Bannon friend on revenge: "You have no idea. This is gonna be really f***ing bad."

Source: HotAir
Published: Aug 19, 2017
Author: Allahpundit
Post Date: 2017-08-19 09:13:09 by Tooconservative
Views: 6854

I’m treating this as confirmation that my hot take was right all along, that Bannon reached the point where he preferred to be martyred by "globalists" than to stick around and share blame for a disappointing presidency.

Or maybe that’s just his after-the-fact spin to save face? Either way, the fallout will be entertaining.

"He's going nuclear,” said another friend. "You have no idea. This is gonna be really f***ing bad."

Bannon had in recent days mused about leaving, according to people who have spoken with him; he has expressed to friends that he feels the administration is failing and is a sinking ship. And last week, he told people in a meeting that he would have 10 times more influence outside the White House than inside it…

Another source close to Bannon said that he remains loyal to Trump himself. But "when Steve feels the Trump administration is wrong, will he point to the people he has the inside knowledge about who are pushing for certain policies? I assume he will."

Yeah, although it’s fun to imagine direct conflict between the two alpha-male populists Trump and Bannon, that’s probably too risky for Bannon to try. If he forces right-wingers to choose between their loyalty to him and Breitbart and their loyalty to the guy in the White House in whom they’ve invested all of their political hopes, chances are Trump’s going to win. The way to hurt Trump without attacking him personally is to paint him as the unfortunate victim of the evil "globalists" surrounding him. Wound Kushner, wound McMaster, wound Kelly, wound Cohn, make it all part of a grand narrative of a great leader being "betrayed" by his mostly Democratic inner circle, and you square the circle. Bannon would still be perceived as being on "Trump’s side" even though he’d be undermining the president’s administration the entire while. Ben Shapiro, who knows from personal experience how Bannon operates, sees it shaping up that way too:

That's McMaster, Cohn, Powell, Jared, Ivanka. Breitbart's coverage won't change all that much. But it will be more negative overall. (/2)

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 18, 2017

He'll wait until there's little risk to hit Trump himself. Breitbart just won't be nearly as much of a cheerleading site. (/END)

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 18, 2017

Axios quotes a source "familiar with Breitbart’s operations" as saying the plan is to "go 'thermonuclear' against 'globalists' that Bannon and his friends believe are ruining the Trump administration, and by extension, America." According to CNN’s Oliver Darcy, the site is already preparing stories "critical of people in the Trump White House," which undoubtedly means the Kushner contingent. "Steve’s allies in the populist nationalist movement are ready to ride to the gates of hell with him against the West Wing Democrats," said one source to the Hill. "If [Bannon’s enemies in the White House] think what’s happened with Steve is rough, wait until they see what he does outside the White House." Are you getting the picture? He’s mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore.

If nothing else, the torrent of threats and vows of recriminations will help soothe a bruised ego:

The "I'm going to war…FOR TRUMP!!!" from Bannon is possibly the most pathetic statement in American history.

— STU BURGUIERE (@WorldOfStu) August 18, 2017

"No one liked him," one senior White House official said to Politico of the alleged “widespread disdain” for Bannon in the West Wing. "People didn’t know what he did other than stab his colleagues in the back." Good news: He’ll be stabbing them in the front now.

Rosie Gray reported earlier this afternoon that Bannon’s return to Breitbart is likely but not quite a done deal, with the Mercers possibly enticing him to run a pro-Trump outside group instead. But, as Gray notes, why would he do that? Bannon doesn’t want to attack the Democrats outside the White House on Trump’s behalf; he wants to attack the Democrats inside the White House as a matter of score-settling. (Pause here and reflect that the entire pitch for backing Trump last fall to reluctant Republicans was the need to fight the common enemy in the other party and advance the GOP agenda.) At an outside group, he’d be stuck doing the same sort of thing he’s been doing inside the White House with a tiny fraction of the prestige. He’d be a much bigger player, with vastly greater freedom to maneuver, back at Breitbart. Which, according to the Times, is where he’s headed after all.

Exit question: Who are the Republicans still left in the West Wing? Are there any? Then again, who knows if Bannon considers himself a Republican. Or if Trump does, for that matter.

Update: And there you go.

Steve Bannon just went on the record with me about his next move (story breaking now on @TheTerminal and @bw): pic.twitter.com/EDPULg25VR

— Joshua Green (@JoshuaGreen) August 18, 2017

Update: Yeah, it’s going to be bad.

"The Trump presidency that we fought for, and won, is over," Bannon said Friday, shortly after confirming his departure. "We still have a huge movement, and we will make something of this Trump presidency. But that presidency is over. It'll be something else. And there'll be all kinds of fights, and there'll be good days and bad days, but that presidency is over."

Post Comment   Private Reply

#1: Willie Green    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Willie Green posted on 2017-08-19 09:20:46   Reply   Private Reply

#2: misterwhite    To: Tooconservative (#0)

"Yeah, although it’s fun to imagine direct conflict between the two alpha-male populists ..."

Which is all this article is ... a fantasy.

misterwhite posted on 2017-08-19 10:30:46   Reply   Private Reply

#3: Tooconservative    To: misterwhite (#2)

I think Bannon will have more influence from the outside than from inside the WH. He'd already been sidelined by the Jivanka faction of NYC Jewish liberals in the WH.

Bannon will be able to push Trump somewhat better from outside but he won't have Trump's ear.

I wouldn't be surprised if Bannon resurfaces as a major campaign operative for Trump in 2020.

Keeping campaign staffers on in the WH never really lasts. Even when it does, as with Karl Rove, it isn't very successful.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-19 10:43:40   Reply   Private Reply

#4: Pinguinite    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Might just go to show how strong the deep state is. Even if a president has an agenda that is very popular, resisting the will of the establishment is a very formidable task.

Pinguinite posted on 2017-08-19 11:01:33   Reply   Private Reply

#5: misterwhite    To: Tooconservative (#3)

I think Bannon will have more influence from the outside

He'll be much freer to say what he wants. As to influence, I don't know. One voice in the wildeness.

misterwhite posted on 2017-08-19 11:18:52   Reply   Private Reply

#6: Hondo68    To: Tooconservative, Javankaville jailbreak (#0)

Haz the sadz

Bannon grew weary of kowtowing to the progressive globalist Javanka neocons, and their New York Values.

Jailbreak!

Hondo68 posted on 2017-08-19 11:47:09   Reply   Private Reply

#7: Fred Mertz    To: hondo68 (#6)

Bannon has a booze nose.

Fred Mertz posted on 2017-08-19 13:02:21   Reply   Private Reply

#8: Hondo68    To: Fred Mertz (#7)

Bannon has a booze nose.

It's always happy hour at Breitbart!

Hondo68 posted on 2017-08-19 13:44:25   Reply   Private Reply

#9: Stoner    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Something tells me that Trump is listening too much to his little girl & her husband.

Stoner posted on 2017-08-19 13:52:44   Reply   Private Reply

#10: Tooconservative    To: hondo68 (#6)

Bannon grew weary of kowtowing to the progressive globalist Javanka neocons, and their New York Values.

Those two and Cohn and Mnuchin. McMaster and Kelly are just military hired help, servants really.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-19 14:23:01   Reply   Private Reply

#11: Tooconservative    To: Stoner (#9)

Something tells me that Trump is listening too much to his little girl & her husband.

Much as I questioned the choice of the original WH team with Conway and Priebus and Bannon, I especially distrusted those two and the liberal puppeteers back in NYC who are pulling their strings.

I'd like to see Javanka locked in a federal penitentiary for a few decades.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-19 14:25:21   Reply   Private Reply

#12: rlk    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Bannon had in recent days mused about leaving, according to people who have spoken with him; he has expressed to friends that he feels the administration is failing and is a sinking ship.

He's right. The country is being led by a spoiled brainless twelve year old kid who has no coherent mission or integrity. Few people of quality would now make themselves available to work in his administration. This presidency has become about satisfying the glittering ego of Trump instead of what's good for the nation.

rlk posted on 2017-08-19 15:18:39   Reply   Private Reply

#13: Tooconservative    To: rlk (#12)

Bannon has known for months that he was leaving. He wanted to stay with Trump for exactly one year, from mid-August to mid-August. And that's what he did.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-19 15:28:29   Reply   Private Reply

#14: Vicomte13    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Bannon is not in good health. Obese, puffy faced, red-faced. With all of this stress he's probably on the verge of a heart attack or a stroke.

Vicomte13 posted on 2017-08-20 16:44:31   Reply   Private Reply

#15: Stoner    To: Tooconservative (#11)

" I'd like to see Javanka locked in a federal penitentiary for a few decades. "

LOL, can you imagine them having to wear prison garb, and being forced to cut weeds, pick up garbage, and to scrub dirty toilets ? LOL, I would love to see that !!!

Stoner posted on 2017-08-20 17:37:02   Reply   Private Reply

#16: Stoner    To: Vicomte13 (#14)

" Bannon is not in good health. Obese, puffy faced, red-faced. With all of this stress he's probably on the verge of a heart attack or a stroke. "

Vic, I think that is a valid observation. He probably does need to get out of there for awhile !! And hopefully gets, and follows good advice from a good physician !!

Stoner posted on 2017-08-20 17:41:13   Reply   Private Reply

#17: nolu chan    To: Tooconservative (#0)

Yeah, although it’s fun to imagine direct conflict between the two alpha-male populists Trump and Bannon, that’s probably too risky for Bannon to try.

It is more fun to imagine that Trump/Bannon know that a large load of data, devasting to the DNC and Dem party, is soon to be delivered by Julian Assange, and Steve Bannon is being delivered back to where he can be the purveyor of such information in a selected and effective manner, a news source they can trust. He could even set up a news outlet with O'Reilly and whomever. It could be epic. War on the deep state. And, it is no less imaginative than Allahpundit.

nolu chan posted on 2017-08-20 18:59:23   Reply   Private Reply

#18: Tooconservative    To: Stoner (#15)

LOL, can you imagine them having to wear prison garb, and being forced to cut weeds, pick up garbage, and to scrub dirty toilets ? LOL, I would love to see that !!!

Me too. But the chances of that happening are about the same as locking up the Xlinton gang or the 0bama mafia.

IOW, about zero.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-20 22:23:47   Reply   Private Reply

#19: Tooconservative    To: nolu chan (#17)

Yeah, although it’s fun to imagine direct conflict between the two alpha-male populists Trump and Bannon, that’s probably too risky for Bannon to try.

No one ever really leaves TrumpWorld. Look at Roger Stone, supposedly on the outside throughout the campaign. Except we know he talks privately by phone with Trump every week or two, just as he has for the last 30 years.

So Bannon cannot be considered to be gone entirely. He's just not working at the WH.

Trump has a lot of frenemy relationships, it seems to me. He might even like that, keeping people at a certain distance but also keeping them available to him personally.

He is a devious old bastard. Kind of like Nixon that way.

Tooconservative posted on 2017-08-20 22:26:47   Reply   Private Reply

#20: Vicomte13    To: Stoner (#16)

I think that the ongoing state of his health will depend in large measure to the extent that he can avoid the stress associated with attacking the Administration. If he retires quietly his health should stay good. If he exerts himself making trouble he could have an unfortunate stroke or heart attack or other health crisis. It's very distracting to drive when your head is full of anger.

Vicomte13 posted on 2017-08-21 06:31:31   Reply   Private Reply