Political columnist John Avlon has ranked what he calls "the most polarizing, deranged -- and dangerous -- wingnuts" in American politics and has placed Rep. Michele Bachmann at the top of the list.

Writing in the Daily Beast and appearing on CNN, Avlon says Bachmann's regular headline-grabbing soundbites vaulted her ahead of such characters as Sarah Palin and talk show hosts Glenn Beck and Ed Schultz in "a year that hope turned to hate. In the three-ring circus of American politics—Democrats, Republicans, and independents—the freak sideshow has rarely flexed their muscle faster or dominated more of the debate."

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