Tag: The Trump Effect

Missouri Lawmaker Hopes for Trump Assassination

Buck Banks

“I hope Trump is assassinated!”

— Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D), reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “With five written words Thursday morning, one of Missouri’s most controversial state lawmakers spawned a U.S. Secret Service investigation, potentially endangered her own political career — and flung St. Louis squarely into the middle of America’s raging racial-political debate in the wake of the unrest in Charlottesville, Va. … She quickly deleted her post, but not quickly enough. By mid-afternoon, the political verdicts of her own party were rolling in.”

Trump’s Assault on Political Norms Becoming Normal

Buck Banks

“The indelible takeaway from those first 100 days is that Trump’s assault on political norms has continued. In fact, he has violated Washington norms so casually and constantly that his norm-breaking is becoming normalized. That shattering of protocol and expectations may turn out to be more consequential than any of his massive policy promises or modest policy achievements to date.”

— Politico

Trump Has Enmired Us All in Conflict and Disorder

Buck Banks

“You’re not alone if you think you are living through an Allen Drury novel—or, depending upon your age, Dr. Strangelove or Wag the Dog. Sean Spicer, the poor fellow, is living through his own episode of South Park. In the B.T. (Before Trump) era, most people I know went about their daily lives reasonably confident in the knowledge that the papers or news sites they read that morning were all they needed to stay informed for the rest of the day. … But now, A.T., all that has changed. Those same people check their phones with the regularity of lovelorn teenagers—wincing as they look to see what fresh horrors the great man in the White House has unleashed. Trump may thrive on conflict and disorder, but most of us do not.”

— Graydon Carter

Trump Hurting Issa’s Approval Rating

Buck Banks

10 points

Los Angeles Times: “A month after Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) won reelection in the closest congressional race in the country, the congressman got a warning that his next contest could be even tougher. An internal poll by Issa’s campaign showed a nearly 10-percentage point drop in his favorability ratings between mid-October and early December — and that one likely reason the lawmaker’s image took a hit was because of his support for President Trump.”

Therapists Nationwide Are Overwhelmed

Buck Banks

in her 35 years as a therapist, Arlene Drake has never heard so many clients talking about the same issue. Week after week, they complain of panic attacks and insomnia because of President Trump. They’re too anxious to concentrate at work. One woman’s fear turned into intense, physical pain. … Therapists nationwide say they’ve been overwhelmed by the strong feelings triggered by one of the most divisive figures in modern political history.

— Los Angeles Times