National Bully of 2011 Nominee: Rush Limbaugh

National Bully of 2011 Nominee Rush Limbaug

Our next National Bully of 2011 nominee almost needs no introduction.  Whether finding new ways to call President Obama and the First Lady “uppity”, demonizing all liberals and progressives, organized labor or the poor on his daily radio program, Rush Limbaugh knows the words that will fan the flames of hatred.

National Bully of 2011 Nominee: The Freshmen 60

The House of Representatives was designed by our Founding Fathers to be the voice of the people.  Today, the House of Representatives is anything but due to the influence of 60 freshmen who all adhere to the “tea party” ideology.  Elected to the House in 2010, these 60 Republicans have been the force behind all of the legislation that has passed in the House.  Whether it’s their war against unions, PBS, Planned Parenthood, the EPA or the average American, this minority of Representatives has thwarted the will of the people time and time again.

Therefore, the Freshman 60 are a National Bully of 2011 Nominee!

National Bully of 2011 Nominee: Newt Gingrich

National Bully of 2011 Nominee Newt Gingrich

I am sure that no one will be surprised with our next National Bully of 2011 nominee.  This nominee recently failed to secure a spot on the ballot for the Virginia Republican Presidential Primary and likened that failure to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  This nominee, when asked by a gay Iowa voter why that voter should vote for this nominee, said that the voter should vote for President Obama instead.  This nominee believes that child labor laws should be abolished so as poor children in poor neighborhoods could be janitors in their schools and replace union janitors.  And finally, this nominee, if elected president, would have no problem ordering the arrests of judges he felt made decisions that were “out of the mainstream”.

And this wonderful National Bully of 2011 Nominee is: Newt Gingrich!  Congratulations Newt for getting onto my list!

National Bully of 2011: The Republican Governors Five

Republican Governors Five

It must be nice to sign legislation that was rammed through a state legislature that does the following:

• ·         Revoke the collective bargaining rights of public employees, especially targeting teachers
• ·         Requiring those receiving state unemployment or welfare assistance to submit to mandatory drug testing at the recipients expense
• ·         Cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate taxes while cutting hundreds of millions from the state’s Medicaid program
• ·         Cutting state unemployment benefits while doling out billions in corporate welfare
• ·         Empowering the governor to take over lesser governments and allowing the special administrator to null and void contracts
• ·         Restricts a woman’s ability to have an abortion

These are just a few of the things that Governors Jan Brewer (AZ), Scott Walker (WI), John Kasich (OH), Rick Scott (FL) and Rick Snyder (MI) have done in the name of “smaller” government and balancing budgets.  They have systematically attacked the social safety net and worker protections of their various states and in turn have rightfully earned the wrath of voters.  Governors Brewer and Walker are facing recall efforts.  Governor Kasich saw his attempts to disenfranchise public workers go down in flames at the polls.

Though each of the named governors could easily be nominated as National Bully of 2011 in their own right, I am collectively nominating the Republican Governors Five as the National Bully of 2011!

National Bully of 2011 Nominee: Militarized Police Departments

Our first National Bully of 2011 nominee is the ever more militarized police forces around our nation.  Armed with an increasing array of battlefield weaponry including armored personnel carriers (APC) and the latest in “non-lethal” combat weapons, our nation’s police departments are looking like small armies.  Now even the smallest police departments have Special Tactical Units (STU) to make use of the military weaponry fawned off them by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Due to this militarization of our police departments, we are seeing more and more news reports of deadly drug “raids” implementing these weapons and equipment.  In the case of the “Occupy” movement, we are seeing these weapons being turned on peaceful protestors.  Our police departments have turned from “protect and serve” to occupying armies.

Thus, it is with heavy heart that I make our militarized police departments the first National Bully of 2011 nominee.