South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is biting the bullet on bullying.
Haley battled the childhood problem, and with that in mind became a key participant in October's National Bullying Prevention Month, visiting schools across South Carolina to bring awareness to the issue.
On Monday evening, Haley's message added some adult flavor. While addressing a group of seventh graders at the Daniel Island School, the Charleston Post and Courier reports, the governor brought bullying to a government level.
"We've got a couple senators in the Statehouse who are known as big bullies," she told the students. "It doesn't ever stop. The thing is, those people aren't respected."
In her first year at the helm in South Carolina, Haley has made it clear that she is the state's boss. A few weeks ago, the Republican governor may have rubbed some of those senators the wrong way, issuing report cards on lawmakers' voting records. There appeared to be a partisan gap in the grades, with 23 Democrats receiving F's.
Back in September, Haley rocked the political boat after calling a Post and Courier reporter "a little girl". She drew criticism for making the remark over her distaste for the journalist's coverage of questionable taxpayer spending on Haley's trip to Europe.
With all of those experiences in hand, Haley has narrowed her bullying message to a single catch phrase. ABC 4 Charleston brings attention to "Cool Kids Don't Bully" -- a series of Haley-led web videos aimed at encouraging kids to end antagonistic behavior.
"Don't be part of it," she says in the clip below. "It's not cool to do it and we want to show that cool kids don't bully."
No word yet on what the code of conduct is for cool politicians. But in an ironic twist, Monday's Post and Courier report reveals that Haley had some trouble showing the clips to the Daniel Island School students. YouTube is normally blocked on the school's computers, but an exception was made to get the governor's message across.