Posted on 01/06/2018 4:36:13 AM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
President Donald Trump's official statement about Steve Bannon -- the lack of exclamation points made it seem as if it might not be 100 percent his own words - is welcome. The president distanced himself from his former aide and included this dig: "We have many great Republican members of Congress and candidates who are very supportive of the Make America Great Again agenda. Like me, they love the United States of America and are helping to finally take our country back and build it up, rather than simply seeking to burn it all down."
The "burn it down" temper was Bannon's calling card. He described himself to Ron Radosh as a "Leninist." Once upon a time, that was the sort of thing Republicans despised, but never mind. He famously boasted of making Breibart the platform for the alt-right, and he seemed to relish chaos and disruption for its own sake. Roy Moore's appeal was purely as an arsonist. If you can believe the new Michael Wolff book (and there are reasons to take it with a few grains of salt), it was Bannon's idea to issue the original travel ban on a Friday evening -- to cause maximum confusion and, in Bannon's words, "so the snowflakes would show up at the airports and riot." As for the other pond scum Bannon has promoted -- Paul Nehlen and Milo Yiannopoulos, among others -- they have a funny habit of sounding like fascists.
Bannon imagined himself as the grand strategist of populism and scourge of the "deep state." His run as Trotsky lasted for 18 months, from August 2016, when Trump named him chief executive to his campaign, until Wednesday, when Bannon was declared a non-entity. He's fortunate that the real Lenin doesn't call the shots here or his fall would have been a bit more unpleasant.
Bannon's exile from Trump's trusted circle is encouraging, but there are many reasons to keep the champagne corked.
First, as Erick Erickson points out, Trump has a long history of anathematizing people only to welcome them back when they flatter him.
Second, to imagine that Bannon's estrangement means the nationalist, protectionist strain of Trumpism is vanquished is dubious. Trump has few consistent beliefs, but he does seem to have been banging the protectionist drum for decades. Even in the 1980s, Trump was convinced that Japan was eating our lunch. Perhaps that won't result in tearing up any actual trade agreements (other than the Trans-Pacific Partnership), but Bannon was hardly the only protectionist voice in the administration. Nor should we imagine that without Bannon's advice, episodes like Charlottesville are less likely. Trump has an itchy Twitter finger for ethnic/racial/sexual controversy, and as long as it jazzes his base, he'll keep it up.
Third, Trump's reasons for dumping Bannon have nothing to do with Bannon's rottenness. It isn't as if Trump woke up yesterday and realized that Bannon's efforts to primary every sitting Republican senator (save Ted Cruz) would be harmful to the party and the country. Nor did he watch Bannon defend a child molester and conclude, "OK, now he's really gone off the deep end." That would have been the moment to say, as he only said yesterday, that when Bannon was fired, "he not only lost his job, he lost his mind." No, even after the abuse accusations against Moore (which Breitbart's editor admitted post hoc were "credible"), Trump took Bannon's advice and endorsed Moore, dragging the Republican National Committee after him.
Trump's anger at Bannon is -- surprise! -- purely personal. He dissed the princess ("dumb as a brick") and the prince ('treasonous").
Even in his fury, President Trump did not so much rebut the accusations (and this is not meant as an endorsement of anything in Wolff's book) as shoot the messenger. Again, the president didn't say, "What an outrageous and false thing to say!" Instead, he took aim at Bannon for not being a winner. "Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating 17 candidates. ... Now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn't as easy as I make it look." Perhaps not, but Trump fails to grapple with the fact that winning isn't a moral measure. Steve Bannon would not have been less objectionable if Moore had won.
Bannon did claim to be the Svengali responsible for Trump's victory, and that clearly irritated the president, but Bannon's unseemly self-promotion is the very least of his sins. His influence on the conservative movement has been morally putrid. And it was so long before he unburdened himself to Michael Wolff.
Lol. No. Bannon and Trump are NOT headed in the same direction.
Where do Trump and Bannon diverge ideologically? Post examples or shut up.
I thing "Sloppy Steve" wanted to grow up to be Rothbart. Don't disagree with his stated beliefs. The self-immolation thing is a bit much.
It’s not all about ideology. It’s also about advancing that ideology. Trump believes in making actual progress toward the stated goals. Bannon believes in burning it all down.
There are so few protectionist America first patriots on our side, especially at the national level. This is why the Bannon flare up is so disturbing.
Where do Trump and Bannon diverge ideologically? Post examples or shut up.
I USED to think Trump and Bannon shared similar ideologies....that is, until Traitor Bannon undermined President Trump. No American loving, American first person would do what Bannon did to Trump.
Politically and personally they are NOT headed in the same direction. Bannon is burnt toast, self inflicted burnt toast.
There are your requested examples. Maybe it’s YOU who should now ‘shut up’.
Implicating Trump in treason didn’t advance nationalism, it set it back.
Mona calls Bannon clever names, so she must be accurate. /s
Before criticizing Bannon based on a gossip-writer leftist book, people need to listen to Bannon on Breitbart radio. Facts first, then emotion please.
“Of those influencing Trump, Ivanka and Jarrod, well Bannon was the counterbalance to their views MAGA.”
This is the whole point- Bannon was the only major one left in the administration with the belief in the MAGA agenda. Ivanka and Jared convinced Trump to appoint Globalists like Kohn and McMaster. Bannon can be somewhat blamed for Tillerson, but I believe there was another person who was even more of a globalist being pushed, so Bannon pushed for Tillerson.
People are very uninformed about Bannon and are taking as gospel what was written in that Wolf book. Did anyone look at the clips of the Wolf interview yesterday when he claimed Donald Trump was the worst liar the world has ever known? So Trump supporters are believing what Wolf says Bannon said?
“Of those influencing Trump, Ivanka and Jarrod, well Bannon was the counterbalance to their views MAGA.”
This is the whole point- Bannon was the only major one left in the administration with the belief in the MAGA agenda. Ivanka and Jared convinced Trump to appoint Globalists like Kohn and McMaster. Bannon can be somewhat blamed for Tillerson, but I believe there was another person who was even more of a globalist being pushed, so Bannon pushed for Tillerson.
And the feud may be the equivalent of shining a laser pointer at a bunch of cats (media, journalists, and other liberals) and watch them chase the light “dot” around the room!
The MSM, leftists and the uni-party set up a romper room for us to have food fight in. I am not gong to participate. I will let this play out. All I know is since all of this crap started Steve Bannon has had nothing but praise for President Trump.
Very wise no need to burn psychological energy if you don’t have to!
She really thinks Milo is a fascist?
“Perhaps not, but Trump fails to grapple with the fact that winning isn’t a moral measure”
And Mona fails to grapple with the fact that the way you get to institute your morals IS by winning.
You don’t win, the other side’s morals win. So winning is indeed about morality.
Mona is just another timid, “reasonable”, easily cowed, “respectable”, “doesn’t like to offend” cuckservative who’s not in there for the dirty fight.
Bannon’s sin is not what he stands for, but that he sold ammunition to the enemy to undermine what he stands for.
Why he would do such a self destructive thing is beyond me.
“I like Steve Bannon. He’s been a bad boy and deserves a timeout, but he burns to MAGA, and so do I.”
Reminds me of the time Reagan took David Stockman to the woodshed. Maybe similar things will happen this time.
Mona Charon is a dumb beotch.
re:” just because Wolff says Bannon says something doesn’t mean its true of not out of context. Bannon did help Trump get elected, I know I worked for the campaign, and he boosted the Conservative turnout, and Breitbart positive coverage is part of the reason Trump beat the MSM.
Give Sloppy Steve his day in court.”
I don’t understand how so many take the word of Wolff who is known to fabricate his ‘journalism’. Especially when the same people don’t believe that Trump ‘didn’t want to win’
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