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- Mar 6, 2017
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[ Power......by threats and intimidation ]
In a new interview with The Washington Post, Gates reveals that Trump’s and his supporters’ actions following the 2020 election have been such a mental strain on him he was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a heartbreaking story reminiscent of the testimony of Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, two Georgia election workers who were brutally harassed following the election and testified about their experiences to the House Jan. 6 committee. The biggest difference? Gates is a Republican, and the harassers were supposed to be his pals. But that didn’t stop him from going into hiding to avoid them
The threats and harassment Gates endured came to a head on the day of Trump’s lawless Jan. 6 putsch.
The Washington Post:
Gates says he began suffering PTSD symptoms on the heels of severe abuse and harassment from the very people with whom he’d previously aligned himself politically. He was told he was a traitor who should be hanged or shot. One person said his daughters should be raped, and he even worried about his Fox News-watching parents turning against him.
His usual cheerfulness and optimism evaporated in the face of the onslaught, and he started to lose sleep, as well as his appetite. And, as The Post notes, “his ever-simmering anger would increasingly explode into view during public meetings, interviews with journalists and social gatherings.”
He began to question his own worth. His wife said she no longer recognized him, his daughters stopped asking him to help them with their problems, and he was “consumed” by feelings of abandonment over his strained relationships with his fellow Republicans.
Through all that, Gates stuck to his guns, but his dedication to his sworn duty and the truth extracted a considerable toll. Eventually, in May 2022, Gates sought therapy. He discussed his feelings of betrayal, as well as how the unfair and dishonest criticism he’d received led to insecurity and anger and manifested in physical problems like high blood pressure, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia.
And in the process, says Gates, the ordeal—which continued through the November 2022 midterm elections when GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake decided her election had been stolen, too—robbed him of much of his identity.
(full article online)
www.dailykos.com
In a new interview with The Washington Post, Gates reveals that Trump’s and his supporters’ actions following the 2020 election have been such a mental strain on him he was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a heartbreaking story reminiscent of the testimony of Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, two Georgia election workers who were brutally harassed following the election and testified about their experiences to the House Jan. 6 committee. The biggest difference? Gates is a Republican, and the harassers were supposed to be his pals. But that didn’t stop him from going into hiding to avoid them
The threats and harassment Gates endured came to a head on the day of Trump’s lawless Jan. 6 putsch.
The Washington Post:
The Post goes into great detail about Gates’ and his family’s ordeal—so much so that the article occasionally becomes difficult to read. Gates’ example also perfectly illustrates why losing presidential candidates have unerringly conceded elections shortly after it became clear they’d lost them. Doing anything less sows chaos and threatens the health of our democracy—something Trump clearly doesn’t care about. (The health of our democracy, that is; he clearly loves the chaos.)
Gates says he began suffering PTSD symptoms on the heels of severe abuse and harassment from the very people with whom he’d previously aligned himself politically. He was told he was a traitor who should be hanged or shot. One person said his daughters should be raped, and he even worried about his Fox News-watching parents turning against him.
His usual cheerfulness and optimism evaporated in the face of the onslaught, and he started to lose sleep, as well as his appetite. And, as The Post notes, “his ever-simmering anger would increasingly explode into view during public meetings, interviews with journalists and social gatherings.”
He began to question his own worth. His wife said she no longer recognized him, his daughters stopped asking him to help them with their problems, and he was “consumed” by feelings of abandonment over his strained relationships with his fellow Republicans.
Through all that, Gates stuck to his guns, but his dedication to his sworn duty and the truth extracted a considerable toll. Eventually, in May 2022, Gates sought therapy. He discussed his feelings of betrayal, as well as how the unfair and dishonest criticism he’d received led to insecurity and anger and manifested in physical problems like high blood pressure, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia.
And in the process, says Gates, the ordeal—which continued through the November 2022 midterm elections when GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake decided her election had been stolen, too—robbed him of much of his identity.
(full article online)
Arizona GOP election official develops PTSD after attacks fueled by Trump's Big Lie
If you think the only toxic fallout from Donald Trump’s barmy Big Lie was the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and the septic snickerdoodle detritus pouring off Pillow Man Mike Lindell’s hyperkinetic pornstache, think again. Trump’s premeditated attempt to...
www.dailykos.com
