Let me begin by reiterating what I've said many times before: I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I distrust both major political parties in the USA. I regard them as motivated far more by what's good for them, than by what's good for the country as a whole.
That said, when I read this headline yesterday:
Bannon Declares War On GOP Establishment: "We're Coming After All Of Them And We're Going To Win"
I couldn't help laughing out loud. It's long overdue - and if it leads to civil war within the GOP, and the possible loss of that party's slim Senate majority, who cares? They're as bad as the Democrats. I don't see how that'll make them any less or any more effective . . . unless we get rid of the self-seekers and the time-servers among them, and replace them with people who'll put the country first.
The fight appears to have been launched with Breitbart's exposé of Tennessee senator Bob Corker's underhanded deal to get millions of dollars from an Alabama retail development, paid for by the taxpayers of that state. Immediately after the deal was uncovered, Corker announced that he would not be running for re-election next year. If that's not a tacit admission of guilt, I don't know what is! It was clearly a "sweetheart deal" between political cronies, and not in the public interest at all.
Steve Bannon, former White House chief of staff and boss of Breitbart, has now thrown down the gauntlet.
Bannon said he is declaring "war" on the Republican establishment and those that don't back what President Trump ran on. He said there is a "new game in town" and promised to "cut off the oxygen" to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and stop his fundraising for establishment candidates. Bannon said any person running for the Senate in 2018 that wants his support must oppose McConnell as the Republican Leader.
The Breitbart chief gave a warning to all incumbents: "Just voting is not good enough. You have to have a sense of urgency. Nobody is safe. We are coming after all of them and we're going to win."
Bannon also called on Sen. Bob Corker to resign immediately. He said McConnell, Corker and the entire "establishment global clique" on Capitol Hill have to go.
"If Bob Corker has any honor, any decency, he should resign immediately," Bannon said. "He should get back in because he's going to get crushed in a primary. He doesn't have the guts to get in -- he doesn't have the guts to get back in the race. He should resign immediately."
There's more at the link, and in this TV interview (which is pretty explosive stuff, and worth watching).
The "swamp" in Washington is ruled by self-serving, self-aggrandizing denizens from both sides of the political divide. I think the Democratic Party needs its own Steve Bannon, to drive out its own incumbent problem children and bring new blood into Washington. Let's get politicians in there who are genuinely seeking the good of the country, not their parties - and then let them have an honest debate, and some honest deal-making.
- "You want billions of dollars for environmental causes? Well, OK - if you give us an honest immigration policy, with a wall and the teeth to get rid of illegal aliens."
- "You want more defense spending? Well, OK - but only if you cut spending elsewhere to compensate."
That's the sort of horse-trading this country needs; finding solutions that are bipartisan and that work, not deals that feather the nests of those making them!
Peter
I tend to vote Republican because their candidates tend to be less crazy and socialistic. If there was a valid conservative party, I'd be in that lickety-split.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP needs someone like Bannon to point out all the warts and farts. The DNC needs more members like Nancy Pelosi, Bernie Sanders, Maxine Waters, the Clintons and the Obamas, Debbie Whatshername Shultz, to tear the party apart and expose it's corrupt, elite ruling entities, whomever they are. (I think one of the primary ones has temporarily fallen, but we'll see how long that lasts (Harvey Weinstein.))
Overall, we're in some interesting times. Very interesting times.
Wonder how this is what the new Republicans felt like and saw as they exploded out the top of the Whigs' heads?
That TV interview is pretty amazing.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's important to remember that not all of Trump's ideas are conservative (i.e., government funding for maternity/paternity leave), however, I agree that the Republican establishment needs to go. Mitch McConnell needs to go first, followed by all of his cronies. It's interesting to me that while saying on the one hand they need to support Trump's agenda that he was backing the establishment funded (i.e., Mitch McConnell Funded) Luther Strange in Alabama rather than the anti-establishment candidate there.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Dems need a Bannon of their own, but they'd kill him if there was one. "Traitor to The Cause", you know. I won't donate to the GOP, given their refusal to repeal Obamacare (I don't think it should be replaced by another government program.)
ReplyDeleteI liked what Bannon said, but he ignored one basic fact: Bob Porker has neither honor nor decency.
ReplyDelete--Tennessee Budd
@Topher_Henry - It's interesting to me that while saying on the one hand they need to support Trump's agenda that he was backing the establishment funded (i.e., Mitch McConnell Funded) Luther Strange in Alabama rather than the anti-establishment candidate there.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump was doing a sales demo.
"See, Mitch, I supported your guy and he lost big. Very big. Your rmoney and my charisma didn't win for him. Didn't even make a dent in the outcome. So, Mitch, it looks like it's really time for you and your BFFs to change directions, otherwise you and they will get primaried. So what;s it gonna be, Mitch?"
This all assumes Steve Bannon is not just the next wave of establishment making room for his own fiefdom. Just like drug dealers who spill to the cops about their competition. That is all I ever see from most politicians and power brokers.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I am just cynical, but...I think you can see how that happened.