Bachmann vs. Palin: Does the 'catfight narrative' help anyone?

The Minnesotan's new campaign strategist wastes little time in slamming Mama Grizzly, and comparing Bachmann's and Palin's attractiveness. Is there a winner in this feud?

Palin and Bachmann
(Image credit: REUTERS/Molly Riley, Al Grillo/ZUMA Press/Corbis)

For weeks, commentators have set up a "catfight narrative" for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Sarah Palin, who could end up vying for the same conservative voters if both pursue the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Now Ed Rollins, the seasoned Republican strategist who's just joined Bachmann's team, is fueling the same narrative, aggressively pitting the candidates against each other in an interview with Politico. Accusing Palin of toying with a presidential bid, Rollins said voters would gravitate to the brainier Bachmann: "People are going to say, 'I gotta make a choice and go with the intelligent woman who's every bit as attractive.'" Team Palin has demanded a retraction, and Rollins has expressed regret. So, did these comments benefit anyone?

Bashing Palin does Bachmann no favors: If Palin doesn't run, says William A. Jacobson at Legal Insurrection, Bachmann has a strong chance to win over social conservatives — unless Rollins alienates them with anti-Palin rhetoric first. As for other voters, "the people who hate Palin are the same people who hate Bachmann." These "smash-mouth tactics" against Palin won't change the way the long-mocked Bachmann is perceived.

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