GOP 'Bump-and-Grab' Ruse

The GOP and President Trump remind me of the “Bump-and-Grab” thieves who work big crowds such as those gathered in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The scam works like this—one of the pair intentionally bumps into an unsuspecting reveler. The victim becomes enraged by the obvious assault and while he focuses his anger at his offender, the bumper’s partner picks the victim’s pockets clean.

This is exactly how Republican lawmakers work. They stoke anger over insignificant and often-imaginary issues, then they pick our collective pockets. All sorts of ridiculous grievances are exploited for this purpose: NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem, transgender bathrooms, whether ba­kers should cater gay weddings, political correctness, words used to describe terrorists and more.