Floundering in the polls and increasingly written-off as second-tier, the once-promising presidential bid of Minnesota Rep. and Tea Party firebrand Michele Bachmann has fallen so far that even her most loyal constituency is telling her to throw in the towel — and accusing her of exploiting the cause for personal gain.

“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,” American Majority President Ned Ryun writes. “It’s not about tea party values or championing real plans to solve real problems. While other campaigns are diving into the substance, the supposed tea party candidate Bachmann is sticking to thin talking points and hanging on for dear life.”

In a piece titled “Bachmann’s Floundering Can Damage Tea Party,” Ryun — whose group trains thousands of Tea Party field operatives and has hundreds of thousands of supporters — says “it’s time for Michele Bachmann to go,” and warns that as she becomes an increasingly fringe candidate, she risks hurting the grassroots movement she has used to become a celebrity figure on the level of Sarah Palin.

“Every day the campaign flounders, it risks hurting the credibility of the movement,” Ryun continued. “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.”