07/12/2026
This has happened too many times to count at County Commission meetings and even via email!!! Many of the current commission are guilty of using these tactics! This is why I think all of them need to be sent packing!!!! THE BEST DESCRIPTION I HAVE EVER SEEN OF HOW LOCAL POLITICIANS TREAT CITIZENS WHO DESERVE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY AND GET THE COURAGE TO BE HEARD!!!!!!
FYI.... It's long on purpose...😉
I've seen a couple of people claim that using satire to criticize politicians is "bullying."
I, along with many others, see it from a different perspective. Let's discuss.
Holding elected officials accountable is not bullying.
Asking questions is not bullying.
Demanding transparency is not bullying.
Expecting politicians to keep their promises is not bullying.
Examining voting records is not bullying.
Discussing campaign donations is not bullying.
Questioning policy decisions is not bullying.
Comparing campaign promises to actual performance is not bullying.
Speaking the truth about the actions they take and the ads they make while holding positions of power is not bullying.
In America, and especially here in Tennessee, elected officials are supposed to answer to the people.
Not the other way around.
Anyone who chooses to enter politics should understand that scrutiny comes with the job.
Politics is not a profession for people with thin skin.
Politics is not a safe space.
Politics is not a participation trophy.
Politics is not a place where public officials are exempt from criticism.
If you run for office, you are volunteering to have your record examined.
You are volunteering to answer difficult questions.
You are volunteering to defend your votes.
You are volunteering to explain your decisions.
You are volunteering to be challenged.
You are volunteering to be criticized.
You are volunteering to be held accountable.
No politician is perfect.
No candidate has a perfect record.
No elected official has lived a flawless life.
Citizens are not asking for perfection.
Citizens are asking for honesty.
Citizens are asking for transparency.
Citizens are asking for accountability.
Citizens are asking for representation.
Citizens are asking to be heard.
If criticism makes a politician uncomfortable, that's unfortunate but discomfort is part of public service.
The answer to criticism is not censorship.
The answer to criticism is not blocking constituents.
The answer to criticism is not hiding from questions.
The answer to criticism is not attacking the messenger.
The answer to criticism is not demanding silence.
The answer to criticism is answering the question.
The answer to criticism is servant leadership.
Now let's talk about bullying.
A bully is someone who repeatedly uses power, status, influence, authority, money, position, access, or control to intimidate, silence, exclude, manipulate, or diminish others.
Political bullying can look like:
• Refusing to meet with ordinary citizens.
• Meeting with donors while ignoring constituents.
• Giving access to money instead of people.
• Making citizens pay for access.
• Restricting access to those who can afford expensive fundraisers.
• Holding "public" events that are inaccessible to the public.
• Prioritizing lobbyists over voters.
• Prioritizing donors over taxpayers.
• Prioritizing insiders over citizens.
• Ignoring emails.
• Ignoring calls.
• Ignoring letters.
• Ignoring concerns.
• Ignoring criticism.
• Ignoring constituents.
• Refusing to answer questions.
• Refusing to attend forums.
• Refusing to attend debates.
• Refusing to attend town halls.
• Refusing unscripted events.
• Refusing open dialogue.
• Hiding behind staff.
• Hiding behind consultants.
• Hiding behind handlers.
• Hiding behind gatekeepers.
• Hiding behind press releases.
• Hiding behind talking points.
• Hiding behind titles.
• Hiding behind status.
• Blocking constituents on social media.
• Deleting comments.
• Filtering criticism.
• Curating public perception.
• Silencing opposing views.
• Suppressing dissent.
• Discouraging questions.
• Avoiding accountability.
• Avoiding scrutiny.
• Avoiding difficult conversations.
• Avoiding citizens who disagree.
• Avoiding independent media.
• Avoiding public engagement.
• Talking down to citizens.
• Mocking constituents.
• Belittling concerns.
• Dismissing questions.
• Treating citizens as inconveniences.
• Treating taxpayers as nuisances.
• Treating voters as obstacles.
• Acting as though office makes them superior.
• Acting entitled to public support.
• Demanding loyalty.
• Expecting obedience.
• Expecting silence.
• Expecting gratitude.
• Expecting immunity from criticism.
• Expecting special treatment.
• Expecting voters to simply "trust them."
• Acting as though they are above accountability.
• Acting as though they are above questioning.
• Acting as though they are above criticism.
• Acting as though they are above the people.
• Labeling concerned citizens as troublemakers.
• Labeling parents as extremists.
• Labeling critics as enemies.
• Labeling constituents as threats.
• Demonizing dissent.
• Demonizing disagreement.
• Demonizing political opposition.
• Dividing citizens for political gain.
• Turning neighbors against neighbors.
• Encouraging hostility.
• Encouraging resentment.
• Encouraging political tribalism.
• Using fear as a political weapon.
• Using intimidation as a political weapon.
• Using influence as a political weapon.
• Using office as a political weapon.
• Using authority as a political weapon.
• Using government power to punish critics.
• Using status to silence opposition.
• Using access to reward allies.
• Using influence to marginalize opponents.
• Using political operatives to attack critics.
• Coordinating whisper campaigns.
• Encouraging rumors.
• Encouraging character attacks.
• Smearing citizens.
• Smearing volunteers.
• Smearing activists.
• Smearing grassroots groups.
• Attacking motives instead of facts.
• Attacking character instead of arguments.
• Deflecting instead of answering.
• Distracting instead of explaining.
• Manipulating instead of informing.
• Misleading instead of clarifying.
• Spinning instead of being honest.
• Creating false narratives.
• Rewriting history.
• Denying obvious realities.
• Refusing responsibility.
• Blaming others for failures.
• Taking credit for successes they didn't create.
• Misrepresenting endorsements.
• Creating false impressions.
• Misleading voters with campaign materials.
• Using images in deceptive ways.
• Using implication instead of truth.
• Creating confusion rather than clarity.
• Serving special interests first.
• Serving corporate interests first.
• Serving insiders first.
• Serving consultants first.
• Serving donors first.
• Serving political machines first.
• Serving everyone except ordinary citizens.
• Looking down on working people.
• Looking down on parents.
• Looking down on taxpayers.
• Looking down on grassroots volunteers.
• Looking down on rural communities.
• Looking down on people of faith.
• Looking down on anyone who disagrees.
• Treating representation as conditional.
• Representing supporters but not critics.
• Listening only to allies.
• Ignoring opposing voices.
• Punishing independent thinking.
• Rewarding blind loyalty.
• Creating fear of retaliation.
• Creating fear of speaking out.
• Creating fear of disagreement.
• Creating fear of asking questions.
• Making citizens feel unwelcome.
• Making citizens feel unheard.
• Making citizens feel powerless.
• Making citizens feel ignored.
• Making citizens feel irrelevant.
• Making citizens feel disposable.
• Making citizens feel like their voices do not matter.
• Using public office for self-promotion.
• Using public office as a status symbol.
• Treating office as a career path instead of a calling.
• Treating citizens as props.
• Treating veterans as props.
• Treating farmers as props.
• Treating parents as props.
• Treating churches as props.
• Showing up for photos but not conversations.
• Showing up for donors but not voters.
• Showing up for cameras but not constituents.
• Showing up for headlines but not accountability.
• Campaigning as one person and governing as another.
• Making promises they never intended to keep.
• Saying whatever is politically convenient.
• Telling different audiences different stories.
• Pretending to stand with the people while avoiding the people.
• Pretending accessibility while remaining inaccessible.
• Pretending transparency while operating behind closed doors.
• Pretending humility while acting entitled.
• Pretending to listen while ignoring feedback.
• Pretending to care while refusing engagement.
• Expecting citizens to know their place.
• Expecting voters to stay quiet.
• Expecting taxpayers to fund the system without questioning it.
• Expecting blind allegiance.
• Expecting citizens to settle for excuses.
• Forgetting who put them in office.
• Forgetting who pays their salary.
• Forgetting who they work for.
• Forgetting that public office is public service.
And here's the most important part:
The people are not subjects.
The people are not servants.
The people are not obstacles.
The people are not inconveniences.
The people are not required to be silent.
The people are not required to agree.
The people are not required to stop asking questions.
The people are not required to stop demanding answers.
The people are not required to stop expecting transparency.
The people are not required to stop expecting accountability.
The people are not required to stop expecting representation.
The people are the employers.
The people are the source of authority.
The people are the source of political power.
The people are the reason elected offices exist.
If you choose to run for office, you are choosing to serve.
Not rule.
Not dictate.
Not lecture.
Not hide.
Not silence.
Not intimidate.
Not manipulate.
Not exclude.
Serve.
Because in Tennessee, we don't elect kings.
We don't elect queens.
We don't elect royalty.
We elect public servants.
And if an elected official has forgotten that, perhaps it's time for the people to remind them, and satire is a wonderful vehicle to get that conversation started.
CREDITS:
Rebecca Day - Shared by Aundrea Gomez ❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
