Fred Karger, the first openly gay person to actively seek a major-party presidential nomination, said that he’s not happy with the current field of Republican presidential prospects.
“I’m like a lot of the American public – 70 percent of Republicans are not happy with the current field, and I guess that includes me,” Karger said during an appearance on ABC News’ “Top Line“ on Tuesday.
In an interview with David Frost that aired on Al Jazeera television earlier this month, Karger described the current field of Republican presidential candidates as “mediocre” and said that presumptive front-runner Mitt Romney was “yesterday’s news.”
During his appearance on ABC, Karger also expressed disappointment in the direction his party has taken in recent years and was highly critical of the party’s socially conservative platform, saying that it wasn’t inclusive and was designed to drive people away.
Acknowledging that there have been some “bumps in the road” — notably the chilly reception he received from Iowa GOP national committeeman Steve Scheffler, who vowed to do everything in his power to defeat the openly-gay Karger in the nation’s first caucus state — the 61-year-old political consultant-turned-candidate said that he’s received a warm reception from the party’s hierarchy, including RNC chairman Reince Priebus.
“The parties and the state parties have been very welcoming to me as the first openly gay candidate,” said Karger, who served as a senior campaign advisor to Presidents Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
Karger also took issue with some of the glaring misstatements made in recent weeks by Minnesota’s Michele Bachmann, who officially joined the fray on Monday, saying that he hoped “she will be doing her homework” now that she’s a declared presidential candidate.
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