Lightning Rod

I don't think it's his main criterion for selecting officials, but if President Trump's appointees can drive his opponents barking mad, he probably regards it as a plus.

Chronicle Saturday headline: Trump appoints new EPA head in SF who led ‘lock her up’ chants against Clinton. [bold added]

(Chronicle photo)

A Santa Barbara County attorney who has fought for farmers and fossil fuels and led the “lock her up” chants in opposition to Hillary Clinton was appointed by the Trump administration Friday to head the Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest office in San Francisco.

The appointment of Mike Stoker, a former county supervisor and GOP stalwart, infuriated environmentalists and further annoyed Bay Area Democrats and San Francisco power brokers reeling from what they view as assaults by the administration on environmental policies.

Actually, when one looks past the political theatrics (I regard "lock her up" as of a piece with Democrats calling for Mr. Trump's impeachment) of the past two years, Mr. Stoker looks like a mainstream Republican:

Business and industry leaders supported the hire.

“To grow jobs in California, we need balance between our important environmental needs and diverse economy,” said Robert Lapsley, the president of the California Business Roundtable... “His qualifications as an agricultural law attorney, with an emphasis in environmental law, combined with his decades of experience as an appointed and elected policymaker ... will serve California well.”

Mr. Stoker will be a lightning rod that will intercept some of the bolts meant for Scott Pruitt, the EPA head, and Mr. Trump, whom I did not vote for.

The aftershocks of the 2016 election have furnished a lot more entertainment than I expected.