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The spat(s) over the weekend between the two presidential contenders from Minnesota has the feel of two campaigns showing early signs of unravelling. The mini-feud has been going on for a couple of weeks, but temperatures rose noticeably the past few days.
Pawlenty’s campaign sent out an email on Saturday touting his record of experience. The email also took a swipe at Bachmann’s lack of experience without naming her.
Bachmann didn’t take the criticism sitting down. On Sunday she fired back. According to Katrina Trinko at The Corner, Bachmann accused Pawlenty of (1) praising big government, (2) praising the individual mandate, (3) supporting TARP, (4) supporting cap-and-trade, and (5) messing up Minnesota’s budget before leaving office. Wow.
The spat continued throughout the day. By last evening, Pawlenty had resorted to going after Bachmann by name, and Bachmann ended up comparing Pawlenty to Obama.
Trinko reports an update from each campaign:
Pawlenty shot back at Bachmann by saying that while he was busy moving a liberal state in a conservative direction, Bachmann “was giving speeches and offering failed amendments.” No more veiled critiques, apparently.
Bachmann replied by claiming “there’s very little daylight, indeed, between Governor Pawlenty’s record and the Obama administration’s policies.” Really?
Pawlenty’s attacks on Bachmann may have the effect of eroding some of the sheen on her campaign right now, but they ultimately leave him looking smaller than he should be.
Bachmann’s critique is littered with the sins of over-reach. Pawlenty is not at all like Barack Obama, and Bachmann knows it. He has also said over and again that his early support for cap-and-trade, for instance, was a mistake, so raising the issue makes her look like she’s grasping for any little piece of debris to use as a projectile. Her rhetoric simply goes too far and makes her look petty and defensive. Her biggest weakness is clearly her lack of executive experience. Everyone knows that. Her overly defensive reaction suggests she knows it, too.
The net result of all of this is that Mitt Romney, a highly flawed candidate, comes out looking good. He is sailing above the Minnesota fray.
Now, you might say, the Bachmann and Pawlenty feud should be seen in the context of their respective efforts to win in Iowa. And whoever wins Ames on August 13 will see a surge in his or her numbers, and will likely make gains against Romney. But Iowa is also a national stage on which candidates make impressions on voters across the country. And on that front, Bachmann and Pawlenty are weakening themselves.
The other winner in all of this is Rick Perry. It’s looking more and more like he will get into the race. And, of course, Romney, Pawlenty, and Bachmann are probably all worried about that, as they should be. The feuding Minnesotans each stand to lose support from a Perry candidacy. Perry’s record of accomplishments will take make it hard for Pawlenty (moving liberal Minnesota in a conservative direction hardly compares to Texas’s long run of job creation, low cost of living, low levels of bureaucracy, etc.), and his “Fed Up” persona and rhetoric will appeal to tea partiers currently casting their lot with Bachmann.
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