann to appear on the New Hampshire ballot. Chidester confirmed that Testerman had been asked to file the papers. ]([http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/24/2470364/more-controversy-between-bachmann.html](http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/24/2470364/more-controversy-between-bachmann.html)) ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bachmann-losing-staff-in-nh/600423/18 "2011-10-25T04:54:28Z")
I love it. Newspapers have been trying all day to contact anyone on the Bachmann NH campaign and can’t find a single person that the national office will acknowledge works for Bachmann’s campaign. Yet Bachmann’s national office is insisting no one quit. Bachmann still hasn’t filed to run in NH so I guess a campaign presence is kinda moot if she’s not going to be on the ballet to begin with. She has a month, maybe she’ll find one of her elusive NH campaigners to drum up support for her and hand in the necessary signatures.