SC Tea Party Leaders’ Statement on Bachmann Campaign Tactics
For a couple weeks now, Michele Bachmann’s campaign in South Carolina has been attacking the tea party movement by accusing tea party supporters of Newt Gingrich of being bought off.
Now that Michele Bachmann herself has decided to throw fuel on the fire, and this issue has become national news, we as leaders within the South Carolina tea party movement feel we must speak out to defend our integrity.
The South Carolina tea parties have a well-developed network and history of working together on statewide campaigns and legislative issues, and we are disappointed and angry that the Bachmann campaign is using this negative strategy in an attempt to divide us.
Speaker Gingrich has often said that he has one opponent – Barack Obama. He is right, because we must be unified as a team if we are to defeat President Obama and restore Constitutional government from the ground up.
When the Presidential campaigns leave our state on January 22, we will continue to work together to make South Carolina the freest state in the nation. There is support for many presidential campaigns among our organizations, but contrary to the inaccuracies being spread by the Bachmann campaign, there is no Bachmann/Gingrich war amongst our members.
Some of us may disagree on our choices, but those disagreements will not divide us, despite the attempts by Michele Bachmann and her campaign.
There are many Tea Party leaders who have decided to support Gingrich as a candidate. While 3 of them went on to join his staff, the vast majority of them are volunteers. We encourage our members and leaders to get involved at every level with campaigns, even staff positions. What better way to have an impact on those candidates!
The undersigned repudiate the negative tactics of Michele Bachmann’s campaign, and ask that she repudiate this continued questioning of the integrity of the movement she claims to represent.
Brit Adams
President, Concerned Citizens of the Upstate
Rick Santorum Supporter
Dianne Belsom
President, Laurens County Tea Party
Unpaid County Chair for Newt 2012
Jeffrey Betsch
Fairfield County Tea Party/Vice Chair Fairfield County GOP
Rick Santorum Supporter
Talbert Black Jr.
SC Campaign For Liberty
Not voting for Gingrich
Bill Connor
Former Candidate for Lt. Gov.
Santorum Supporter
Joe Dugan
Chairman, Myrtle Beach Tea Party
South Carolina Patriots. State Coordinator
Gingrich-not paid a penny
Charlotte Hendrix
President, Florence Tea Party
Unpaid Gingrich Supporter
Chris Horne
Organizer, Charleston Tea Party
Gingrich Staff
Harry Kibler
Founder, RINO Hunt
Leaning Santorum
Karen Martin
Organizer, Spartanburg Tea Party
Unaffiliated
Gerri McDaniel
Treasurer and Board Member, Myrtle Beach Tea Party
Gingrich Staff
Allen Olson
Former Chairman, Columbia Tea Party
Unpaid Gingrich Supporter
Shery Smith
Chairman, Sumter Tea Party
Unpaid Gingrich Supporter
Linda Weeks
Coordinator, 912 Greenville
Undecided
December 16, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized
11 Responses
Doris Wise - December 16, 2011
Thank you so much from the Polk County, Tennessee Patriot Tea Party……….
Neil Martin - December 17, 2011
Wow. I don’t understand the support for Newt, especially from
Tea Party folks who are supposed to be better informed than most. Newt is smart, a great debater, and calculating, but if he is a conservative I’m a Chinese aviator.Supporting Tarp, illegals, climate change(w/Pelosi),Patriot Act, etc. this guy is just plain dangerous. If our only goal is to beat Obama, then we’re again trying to pick between the lesser of evils.
Paul Huber - December 17, 2011
Right On!!!…Illegitimi non carborundum
Jane Price - December 17, 2011
Great insight, Neil. Well said! The longer this campaign percolates, the clearer people’s true motives become (as if we didn’t already have a suspicion). Let’s have the backbone not to be enticed into settling for the GOP establishment anymore, please. Having worked quietly for decades at the grassroots level, let me assure everyone this is SOP: “Include and delete.” Don’t be fooled by being a part of the system that will then ignore your cherished values and points of view, forcing the “this is the best we can do” mentality. I’m TIRED, TIRED, TIRED of it, and the hour is late for us to begin effecting real change. Still, we must stand firm and fight the good fight! Candidate Bachmann & her folks aren’t doing themselves any good with shenanigan… Still for Santorum!
allyr - December 17, 2011
Standing firm fighting the good fight might lose you the war. Shame on Bachmann and her desperate tactics including disingenuous claims/trickery about Gingrich’s pro life record, for one thing. The best we can do it a very valid position and Gingrich’s political skills, experience, outrageous intellect and zeal is the ONLY THING that *might* unseat the tyrannical fascist, Obama. Maybe. You can’t fight an elephant with a frozen pea. It may already be too late. The entire country votes by tv pictures and sound bites, not facts. Otherwise, 2008 wouldn’t have happened.
Joe Baumie - December 17, 2011
Gingrich is a New World Order shill. A vote for him is a vote for another bankster puppet. Ron Paul is the only candidate with a proven record of standing for constitutional principles.
jane bolton - December 17, 2011
DITTO THE FIRST OPINION… IF I HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MITT OR NEWT… I WOULD RATHER IT BE MITT… I DO NOT TRUST NEWT… HE IS A PAIN…. WILL BE A PAIN…. HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PAIN TO WORK WITH…. IT SEEMS HE WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING AS LONG AS HE SEES SOMETHING IN IT FOR HIM…. TO ENRICH HIMSELF…. EXAMPLE…. GLOBAL WARMING…HE COZIED UP TO PELOSI SO HE COULD MAKE MONEY OFF IT BY GETTING ON BOARD…. I WILL NEVER FORGET IT… I DO NOT CARE WHAT BACHMANN SAYS. SHE IS TRULY THE ONLY REAL TEAPARTY PERSON FROM DAY ONE… WE ALL KNOW THAT… PERHAPS RICK SANTORIM CAN PULL IT OFF… I AM HOPING FOR A MIRACLE… MITT OVER NEWT ANY DAY….
Carol Martin - December 17, 2011
Amen, Joe! Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who will truly defend the Constitution, work to end the FED, bring our troops home and cut all foreign aid.
If you really want to change Washington, research RON PAUL. He is the real deal.
Brian - December 18, 2011
Bachmann is an effective Romney surrogate, fighting on his behalf against Pawlenty, Perry, Cain & Gingrich, but she has zero record of actual accomplishment, if you exclude her mastery of the art of political defamation. Fewer and fewer people are falling for this fraud. Not many did in the first place; after a brief surge, her poll numbers have remained in the gutter, along with her character.
Sue Burbach - December 21, 2011
I agree with Jean- I would never vote for Newt Gingrich- however David Hartfield is the Chairman of the Columbia Tea Party now ( Alan Olsen resigned to work with Newt Gingrich)– The Columbia Tea Party DOES NOT ENDORSE CANDIDATES- I have not heard anything regarding Michelle Bachman downgrading Newt Gingrich- she is pretty truthful in her messages and that is what most of them do not like. I am just stating my opinion. I will do nothing to join in the attack on any candidate that is not true!
Sue B.
Draft Santelli for President - January 6, 2012
A multitude of millions of Americans around the country are not happy with the current selection of GOP candidates. Beyond mere general unhappiness, the reality is that none of them will be able to beat President Obama.
We have the man all of us are seeking, Rick Santelli, a true, legitimate conservative, and not a flip-flopper.
Rick Santelli would be a great Republican candidate who would go on to become a great American President.
Rick is:
- passionate
- knowledgeable
- capable
- patriotic, and
- has a keen intellect
coupled with a sharp and firm grasp of the issues.
And, quite important, and different from the Republican candidates du jour and/or apparent front-runner, Rick Santelli is electable!
Rick’s populist appeal includes, but is not limited to:
- traditional Republicans
- conservatives
- Tea Party members
- independent voters
- disenchanted former Obama supporters
- disenchanted with Congress, if not disenfranchised in general, Americans
Rick Santelli is the “Real Deal” – a straight-shooting, non-politician who will do what is needed to lead the process that fixes our great country.
Support for Rick Santelli, a man of the people, is snowballing across the country.
America needs Rick Santelli as its 45th President!
Why must we settle for the lesser of who cares and get a Republican candidate who will get slaughtered again by President Obama, as was the case with John McCain?
Rick Santelli, clearly not to be mistaken for any other Rick candidate.
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