Boehner and Cantor ‘wary of the possible damage inflicted on the party’s reputation’ by Bachmann.

THINK PROGRESS

Over the course of the past year, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has encouraged conservatives to “slit” their “wrists” to oppose health care reform, called AmeriCorps a “re-education camp” and called for McCarthy-like investigations into whether members of Congress are pro-America or anti-America. Politico reports that House Republican leaders are worried that Bachmann’s overboard rhetoric could hurt the reputation of their entire caucus:

Long before the tea parties or Wilson’s outburst, Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) had struggled to moderate the rhetorical excesses of House conservatives hammering away on Obama’s birth certificate, decrying the creation of “death panels” and ferreting out signs of creeping socialism.

Sources say they have been especially wary of the possible damage inflicted on the party’s reputation by bomb-throwing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who last fall called for an investigation into whether members of Congress are “pro-America or anti-America.”

Bachmann has previously said that she’s been “labeled a kook” throughout her entire political career. Apparently, House Republicans are concerned that she’ll make that label stick to them as well.