Saturday, December 17, 2016

The Trump Effect: Unleashing the Fury of the Northeast Elites

A few weeks before the election, I attended a gathering at a close friend’s home. When I arrived, a woman whom I will refer to as Liane was there with her husband. Liane is ideologically to the left and divides people into categories. Last summer, she referred to Republicans as “rabid.” When my friend’s cousin, a Democrat strategist, made her entrance, Liane immediately stated, “I want to hear all about Clinton vs. Trump.” Knowing I was the only one in the room supporting Trump, I suggested we keep divisive politics out of the discussion. That did not happen. Everyone, including my friend, who is a moderate, made it clear they viewed Mr. Trump as an impulsive megalomaniac who was going to destroy the world. Later the conversation veered to Bill Clinton and his proclivities. Everyone except Liane agreed his actions were unsavory to say the least. When I mentioned something which had been widely reported, Liane responded angrily, “Just like Obama is a birther and a Muslim?” She immediately stormed away. The episode shook me to the core. As we got ready to go to a restaurant, she shouted out that she removed herself from the discussion because “there would have been blood.” Now I am no wilting flower, but I did not wish to embarrass our mutual friend. This occasion, however, was a preview of the Northeast elites’ hysteria following the victory of Donald Trump.
The Wednesday morning after the election, like many, I went to work exhausted but elated avoiding my colleagues. Like many on the right, relief, not gloating, was the order of the day. Clients from both sides of the political aisle kept their appointments. Surprisingly, with a few exceptions, most on the left were resigned and accepted the decision rendered by the majority of the electorate and conversation moved to their therapeutic needs of the day. This was not the case for my colleagues and liberal friends. One liberal but fair-minded colleague who is our current chair mildly indicated her distress when I asked how she was doing. She informed me she would have been less upset if it had been Jeb. I told her only Trump could effectively defend against the aggressive attacks from the corrupt MSM. She went on to thank me for making a decision to recuse myself from Thursday's business meeting so my colleagues could express their rancor and grief over the results of the election.

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