= new reply since forum marked as read
answer in a courteous manner, either. 
No doubt Hugh....
Priebus brought him in as a proven GOP manager (who actually knew how to run a campaign) and Trump fired Lewandowki. Manafort brought in Pence. So Pence is dirty.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/06/politics/trump-campaign-overhaul-manafort-lewandowski/index.html
Friction between Lewandowski and Manafort may have already had an impact on Trump's campaign.
Lewandowski last week fired Trump's Colorado state director, James Baker, just ahead of this weekend's state convention, where Cruz is expected to do very well. A source confirmed to CNN that the reason for the firing, first reported by Politico, was that Baker was working too closely with Manafort. (Baker did not respond to requests for comment on the firing.)
Campaign sources say Lewandowski's role is clearly being diminished. "Manafort has really kind of taken over, and started reorganizing the campaign," a knowledgeable GOP source said.
Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks disputed the reasoning behind the firing and said Lewandowski had no role in the dismissal.
The power struggle, however, is a delicate one.
Trump is still viewed as being fiercely loyal to Lewandowski, sources say. And Trump himself has said he's not going to "ruin a man's life" over allegations that Lewandowski roughed up former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields at a campaign event in Florida last month. Lewandowski was charged with simple battery last week and the campaign insists he will be exonerated in court.
One reason why Lewandowski is staying for now: he still receives much of the credit for Trump's rise from reality TV star to Republican front-runner.
"He's a deeply loyal guy, maybe to a fault," one GOP source said of Trump.
Manafort does not believe Lewandowski or Trump political director Mike Glassner are up to the current campaign challenges, a source, who is a longtime friend and associate of Trump as well as an ally to Manafort, told CNN.
So Manafort is urging Trump to bring in more experienced hands, while not pushing for any formal shakeup. "
Manafort) is sensitive to jamming Corey, who has a son-like relationship now with Donald Trump," the source said.
The source added, however, that Manafort would like to see a "gravitational" shift of some larger strategy roles.
Manafort consulted several veteran GOP hands late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning for input on what they think of the moment -- a rough week on the campaign trail capped by the Wisconsin loss -- and the challenges for Trump ahead. Those plans would typically be the purview of a campaign manager or top strategist, not a delegate team leader.
A veteran GOP player familiar with Manafort's effort to help Trump said Manafort believes there is a remote chance to get the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination on the first ballot -- but that the first ballot is his best shot to win.
"Manafort is an excellent floor organizer and he'll have a good team. His ability to succeed will depend on how close Trump is to 1,237 after California," this source said. "If it's 20-40 short, Manafort has a chance to get 1,237. The likelihood of success declines as that number rises."
Frustration, disconnect at the top
After the celebrity magnate railed against what he saw as unfair media coverage of his recent stumbles, one Trump source sounded puzzled. "By any measure it's the worst week of the campaign. By a lot."
The result of that disconnect, sources say, is what happened in Wisconsin Tuesday night.
While Trump thought he was going to pull off a "surprise" victory in the state's primary, all of the public polling and internal data inside his rival's campaigns were forecasting a blowout win for Ted Cruz. "I don't know who told him that," a campaign source said in frustration.
The billionaire was clearly frustrated during last week's trip to Washington where he visited with Republican National Committee officials over the delegate rules that will be crucial at the party's convention this summer.
"Trump was disappointed that his team was not up on the delegate count," a Trump source said.
Meeting with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Trump and his team simply appeared unaware of how the delegate process worked, a Trump source said.
As Trump seemed taken aback in recent days by Cruz's aggressive efforts to peel away delegates in places like Louisiana, GOP strategists said such maneuvering should come as no surprise. A top Republican operative said unless Trump acts quickly, delegate raids in places like South Carolina, where the New York billionaire won handily, could come next.
Trump's adversaries see the campaign overhaul as coming too late in the process.
"Trump will not win the nomination on the first ballot, and any delegates he does get there will be his high water mark," said #NeverTrump-PAC strategist Rory Cooper. "As this becomes clearer and clearer, he's going to lash out, attempt to delegitimize the rules and get people focused on distractions."
