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grantcart

(53,061 posts)
Mon Feb 11, 2019, 10:11 PM Feb 2019

My Guess: Senator Klobuchar 'spiked the muskets'

During the Revolutionary War American fighters would work to gain access to British armories and instead of stealing the muskets they would spike the muskets the night before a big battle so that instead of simply stealing muskets that could be replaced draw out the British soldiers into the open and then eliminate the threat.

Quite miraculously Huffington Post comes out with a story that quite remarkably lists all of the staffers who have left working for Klobuchar the last 10 years ago with a minor beef.

1) Obviously this isn't the kind of pedestrian complaint that is going to attract a big investment by a news organization with so many really juicy stories going around.

2) Usually a story like this would lead with a couple of sources and then after a week or so another couple would dribble out. In this case it appears as if HP had a list of all of the possible ingrates right from the start. Who would have such a list?

3) Klobuchar's campaign should have spent the last several months employing opposition research against their own campaign along with live test groups reacting to the Senator's record and TV appearances and they would have documented her number one potential weakness: She is too nice to be the commander in chief.

They may have also discern some disgruntled staff that would have caused a little murmur campaign.

Rather than allow these antagonisms to reach the battlefield I believe that it was the Klobuchar campaign that passed the list of possible disgruntled staffers to HP so that they would run the article right before the announcement, also giving it some additional "drama".

The Klobuchar response "Yes I am tough on my staff because I have high expectations for them as I have high expectations for the country" was masterly delivered.

Her response not only dealt with the minor issue of a few disgruntled staff members but it also undermined the number one perceived weakness that she will have to address from time to time.

It appears to me that the whole thing was set up by the Klobuchar campaign to help frame their campaign and start to take away future Republican attacks, now Klobuchar isn't just smart, doesn't just cast a winning and sweet countenance on TV she is tough minded.

Also, and here is the best part, if she becomes the nominee and the Idiot in Chief were ever to use it against her it would open to a devastating counter attack on Trump by pointing out a) the worst turnover of staff in WH history, b) the rather large industry of disgruntled staff that are publishing against him, c) that not only do senior WH staff complain that working their is the worst job they have ever had but that they can't leave because they have to constantly hide papers and carry out subterfuge so that the Idiot in Chief doesn't invade Canada.

We don't know that the Klobuchar campaign 'spiked the muskets' and orchestrated the whole thing, we only know that it is exactly what intelligent campaigns do and she has positioned herself very well to do well in Iowa. Well done Senator.

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My Guess: Senator Klobuchar 'spiked the muskets' (Original Post) grantcart Feb 2019 OP
Amazing! snowybirdie Feb 2019 #1
I don't think it was planned or helpful Awsi Dooger Feb 2019 #2
Don't know what was behind the unprecedented 'hit job' but wishstar Feb 2019 #3
For those of us who have had this type of boss I can say that this is not acceptable. CentralMass Feb 2019 #4
Mine too. Control-Z Feb 2019 #5

snowybirdie

(5,191 posts)
1. Amazing!
Mon Feb 11, 2019, 10:23 PM
Feb 2019

Another way to spin the story of the really mean, Amy! It was dying out and dealt with, and lo and behold, someone comes forward with another story that she is not only mean, but cunning and ingenious. Come on! So tired of the instant stories of our candidates faults while that monster in the WHITE gets worse and worse.

 

Awsi Dooger

(14,565 posts)
2. I don't think it was planned or helpful
Mon Feb 11, 2019, 10:38 PM
Feb 2019

Amy's problem is the nomination, not the general election.

This would be absolute zero against Trump but too many primary voters and perhaps party big shots now have something to be scared about.

Misplaced fear is incredibly popular, especially when so easily described. "She mistreats her staff." That's all you need to know. We don't have any videos or supporting evidence or any idea how much it differs from the norm in that type of situation, but mentioning only requires a few words...just like Hillary's emails.

wishstar

(5,267 posts)
3. Don't know what was behind the unprecedented 'hit job' but
Mon Feb 11, 2019, 11:04 PM
Feb 2019

After reading "One morning several years ago, when most of the office staff was running late — the ex-staffer couldn’t remember the reason — Klobuchar wrote out tardy slips and placed them on each missing aide’s desk. The staffer recalls incredulous bursts of laughter as her co-workers arrived one by one to find the notes, but Klobuchar was deadly serious. An aide whom she called into her office walked back out in tears.", I am inclined to think she may have had some slacker staffers who needed to be called out.

I think it's odd though that until stories of Trump's temper and kerfluffles with staff in WH and now about Klobuchar, I don't ever recall any such detailed exposes involving staffers and politicians they served.

CentralMass

(15,265 posts)
4. For those of us who have had this type of boss I can say that this is not acceptable.
Mon Feb 11, 2019, 11:38 PM
Feb 2019

This line that "she pushes herself hard and expects her staff to work just as hard, blah, blah, blah.." is the stockholm syndrome of the employee (afraid to lose their job) defending their abusive boss.

The Senator may not be such a person but the story has my attention.

Control-Z

(15,681 posts)
5. Mine too.
Tue Feb 12, 2019, 12:40 AM
Feb 2019

I was really loving Amy before this came out. I have felt differently about her ever since.

I have to admit, I was abused as a child and have never been able to handle being yelled at, criticized, or treated badly. So, I am the wrong person to be judging her at this point. But, honestly, I feel like she'll need to win me back. I know it's early for this but it is how I feel.

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