Ned Ryun

Ned Ryun, son of former Kansas Republican Representative Jim Ryun, who served in the House of Representatives for 10 years, was a writer in the George W. Bush White House and is now the "founder and president of American Majority, registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) political training institute." His twin brother, Drew Ryun, was a deputy director at the Republican National Committee and is now "the president of the 501(c)(4) arm," American Majority Action, "that can engage in more politically tinged activities."

Ned Ryun was also the co-founder and former director of Generation Joshua, a project launched by the Home School Legal Defense Association. According to Michael Standaert, author of an exposé of the Left Behind book series and the culture surrounding them, "in the 2002 midterm elections, Ned Ryun-- coordinator of Generation Joshua-- sent teams of students to Missouri where they manned the phones for seven candidates in tight races, six of whom eventually won their elections." According to Standaert, the Generation Joshua project "gives high school credit in exchange for students joining voter drives and volunteering for local campaigns where conservative Christian candidates are in close races." Generation Joshua's website states, "Generation Joshua wants America to be a perpetual city on a hill, a beacon of biblical hope to the world around us. We seek to inspire every one of our members with faith in God and a hope of what America can become as we equip Christian citizens and leaders to impact our nation for Christ and for His glory."

Ned Ryun was also formerly on the board of the Madison Project (not to be confused with the James Madison Project blog, an apparently separate project of Maggi Cook, or the James Madison Project, another non-profit), a PAC which "raises money for conservative candidates through our network of grassroots conservatives." According to the People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, it was established in 1994 by Michael P. Farris, who is also the Chairman and Cofounder of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Its 1999 letterhead called the organization "A Political Network for Pro-Life Conservatives," and it "organizes and 'bundles' small contributions by individuals to amass large contributions." Former board members also "include famous conservatives Paul Weyrich and Tim LaHaye."

Ned Ryun is the co-author, along with his brother Drew Ryun and his father Jim Ryun, of Heroes Among Us.

A frequent contributor to the blog Red State, Ned Ryun blogged on February 21, 2011, "On Saturday, standing on the state capitol steps in Madison, Wisconsin, I saw history. I saw the first public, physical manifestation of the great struggle between the tea party movement and the public sector unions. At stake: the future freedom and prosperity of this country.

"On one side of the debate, you have freedom loving Americans who are the taxpayers, the ones who fund our government and are the heart and soul of this great nation. On the other, those who would seek to ride on the backs of the taxpayers as they take this country down a path of statism."

On the American Majority blog, Ryun wrote on March 8, 2011, "I applaud what Scott Walker is doing in Wisconsin, but I actually feel he didn’t go far enough. All his Budget Repair Bill is doing is addressing the public sector unions’ right to collectively bargain over pensions and health care. I think it would have been nice to address the right to collectively bargain for wages, and here’s why: at the end of the day, the public sector unions are not collectively bargaining for a greater share of earnings, as do the private sector unions. They are bargaining to get a bigger slice of the pie of tax dollars, which the government has taken from the American taxpayer."

Related Sourcewatch Articles

 * Jim Ryun
 * Drew Ryun
 * American Majority
 * Generation Joshua
 * Home School Legal Defense Association
 * Left Behind
 * Madison Project

Releated PRWatch Articles

 * Brendan Fischer Breitbart & Americans for Prosperity President Appear at Tea Party Rally in Support of Walker's Bill, Sat. Noon-3pm, PRWatch, February 18, 2011

External Resources

 * Wikipedia Ned Ryun, wiki article, accessed May 5, 2011
 * Ned Ryun Personal Website, accessed May 5, 2011
 * On the Record with Ned Ryun, Missouri Record, September 21, 2009, accessed May 5, 2011