ProgressVA awarded its “Turkey of the Year” award to
Virginia’s tea party crush, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.[1]
The “Turkey of the Year” award is given out to political
figures in Virginia who pursue agendas inimical to Virginia’s middle and
working classes, their rights and socioeconomic positions.
In 2011, Gov. Bob McDonnell received the Turkey of the Year
award for “his extraordinary use of budget gimmicks and refusal to take a
balanced approach to Virginia’s budget,” according to ProgressVA.[2]
Cuccinelli, on the other hand, was granted ProgressVA’s
award “in recognition of his pursuit of an extreme ideological agenda at the
expense of Virginia families.” Further, Cuccinelli’s use of his position as
Virginia’s attorney general “to advance his own partisan views instead of
putting Virginia first,” makes Cuccinelli the rightful recipient of the 2012
Turkey of the Year award.[3]
And while the award is intended to highlight the
tremendously flawed policy positions that Cuccinelli has taken during his
tenure as attorney general, the award’s effect on public opinion in Virginia is
open to question.
In a way, the attempt by ProgressVA to amuse and highlight
the policy flaws of elected officials intersects one another in unfavorable
ways. On the one hand, ProgressVA wants to raise awareness over Attorney
General Cuccinelli’s “partisan views,” but this point can get lost in the
lightheartedness of the “Turkey of the Year” award.
If Cuccinelli’s political positions are so bad, then a much
more appropriate “award” should be given out, like the “Rights Violations
Award,” or something similar. Such an award would make it clear for Virginians
what the award is for and that while it might be worth a laugh or two, the
ramifications are quite serious.
Turkey, how about demagogue? How about ideological hack? It
makes a lot more sense than calling Cuccinelli a “turkey.”
No comments:
Post a Comment