Discussion: Bannon Says Racial Politics Help Trump In Wake Of Charlottesville Rally

Though are those who believe that the distance between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia is the equivalent of say Alabama or Miss., let’s find out if that strategy is still workable in '20.

2 Likes

There’s one thing I’ll never forget that Bill tried to do. He tried to get Lani Guaneri as his AG. She had the most brilliant proportional voting plan I’ve ever read. It would have worked.

The GOP wouldn’t let him appoint her. She would have been the most progressive AG ever. And he really wanted her to be confirmed.

3 Likes

I’m reminded of the line from “Casablanca”
"Beware, there are vultures…vultures everywhere (as the couple in the cafe are artfully pick pocketed).

1 Like

Mr. Bannon, unleash the kraken!

1 Like

Yes, and the centrist neoliberal Clinton also put the Notorious Ms. Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

3 Likes

Thanks for the reminder - yeah.

2 Likes

I’m always suspect of anyone here still playing on dividing Dems, liberals, progressives here on this site. The last election is fucking over. We know what happened. It includes Russians, hacked computers, bogus newsfeeds on people’s social media pages, the undeniable popular vote total, voter suppression efforts all over this country, throwing out legitimate democratic voter registrations by various SoS’s offices well before the election, and a disinformation campaign by the right. Bernie vs. Hillary was the least of our problems. To be still making a case for Bernie or against Hillary still, is a fool’s errand. It serves only one purpose…to divide us in our efforts towards the next upcoming elections. That has to stop if we are to move past the last election and take over one or both houses of Congress. That’s the main focus we should be unified to achieve. The focus has to be on the next set of elections…not the last one. Re-litigating is toxic, though I know its still has raw feelings associated with it, but it doesn’t serve anyone here that wants to win, and win big. We can do this. Look at the day after the inaugural. Those women didn’t show up en masse on a whim. They made a concerted effort. That’s what we need to happen on election day during the midterms…and we need those women to vote for Dems up and down the ticket for their state, county and city, not just the federal officeholders.

My two cents.

5 Likes

And you’re right to be suspicious.

2 Likes

Let’s see.

Repeal Glass-Steagall and deregulation of the financial derivatives markets…

Signing legislation at the foundation of the prison-industrial complex…

Bogus welfare reform…

He also caved on DOMA, but admittedly that was politically savvy election strategy…

Chalk that up against his supposed victories and get back to me…

BTW, I am on your side, but I lost the rose-colored glasses a long time ago…

To be sure, a tough act to follow.

Reminds me of a couple OT stories along those lines (indulge me).

In the early 1960s, when the Rolling Stones just started getting acclaim, they headlined a concert in England that also featured a number of other acts. Going right before the Stones was American R & B performer James Brown, who by that time was already a polished, electrifying stage performer. After Brown finished working the crowd into a frenzy and the Stones came on, and it was clearly anticlimactic – Mick Jagger at that point couldn’t even dance (it took Tina Turner to help him learn that).

A few years later, also in England, the rock group The Who booked as their opening act an unknown but up-and-coming American performer named Jimi Hendrix, who absolutely killed and outshone the main act.

Glass-Steagall was passed by an overwhelmingly veto-proof majority by a Republican-led Congress.

Welfare reform, passed in 1996 by a Republican-led Congress and at a time of declining unemployment.

The crime bill has had disastrous consequences, but came at a time of grave concern about violent street crime.

DOMA was another clusterf*ck, as was Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

In a sense, Bannon has a point, although I’m unsure what he means by economic nationalism. These guys use what they label liberal, elite outrage as a tool to corral and inflame the base and elevate chaos over order. That way, they make focusing on the common ground, e.g. income inequality and damaging, devastating domestic policies, more difficult (discussion/demonstrations on these issues just melt into the general fray) and they can carry on quiet destruction in the comparative shadows. Of course, we can’t overlook racism/white supremacy issues. Pulling media platforms out from under hate groups is a hopeful sign, and, hopefully, Charlottesville is a watershed moment. Still, knee-jerk reactions to Trump’s offensive comments serve him well. I’m reminded of a NYTimes op-ed piece comparing Berlusconi and Trump, written by an Italian and published soon after the election. It described strategy and how Berlusconi was finally defeated: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/18/opinion/the-right-way-to-resist-trump.html?mcubz=0

1 Like

Clinton supported deregulation (goaded on by Rubin and Summers)…

It signalled that the Dems had become fully corporatized…

Crime bill was signed after the inflection point in the crime rate, Clinton thought he was being cute by taking the “Law and Order” card off the table…

These two bills heralded the Dems becoming nothing more that Republican-Lite…

Hell, the ACA is in essence the R’s plan from the '90s…

Why vote Dem, when they basically stand and fight for nothing?

Glass-Steagall came at the end of Clinton’s term.
Almost 90 senators voted for repeal. Clinton signed reluctantly and said he had regrets. But he didn’t have the votes to avoid an override.

On the crime bill, Clinton wanted 100,000 cops on the street. Agree that he was outmaneuvered, but people in my home town were being gunned down in shopping malls by street gangs.

Republican-lite? Clinton raised taxes, presided over the creation of 20-plus million jobs, didn’t start any stupid wars, and signed an assault weapons ban that lasted for 10 years. No, he was not perfect, but he was the first winner for the Democrats in 20 years.

The only thing that I will give credit to Clinton for is his judicial appointments…

And in case there is any misunderstanding, he would have my vote before any R in recent memory…

He’s counting on inspiring the racist base to keep voting while disgusting everyone else so much they fail to vote. That’s his formula for winning elections.

1 Like

Eh, I’m not so sure he’s capable of coming up with a strategy that complex. Got two factors going on and my read is he’s pretty much a one-factor guy.

I can’t see what this has to do with his right hand, either.

And he definitely uses his right, too.

1 Like

There are very many people on the floor of the NY Stock Exchange, Republican and Democrat, who hate Nazis with every fiber of their being.

Comments are now Members-Only
Join the discussion Free options available