If there is one hallmark of the Trump era, one strategy that has been employed to force through

a radical agenda, it might be this one, first articulated by Steve Bannon all the way back

in 2018.

The Democrats don't matter, Bannon said.

The real opposition is the media.

And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with stuff.

He didn't stay stuff, but you get the idea. Now, Steve Bannon was overstating the role of the media

and understating the role of actual democratic officials, but that flood the zone approach,

that is something we have seen Trump do to great effect over the years.

It's not that Trump is some kind of brilliant tactician, but on some level, Trump does

seem to realize that the best way to avoid scrutiny is to simply do a whole lot of bad things

all at once to keep everyone's attention divided. Something that we are seeing play out right now, today, this hour.

Today, Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace introduced a bill that would ban transgender people on Capitol Hill

from using the bathroom of the gender they identify with.

It's clear that this bill was designed to stoke controversy about Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride,

who became the first openly transgender person ever elected to Congress in this past election.

Under Mace's bill, Congresswoman-elect McBride would be forced to use the men's room on Capitol Hill.

It's an obviously dehumanizing attempt to bully a new member of Congress.

It's a clear attempt to gain the spotlight,

given the fact that Representative Mace, just three years ago,

co-sponsored a bill that would have protected transgender people

from exactly this kind of discrimination.

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