Bachmann NH Staffers' Exodus: Read the Memo
Five paid members of Granite State staff issued a statement in an attempt to clear up confusion surrounding their departure.
The five paid members of Michele Bachmann's New Hampshire staff issued a statement this morning saying they decided to leave the campaign because they "no longer have faith in the national team."
News of the departure of Bachmann's local staffers first became public on Friday, leading to a confusing back-and-forth in which Bachmann and her national campaign staff denied knowledge of the exodus.
The statement issued this morning attempts to explain the circumstances surrounding the New Hampshire staff's exit.
"The team holds no ill will towards the candidate, but no longer feels relevant based on their poor relationship with the national team," the statement reads.
The statement goes on to say that the New Hampshire staffers felt "deceived," "left out of the loop," and "relegated to second-class citizens." It says the manner in which the national team treated the local staffers was "rude, unprofessional, dishonest, and at times cruel," and New Hampshire citizens were dealt with in a similar fashion.
At times, the local operatives said they went weeks with little or no contact with the national team, and their requests were "repeatedly ignored."
The statement says the New Hampshire team's lack of faith in Bachmann's national campaign had been building since June, when the candidate's strong debate performance boosted her to second in two polls of New Hampshire voters, behind only Mitt Romney. In the three months that followed, Bachmann did not return to New Hampshire.
The statement says that during Bachmann's visit to New Hampshire surrounding the Oct. 11 Dartmouth debate, "several incidents happened" that concerned some members of the New Hampshire campaign staff.
"Those incidents will remain private, but they were serious enough for some members to depart the campaign," the statement reads.
The statement says that Jeff Chidester, Bachmann's New Hampshire campaign manager, sent an email to someone connected to the campaign on Oct. 13 announcing that he was "done" and would no longer stay with the team.
The statement says other members of the New Hampshire team tried to contact a senior member of the national team the next day, expressing a possible desire to remain with the campaign if "a few matters" could be cleared up. But the senior national staffer never got back to them.
"The staffers took this as a signal that the national team did not want to engage in a conversation that might have resulted in the staffers remaining with the campaign," the statement says. "The staffers no longer wish to be part of the campaign."
The issue of pay is also referenced in the statement. The five local staffers in question were contract employees until Sept. 11, and were "off payroll" after that due to financial concerns with the campaign, the statement says. Some New Hampshire campaign members – though not Chidester – went back on the payroll for Bachmann's latest New Hampshire trip, but none of them received any notification to continue employment.
"Recent statements by some members of the national team regarding the employment status of Team-NH were dishonest and belittling, but indicative of the larger problems that led to Team-NH's departure," the statement adds.
Does Bachmann have still have a chance in New Hampshire? Let us know in our poll.
mrbarolo
1:16 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
In another shocking development, Reuters received a statement signed by 3 glaciers asking that Bachmann be informed that, "Yes, we really are melting."
Gerry Rempel
5:07 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
What did these people expect working for such a stark raving lunatic?
3decadesofdisbelief
5:22 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
If every politician that said something and then denied it, was HP'd, the web wouldn't support the bandwidth necessary to critique the criticism.
Gail Wilhelm
5:25 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
Get a grip folks, the Bachmann campaign was always a smoke and mirrors operaion. It was game over when Ed Rollins left, because the money dried up.
Steve Symonds
6:37 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
Stay alert, folks. The Teanderthals look up to this whack-job. Sad, shocking, and scary commentary...
Norm
7:02 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
Rude, Dishonest and Cruel are her good points! Only to be out done by Ignorance!
bigben
7:12 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
Alright, let's hear the dirt about why the staffers were treated rudely, and what about the incidents that broke the camel's back ? C'mon people somebody must have gossip about this. This is where to post it.
Dora Glasberg
8:17 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
Nothing like backing a clear loser
John
10:07 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
Memo to Staff: Making yourself the story by whining in public like this is very unprofessional and disloyal. You will have a hard time ever making it into the inner circle of any candidate in the future.
bigben
10:16 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
I think a public scene maybe justified depending on the dirty laundry. What does it take for campaign staffers to risk their future careers ? Now that's the question not a lecture about professional conduct
ForThePeople
11:17 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
Don't you think being a campaign staffer for that campaign would ruin your career? She's a professional bigot.
gwat
11:15 pm on Monday, October 24, 2011
After the b#llsh*t comment about she made about Obama and Iraq, she should consider resigning from the Planet. WHY can't they give the President credit for getting our boys OUT of Iraq, and Killing Osama Bin Laden, Aiding in the fall of Gadhafy without losing ONE US Soldier? Michelle, come over here.....I have duct tape.
Daryl Davis
12:17 am on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
This is not unusual. It means that the national Bachmann team has received orders from GOP headquarters to do nothing to enable this candidate to succeed at the state level, especially in states where it counts. Chances are the Bachmann delegates will cast their first ballot for the GOP's chosen one - whoever that is, but it isn't her - even if she gets a percentage of the primary vote that mandates their first ballot for her. These are common practices in both parties in presidential elections. Usually the shunned state organizations don't figure it out or won't admit it, so I say congratulations to the NH team for their guts, if not for their brains in supporting her in the first place. This usually happens to a really well qualified and intelligent candidate who if elected would not be easy for the corporations to manage and therefore a threat to party contributions. This is the voice of experience speaking.
johnny
12:27 am on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I agree with best and bell all the rest of you.should have taken the" red pill" Michelle
David Galindo
11:33 pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011
Step away from the egg nog before posting.
Paul Fernandez
1:05 am on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
If you have to stand on a box to reach the microphone with High heels on, she would better served to be a Vice President they sit down and do not have to make eye contact.
Paul Fernandez
1:07 am on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I would donate the wood for the box, because if the Piggy is broke I could not be a staffer
bigben
5:59 am on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
If what Daryl says is true,is Bachmann experiencing the same thing in Iowa? And when does the GOP decide to pull the plug on her run, I mean th tme and place when Bachmann announces she is leaving the race
Persephone Nyx
8:49 am on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Its a good reflection of what the future holds if she becomes president. Just like her campaign staffers, the country would be divided and cruel, unable to get anything done or make anything work.
3decadesofdisbelief
11:57 am on Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Bachman must be the right choice because of all the negative remarks on this forum. A good politician is directly proportional to the number of comments by the liberal's and moderates. Liberal's and progressives gave us this mess in California, Is that what we want to continue at the national level?