Bachmann Rats Jump Sinking Ship

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Monday September 05, 2011 · 5:27 PM PDT

2011/09/05 · 17:27

Michelle Bachmann may have been feeling good giving speeches all weekend, talking up her Tea Party credentials to anyone who will listen, but as of today she's got reason to be concerned about the fate of her candidacy.

First comes news that her campaign manager, Ed Rollins, will be scaling back his role to become a Senior Advisor:

From Politico (yes, I know):

Rollins said the reason for the change is personal — his health and the rigors of a campaign.
"I wish I was 40 years old, but I'm not," he told POLITICO. "I'm 68 years old, I had a stroke a year and a half ago. I'm worn out."

The change is coming just as Bachmann is entering a new phase of the race, searching for the right way forward against the Rick Perry juggernaut, which has sucked away the oxygen since her Ames Straw Poll win.

Rollins insisted this represents a change of schedule but not his commitment to Bachmann.

"I want nothing but the best for her, she's a great candidate, I'll continue to be there for her," he said.

Then, the second shoe dropped.

Bachmann's Deputy Campaign Manager, David Polyansky, has completely quit the campaign. Of course, he's passing it off as an unimportant and expected change to the campaign's structure, others disagree.

Again, from Politico:

But a GOP source familiar with the situation said that Polyansky had "strategic differences on the path forward" with the candidate, who has struggled to gain traction in the last few weeks.

Her polling numbers aren't helping the situation, per 538's latest overview. She's running between 10-12% on all the major polls. The campaign can't seem to figure out what direction to move in. Go even more all-in and try to out-crazy Rick Perry, or pull back and get more corporate like Romney? At a time when even Romney is doing the Tea Party Two Step, I don't see a return to the less-crazy side of the equation happening any time soon.

I don't know about you, but it's feeling like this will be the longest election season in history. Not to mention the most expensive, the most pandering and the most likely to annoy every American regardless of party.

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