Pirate's Cove

We’ll see what happens once January 20th comes around and Donald Trump’s work day and responsibilities explode to a level he might not be expecting, but, for the moment, Politico is telling us about trauma

Donald Trump’s unique, chaos theory of presidential communications is upending Washington, leaving lawmakers, government officials and lobbyists aghast that they are beholden to a single leader’s whims, not to mention the uncertainty about his true thoughts and intentions.

Unlike more traditional administrations, in which a White House focuses on one big agenda item at a time and mobilizes all resources to galvanize public and congressional support for it, Trump has shown no sign of abandoning his off-the-cuff, scattershot approach to tweeting. And in a town that relies on information flow, Trump’s unpredictable style threatens to paralyze Washington’s power brokers.

Perhaps that’s a good thing. Perhaps they need to be paralyzed, and the Government can work for the people, instead of interest groups that often do not have the best intentions for We The People. Regardless, when you have a businessman like Trump, they have irons in lots and lots of fires, and are able to work with that quite effectively.

“He is constantly in motion and in command of the pace and tempo of the political news environment. That is something that his opponents have yet to figure out,” said Kevin Madden, a GOP communications strategist in Washington who advised Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign. “The sheer volume of activity and coverage around him works to his advantage. Trump understands one important dynamic: In a world where there is a wealth of information, there is always a poverty of attention, and he has this ability to generate four or five story lines a day. In the face of that, how can his opponents break through on even one of them? He is always in control.”

Love him, hate him, be ambivalent, don’t underestimate him. It worked throughout the primary and the general election.

Making the media drink from a fire hose worked to Trump’s benefit throughout his unconventional presidential campaign. By forcing editors and news producers with a finite amount of ink or airtime to choose what to cover and what to ignore, Trump succeeded in bombarding the nation’s collective consciousness with his massive presence and unrelenting will. It is, in fact, a hallmark of his approach during several decades in the business and media world.

For all the focus on lobbyists and such, the people who are actually traumatized are the Credentialed Media. The attempt here is to shift the narrative, but, really, they are Very Upset that Trump is able, and willing, to bring his message directly to The People. As the Gatekeepers Of All News, this cuts them out, and leaves them looking to create that Narrative, which Trump proceeds to demolish with direct communication. They do not like that in the least.

Overall, perhaps government and those who surround it need a bit of anxiety. They need to be a bit nervous and “traumatized.” They’ve all be entirely too comfortable, and need a kick in the pants to get to work, just like out in the private sector. To know that there are consequences.

Crossed at Right Wing News.