American Majority, Tea Party Group, Urges Michele Bachmann To Quit Presidential Race
Michele Bachmann just received some harsh criticism from an unlikely source. A Tea Party group called American Majority urged the Minnesota Congresswoman on Wednesday to quit the presidential race. The group's president, Ned Ryun, said in a blog post entitled "Bachmann's Floundering Can Damage Tea Party" that "It's time for Michele Bachmann to go."
Ryun explained, "Since her meteoric rise this summer and win in the Iowa Straw poll, her campaign has been plagued by losses of top staff, lackluster fundraising and a seeming lack of direction." He also criticized Bachmann for claiming to represent the Tea Party, saying, "An individual personality or organization purporting to be a 'leader' of what is truly a grassroots movement can hurt the tea party brand by creating false impressions about its core beliefs."
Ryun also stated, "In Bachmann's case, it is clear that the campaign has become less about reform and more about her personal effort to stay relevant and sell books; a harsh commentary, but true." He concluded his highly critical missive by reiterating his plea for Bachmann to end her campaign for the White House:
Every day the campaign flounders, it risks hurting the credibility of the movement. If she really is about the tea party, and making it successful, it's time for the Congresswoman to move on. The Tea Party doesn't have a spokesperson, and it's certainly not Michele Bachmann.
According to CNN, American Majority "operates in seven states, trains thousands of tea party supporters and is 'liked' by over 371,000 people on Facebook."
CNN reports that Bachmann's campaign manager, Keith Nahigian, responded to Ryun's blog post. "The strength of the Tea Party is all individual's opinions are valued but the no single leader speaks for it. Mr. Ryun, who supports Texas Gov. Rick Perry, is entitled to his own opinion. And that's exactly what he is expressing," said Nahigian. He continued, "Michele Bachmann enjoys strong support from Americans across party lines and that certainly includes the Tea Party."
Ryun denied that he supports Perry, telling CNN that his group has yet to endorse any candidate.
This isn't the first bump in the road encountered by Bachmann. Just last week, Bachmann's paid New Hampshire team quit her campaign. And this past Monday, the Bachmann camp had to do damage control responding to a press release reportedly written by unhappy New Hampshire staffers. The press release claimed that the staffers were treated in a "rude, unprofessional, dishonest, and at times cruel" manner by Bachmann's national team. Nahigian stated that the press release "was sent by a person who doesn't even work for the campaign and has never had authority to speak on behalf of the campaign."
On top of these issues, a Fox News poll released Thursday shows Bachmann trailing her GOP competitors with only 3% support.
Click here to read the full American Majority blog post about Bachmann.
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First Posted: 10/27/2011 11:58 pm Updated: 12/27/2011 4:12 am