Bachmann's New Hampshire team quits

By Richard K. Barry

Have you heard the one about the GOP presidential hopeful whose entire state- level primary campaign team quit and then released a scathing letter denouncing the candidate's national staff team? No, it's not a joke. It happened to Michele Bachmann in New Hampshire.

The letter stated in part:

The manner in which some in the national team conducted themselves towards Team-N.H. was rude, unprofessional, dishonest, and at times cruel.

Team members were repeatedly ignored regarding simple requests, sometimes going weeks with little or no contact from the national team.

Sadly, they were deceived, constantly left out of the loop regarding key decisions, and relegated to second-class citizens within a campaign in which they were the original members.

The truth is that staff come and go in long campaigns, but an entire contingent pissed off enough to go public means that Bachmann and her national team lack the most basic political organizing skills.

Yes, politics can be a very nasty business, but you should do your best to keep your team motivated, included and happy if you want to win anything. The scale of effort required of campaign team members can be massive. And it is so easy to forget to go that extra mile if some dick in an office hundreds of miles away goes out of his or her way to make you feel small or unappreciated.

It's true that I've seen dysfunctional campaigns win and well-run, happy campaigns lose, but you shouldn't chance annoying your own folks if you can at all help it. It's common sense some people just can't wrap their heads around.

Bush league bullshit is all it is.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)