Katherine Harris Unreality Show Gets Better and Better

It is really too bad a video crew is not filming the behind the scenes antics in the U.S. Senate campaign of Rep. Katherine Harris of Florida. This
article in the St. Petersburg Times offers a comprehensive round-up of Harris’ downhill run. Here are a few of the highlights.

Emotional Volatility:

The smallest things would set her off.

Buying the wrong candy for her to toss at parades. Photographing her vertically instead of horizontally. Failing to bring her favorite Starbucks beverage extra hot venti triple latte, no fat, no foam, one Sweet’n Low.

One minute, U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris would lavish campaign staffers with praise and hugs. The next she would lose her temper, screaming “stupid” or “idiot” at a startled employee.

“You never know what you are going to get,” said Mike Miller, who left in February after serving eight months as her finance director. “Some days, it would be great. Other days, it would be ‘Oh my God.’ ”

Rampant Turnover:

Harris, the leading Republican in the U.S. Senate race this fall, has lost at least 25 campaign staffers in the past year, including three campaign managers and a slew of prominent consultants. Even in politics, a world of hard-to-please bosses and oversized egos, that’s an unheard of number for one campaign.

A few weeks ago, the core staff at her Tampa headquarters quit en masse. It was the second mass exodus.

“She just wears people down,” said Ed Rollins, a nationally known Republican consultant, who served as her top aide until he left in April.

Denial:

Harris refused to comment for this story, saying in a statement that she would not respond to “unethical leaks and malicious gossip.” But she made some brief comments about her staff after a campaign debate in Pinellas County last week.

“We are on a whole new upswing,” she said. “The new staff is good, the new staff is great. That’s the best thing that’s happened to us. …We have a staff that’s committed to me to win, not to undermine me and maybe lose, and we’re excited about that.”

…Spokeswoman Jennifer Marks said Harris had grown tired of the misperceptions about her and would refer the newspaper to other former staffers who would speak positively about her. After more than a week, her office failed to produce any names.

Micromanaging and Paranoia:

The St. Petersburg Times contacted Harris’ former campaign staffers, interviewing more than a dozen. Many compared her to the over-the-top boss portrayed by Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, and all but one described Harris in a strikingly similar way.

They cited her demeaning comments, her practice of pitting staffers against each other, her unwillingness to take advice and her penchant for getting caught up for days in the tiniest details, such as the exact shade of blue to use on her business cards.

Harris frequently questioned her employees’ loyalty and accused them of betraying her by writing negative e-mails about her, running an anti-Katherine Harris Web site, even working with an opponent’s campaign…

“Katherine is her own worst enemy,” said Anne Dunsmore, a well-known national fundraiser who left Harris’ campaign in March. “I have never seen anyone sabotage themselves so much.”

Addicted to Drama:

Harris’ outbursts – which some staffers referred to as “meltdowns” – occurred more and more frequently as the fledgling campaign took one hit after another.

As she traveled to campaign events, she often criticized staff about the time or location – even if she had suggested it. She frequently scanned the room for Katherine Harris lapel stickers and then berated staff about how few people were wearing them.

Sometimes, they say, Harris would get upset in front of people, but most often it occurred behind closed doors. Once, she threw her cell phone at a wall. Another time she slammed a computer keyboard into a desk.

“Katherine is an actress. She really missed her calling,” said Jamie Miller, Harris’ second campaign manager who left in April. “I would always look at her and think ‘drama queen.’ ”

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