Showing posts sorted by relevance for query steve bannon. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query steve bannon. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, March 20, 2017

Populism Bernie Sanders:YES-Populism Donald Trump:NO


Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon's populism seems sketchy from his past, so why is he where he is now, leading ring-nosed Donald Trump down the path for his style of populism and nationalism? Both Trump and Bannon have evoked the name of Andrew Jackson because of his populist beliefs, but Jackson also had to deal with sectionalism between the North and the South, due to the stark difference in economies. The North was industrial, the South agricultural. This became highly complicated when Congress passed the Tariff of 1828, favoring the North.

The reason I bring this up is that, although he would tell Congress what he was going to do, then do it, regardless of their concerns, he did things with a background from experience that had led to his first election in 1828. Andrew Jackson won with and governed with a substance neither Donald Trump nor Steve Bannon could ever claim. So why all the comparisons? It is Bannon's obsession with Jackson's populism and nationalism that the White House adviser intends to steer in the direction of his own version that includes white nationalism along with racism and general bigotry.

Andrew Jackson is from Tennessee. I am from Tennessee. Jackson's view on white nationalism and racism does parallel both Trump and Bannon, according to U.S. News...
"...Jackson's belief that democracy and race were inextricably bound together, that whiteness was a prerequisite for self-governance, fits neatly with Trump's own worldview – a worldview that is coming to define not just Trump's administration, but also the Republican Party."
We also know that Andrew Jackson was also a co-founder of the Democratic Party. And Democrats regularly paid tribute to Jackson for years, until the issue of racism came into focus. You see...
"His policy of 'Indian removal,' an act of ethnic cleansing that killed thousands, moved to the forefront of his legacy, as did the fact that he held nearly 300 enslaved people, the source of his significant wealth."
It was then that Andrew Jackson began to tank with the Democratic Party. It was obvious that, "For Jacksonian democracy to work, non-white people had to be subjugated, either through their removal or their enslavement (and, in later eras, through Jim Crows old and new)." But if the Democrats now shun Jackson, Republicans in the present form of Donald Trump and Steve Bannon have picked up the gauntlet and are running with the white nationalism, tinged with racism and feminine hatred. Old Hickory surely had his faults but nothing to compare with the Trump/Bannon debacle.

Concourse tries to explain the insanity of Steve Bannon. The younger Bannon blames it all on the financial hard luck of his father...
"...a hardworking man who spent 50 years working for AT&T, accumulating as much AT&T stock as he could during that time in the belief that it would constitute a safe inheritance for his kids—saw the value of those shares crater during the 2008 financial crisis, and sold them at a loss in a panic."
As an afterthought Stevo contends that he was "outraged" that no one went to jail in the financial community over the chicanery during the Geo. W. Bush administration, Hell, so was I and millions more, but we didn't take it out on people of color nor did we debase women. Hamilton Nolan, the Concourse writer states...
"I am in no position to judge Steve Bannon’s honesty, so I’m willing to assume it’s true that the crash is indeed what spawned his political philosophy. If so, Steve Bannon is an insane man. Has he helped to fix the root causes of the 2008 financial crisis by guiding Donald Trump into the White House? No. He has helped to put in power an ignorant billionaire who has vowed to slash Dodd-Frank and other regulations designed to help prevent another financial crisis, and who has turned the regulation of Wall Street over to a coterie of Wall Street insiders and deregulation zealots."
The Daily Beast reported that Trump's fascination with Andrew Jackson only began in 2013, and there was another short conversation about the former president when there was talk during the 2016 election about removing Jackson from the $20 bill. DB says...
"But the reason Jackson has taken on such a physical and rhetorical presence in the Trump White House is, in fact, primarily because of Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist and the former head of Breitbart. According to officials in the Trump campaign, presidential transition, and administration speaking to The Daily Beast, Bannon would often discuss Jackson’s historical legacy and image with Trump on and after the campaign trail, and how the two political figures were a lot alike."
Bannon even gave Trump a suggested reading list on Jackson. And Trump placed a biography of Andrew Jackson on his desk he frequently pointed out to reporters, but no one could ever confirm that he had read it. All nice window-dressing for an administration in the throes of taking this county back to the dark ages of racist hangings, house burnings, and a Ku Klux Klan that gave rise to the 784 hate groups that now reside in the U.S. Thanks in great part to Donald Trump adviser, Steve Bannon. Let me leave you with this from the Daily Beast...
"The simplest explanation for Steve Bannon’s actual political philosophy is 'He is racist, xenophobic, and has deep-seated resentments and anger issues with origins that we can only begin to explain.'”
God help us all! 

Thursday, December 8, 2022

White Nationalism/White Supremacy still rampant

 

Here it is word for word from RawStory...
"Conservative podcast host Steve Bannon defended former President Donald Trump's call for a 'termination' of the U.S. Constitution over his 2020 election loss."

Steve Bannon is a white nationalist, white supremacist, spreading his agenda around the White House during the Trump administration. It is thought John Kelly, Trump's Chief of Staff, was instrumental in the resignation of Bannon, after which Bannon dissed many on Trump's staff and went on with his anti-American program. Steve Bannon is supposed to be in jail but just a month ago...

"Former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon will be allowed to remain free as he appeals his conviction for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot."

Bannon opposed most everything that opposed Donald Trump, but now that Trump

wants to abolish the Constitution, the expected of course, he supports the ex-White House maniac all the way. Steve Bannon even went to the extent of quoting Donald Trump's Truth Social post on his podcast...
"A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution."

The Trump organization was just found guilty on all counts of tax fraud by the N.Y. atty. general with more charges of Trump personally being investigated. Bannon barely got a reprieve from jail time and more of Donald Trump's minions are already serving time. As you can see from the visual, above, and also from a Republican, David Rockefeller, the government should be the servant of the people, not their master. The latter is what Steve Bannon and Donald Trump want.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Is Steve Bannon runnnig for President?


That's Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon appears to be on a breakneck path to the White House leaving leaving Republicans in more disarray, wondering what's going on. Trump's former top adviser, a white nationalist, anti-semitist and racist, seems intent on overthrowing the GOP. Who cares about the Republicans but not with this in their place. Mitch McConnell and his gang have declared open warfare on Bannon with a year before the 2018 elections. Right-wing billionaire Robert Mercer is Bannon's banker and the scary part of all this is many of Trump's supporters are also behind Bannon.



Steve Bannon on Oval Office highway...

Mitch McConnell says no to Steve Bannon...

What is a Steve Bannon?...

More about the white nationalist who would be President...

Friday, March 3, 2017

Is Charlie Manson's "Helter Skelter" lurking in the White House?


Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's chief strategist and top adviser, has already established his credentials as a white nationalist, racist and anti-Semitic. As an avid reader, he espouses to "The Fourth Turning, a book by William Strauss and Neil Howe, that history unfolds in cycles of 80 to 100 years. At the end of the cycle, the old order is destroyed and replaced." It would appear that Stevo plans to be there at the end of the cycle and implant the Trump/Bannon, perhaps the other way around, vision of common national purpose Trump announced in his first address to Congress on Monday.

As far as the speech goes, it was well received by Republicans as one would suspect but Sen. Chuck Schumer's comment was that, "Trump's speeches and the realities are very, very far apart. Until his reality catches up with his speeches, he's got big trouble," Others said he even looked a bit presidential, hoping he might maintain that and not revert to the crude behavior he has exhibited on Twitter and otherwise since entering office. But these hopes were born and played out before and it only took one news cycle to send Donald John romping down the crass road to vulgarity again.

Here are some comments by Lacy MacAuley, an activist and member of the Washington DC Antifascist Coalition...
"I absolutely think Steve Bannon is connected to a network of white nationalists. Just in the last few years there have been contractual obligations between white supremacist James O’Keefe at Project Veritas and Breitbart."
"Mr O'Keefe was known, she said, for taking down institutions and organisations via fake news."
"I would say that Steve Bannon is the advocate for white nationalism in the White House and there’s no doubt in my mind on that. It’s not just through Breitbart, it’s through his entire line of work."
There is the indication that Steve Bannon, when recruiting to fill out the National Security Council position, added himself to the NSC without Donald John knowing. Grounds for dismissal by most anyone, except someone with a hidden agenda. He was able to do this since he was the one writing the Executive Order, not Trump. The President was pissed but the fact that Bannon stays put is evidence of just how powerful the man is. Daryle Lamont Jenkins, executive director of the anti-racist organisation One People's Project exclaims...
"We've been dealing with a cluster of white supremacists within the beltway of the Washington DC area who do just that (using theories and academia to justify their racism): they try to back up their racism and justify why they should have a separation of the races, and justify a more strident attack on African Americans in the name of 'fighting crime'."
That's about as scary as it gets. Beginning to sound like Charlie Manson's Helter Skelter, starting a war between blacks and whites. Charlie was a confirmed white supremacist who went to the extreme of carving a swastika into his forehead with a knife. He had a following he mesmerized by convincing them that he was Jesus Christ, turning them into killers that would do his bidding. I'm not saying Steve Bannon is another Charlie Manson, but I am saying that Donald Trump, normally a man who seems to need no one, is definitely enthralled by Stevo's philosophies. That's what's scary.



The UK Independent reports that last July Breitbart had "...become the 'platform for the alt-right'. Now his platform has become the government." Well, that's even scarier. Donald John has been guilty of racially insensitive remarks in the past, and during his campaign refused to condemn the white supremacists who advocated for him, like David Duke and Richard Spencer. Here are some examples during his drive for the presidency...
  • He attacked Muslim Gold Star parents
  • He claimed a judge was biased because “he’s a Mexican”
  • He questioned whether President Obama was born in the United States
  • He even trashed Native Americans
  • He stereotyped Jews and shared an anti-Semitic image created by white supremacists
Just a few, but you can see more here. Huff Post says in a blazing headline, "President Trump’s VOICE Is About Justifying White Supremacy." VOICE means, Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement. So far it sounds like... 
"...the program will be limited simply to undocumented immigrants, but will also include crimes committed by legitimate VISA holders, Green Card holders and possibly even permanent residents who are not naturalized citizens.
But then HP blasts, "Let’s call this what it is: VOICE is racist government propaganda." And isn't it interesting that Steve Bannon, formerly of Breitbart, had a section called Black Crime, which documented the crimes of immigrant communities, when it is known that immigrants are actually less likely to commit a crime than non-immigrants. Brian Stone of Huff Post adds...
"Creating this hate-list will do nothing except provide official government sanction to the opinions of white supremacist groups and the alt-right."
Remember Pat Buchanan, a presidential wanna-be from 1992, 1996 and 2000, who ran on a platform of right-wing populism and who also was a white supremacist? As far back as 2015, he was backing Trump along with other white supremacists, including David Duke. Buchanan regretted what he called the end of white America "...due to immigration and increasing rights for people of color." This is a statement that is hard to believe coming from someone who is supposedly educated and worldly. It can only be attributed to someone who is a true racist and white supremacist.

Most of this crowd doesn't believe in violence, a fact that is not true of Trump’s rank-and-file supporters. One such Donald John follower was Dionisio Garza III, 25, also a Muslim hater, who went on a shooting spree back in early 2016 in Houston, leaving one dead and six injured. In another instance...
"Jim Sherota, 53, [who]works for a landscaping company and attended Trump’s rally in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday, [August 2015] told The New York Times before Trump’s arrival that he hoped Trump would announce a plan to issue licenses for hunting undocumented immigrants and offer $50 for 'every confirmed kill.'”
Couldn't stand the heat
A bounty? Now that's interesting because back in 2015 just escaped El Chapo placed a $100 million
bounty on Donald Trump's head when the then candidate accused the Mexican government of letting him go tweeting...
"El Chapo and the Mexican drug cartels use the border unimpeded like it was a vacuum cleaner, sucking drugs and death right into the U.S."
Jake Tapper of CNN pushed Trump to disavow David Duke and rebuke any vote from him or any other white supremacists. It was a typical brainless meandering by the candidate...
"Trump claimed that he didn’t know anything about white supremacists or about Duke himself. When Tapper pressed him twice more, Trump said he couldn’t condemn a group he hadn’t yet researched."
A Virginia leader of the Ku Klux Klan told a TV reporter, “The reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes, we believe in.” And that's the scariest yet. In closing, here is a list of his "white supremacist fan club" compiled by Huff Post reporters...
"The Daily Stormer, a leading neo-Nazi news site; Richard Spencer, director of the National Policy Institute, which aims to promote the “heritage, identity, and future of European people”; Jared Taylor, editor of American Renaissance, a Virginia-based white nationalist magazine; Michael Hill, head of the League of the South, an Alabama-based white supremacist secessionist group; and Brad Griffin, a member of Hill’s League of the South and author of the popular white supremacist blog Hunter Wallace."

Saturday, November 19, 2016

What is "alt right" and what does it do?



Here is the definition of "alt-right":
The alt-right is a loose group of people with far right ideologies who reject mainstream conservatism in the United States.
Here is a recent headline by NBC News:
Analysis: Breitbart's Steve Bannon Leads the 'Alt Right' to the White House
Can't tell if that is a promise or a threat. Considering the incendiary and explosive politics of Steve Bannon at Breitbart, I would take it as a threat. To destroy this country in the next four years under Donald Trump. He is the President-elect's chief strategist and senior counselor, which indicates to me he is at the top of the decision-making process. Bloomberg News said:
"Steve Bannon is the most dangerous political operative in America."
Now can you see Reince Priebus locking horns with Bannon from the get-go?Steve Bannon was famous for his input to Trump for anti-immigration and especially anti-Muslim propaganda. He has also participated in an online-based counterculture movement associated with white nationalism. And now white nationalist leaders are praising Donald Trump's decision to name former Breitbart executive Steve Bannon as his chief strategist.

It also gets the approval of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke; he recently lost a bid for the U.S. Senate in Louisiana. White nationalist blogger Brad Griffin said :
"We're most excited though about the foreign policy implications of Bannon in the White House. We want to see our counterparts in Europe — starting in Austria and France — win their upcoming elections. We're hearing reports that Breitbart is expanding its operations in continental Europe and that is where our focus will be in 2017."
And with Putin as a good friend, do you think Donald Trump plans to conquer the world? 

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Steve Bannon reconfirms Donald Trump extreme right plans


Kellyanne Conway

Steve Bannon is Donald Trump's new White House strategist, signaling the fact that he definitely has radical tendencies in mind for his administration. Bannon is the former president of Breitbart News, the ultra conservative publication so far to the right, its followers don't even recognize the other direction. Bloomberg News said: Steve Bannon, "is the most dangerous political operative in America. That's scary, considering his position in the new Trump administration.

Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's campaign manager, screamed foul, spouting off Bannon's credentials:
“He has got a Harvard business degree. He’s a Naval officer. He has success in entertainment. I don’t know if you’re aware of that. And he certainly was a Goldman Sachs managing partner. Brilliant tactician.”
I wonder if he was the "brilliant tactician" that almost brought Goldman Sachs down when it defrauded its customers in a hedge fund scandal, part of the George W. Bush financial disaster that almost brought the country down? But my concern is more with the fact that the Tea Party--remember them?--has endorsed not only Steve Bannon but also Reince Priebus, former head of the RNC and now Trump's Chief of Staff.

It's hard to see how the election of Donald Trump could get any more bizarre but it just did. Anyone want to predict what's next?

Friday, June 2, 2017

More heads should roll in the Trump administration


Call my headline in poor taste but still considering all the negative media Kathy Griffin is getting, what she did reflects the total disdain for the lunatic who currently sits in the Oval Office. Her act is distasteful because the person in question is the president of the United States and you do not disgrace that office. While in the Navy I complained because I had to salute an officer for which I had no respect. The officer I worked for told me to just keep in mind that you are saluting the rank, not the man. I choose to believe Griffin had contempt for the man, certainly not for the office.

So, to move on, and, by the way, how do those of you who denounce my headline, know I wasn't taking about the recent firing of Mike Dubke, Trump's communications director? I wasn't. Whatever, let's move on to the substance of my headline, those who should be next in line to go, starting with Jared Kushner. We know Donald Trump gloats over his overrated family, whose accomplishments all seem to stem from the Trump name. And there would be no Trump "name" if DT's father, Fred, hadn't given him $14 million to start his real estate enterprise, plus all Fred's business connections.

Now Jared Kushner's father took a different course to success than Trump's; he was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, and served time in federal prison on his way to his $1.8 billion fortune. And according to Sen. Al Franken, Jared "...may have broken the law with Russia communications." Franken said further...
"White House senior adviser Jared Kushner’s reported efforts to set up a back-channel line of communication between the transition team of President Donald Trump and the Russian government is a 'pretty bad breach,' one that could be against the law and should prompt consideration about a revocation of his security clearance."
Now this is the same thing we have been hearing about lately re. the fact that Kushner proposed a meeting with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. in order to establish a secret means of communications between the Kremlin and Trump’s transition team that would keep out the U.S. intelligence community. Apparently, Kushner failed to disclose his contacts with Russian officials. Franken commented, “This is a pretty bad breach. These guys, the administration, they're not acting like people who have nothing to hide.”

Steve Bannon
Another one who should go who seems to be holding on by only his relationship with Trump, is Steve Bannon, who hasn't been in the news lately. Until yesterday, when Trump announced the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, a decision most likely provoked by his chief strategist, Steve Bannon. The nationalist won, the U.S. and the world lost. Some say the Paris deal would have hurt the U.S. economy, but Dozens of CEOs have been lobbying President Donald Trump to stay in the deal. China, world's largest carbons polluter stayed in the Paris agreement.

The U.S., second largest carbons polluter, exited the agreement. There were 197 participants, 147 ratifying the agreement. But apparently Steve Bannon's whiteboard explains Donald Trump's climate decision, plus a number of other priorities on the nationalist's agenda that we can look forward to in the future. That is, if he isn't dumped with Kushner. Even the Southern Poverty Law Center says that Bannon has no business in the White House. "We're the platform for the alt-right," Bannon said in July, using a term that is really just a rebranding of traditional white nationalism.
Kellyanne Conway and friend
And then there's Kellyanne Conway...what can one say. Here's what Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC said, "White House counselor Kellyanne Conway is not credible anymore, and won't be booked in the future on “Morning Joe.”  The woman can't help lying...look who she works for. If Trump should dump her, there is the possibility that she could replace Kathy Griffin on CNN's New Year's Eve show. Anderson Cooper is going to be desperately in need of someone who can make him laugh as much as Griffin. Conway's stupefaction is classic on all fronts.

If my headline has offended anyone, well, that's life under the Donald Trump administration.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Political Satire: Steve Bannon becomes President by Executive Order


Steve Bannonn
Donald Trump was sitting in the Oval Office looking at reruns of "The Apprentice" reality show when his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, walked in with papers in his hand. "I have something here that needs your signature oh great one."

"Don't bother me now, Stevo, can't you see I am tied up with something of grave importance to the future of this great country?"

"I realize the gravity of your most presidential effort, our sultan, but this too is something that will benefit our country, beyond what you might ever imagine."

"Okay, Stevo, if you insist, but just wait for this scene, here it comes, 'Your're fired,'" God, can't get enough of it. Put the paper down here (which he signs still looking at his image on TV). There, it's signed." Steve Bannon leaves the Oval Office with a huge grin on his face.

The Washington Post puts out an extra edition the next morning:
Donald Trump signs Executive Order making Steve Bannon President of the United States. No one has seen Donald John since, but three men dressed in white robes with hoods were seen leaving the White House late last evening in a pickup truck with Louisiana plates and something wrapped in a Confederate flag. No comment from the Oval Office.
Read more... 

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Steve Bannon repeatedly endorses extreme racism...again


This is like talking about gun violence; no one seems to care anymore, or something would be done. The "this" I am talking about is Donald Trump's top White House adviser Steve Bannon, who continues to espouse white nationalism and racist beliefs. He is now joined by Steve King, House representative from Iowa, who makes me sorry I ever called the state full of common sense. If he is any example, it has just become feudal. The two of them have recently endorsed the highly racist book, The Camp of the Saints, the "favorite racist fantasy of the anti-immigrant movement."

That's what the Southern Poverty Law Center says, a non-profit that tracks hate organizations across the country. Steve King probably can't do much harm, his Iowa district is losing population anyway...understandable. But Steve Bannon? Everyday he remains in office is a threat to what the United States of America stands for.

Bernie Sanders nails it in this video...


Tuesday, March 2, 2021

3 scary Republicans worth watching

 

Liz Cheney has bucked the Republican Party by voting to impeach Donald Trump and, although she has taken flack for it in Wyoming, she stands by her vote. But can you believe this?...
"More Americans questioned in a new survey said that they think Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is representative of the Republican Party than Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), underscoring the rightward drift of the GOP."

The Hill reports...

"According to the Quinnipiac University poll out Wednesday, 28 percent of Americans said Greene represents the GOP, while 25 percent said the same of Cheney. Forty-seven percent did not offer an opinion."

Although Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) once approved of calls for the execution of Democrats, Republicans still love her and that's why she bears watching. Greene did lose all of her House Committee Assignments, but Rep. Liz Cheney retains her position as No. 3 leader. Kevin McCarthy's take...

"But as Wednesday's internal showdowns concluded, McCarthy and the House GOP decided against punishing two of their most high-profile women, whose views enrage opposite ends of the party's spectrum. The moves were typical of McCarthy's preference to avoid ruffling feathers as he charts his path to someday becoming House speaker."

God forbid the latter happens. 

Steve Bannon has been scary since the first day he walked into Donald Trump's


White House. I have done a number of blog posts on Bannon, most of which on the dark side. Donald Trump accepting Bannon's political cynicism is one thing; the whole Republican Party just illustrates how deeply troubled the GOP has become. Greg Sargent in the Washington Post describes Bannon' comeback...
"Trump’s former adviser is now elevating his profile as spokesman for the pro-Trump wing in a way that usefully illuminates the ugly depths of the GOP’s ongoing radicalization."

Steve Bannon was pardoned by Trump, but the New York Atty. Gen. has just asked for his financial records and plans to compare them with Donald Trump's, which they just received. The two are talking again as Trump becomes desperate for any hand in the storm. Sargent makes it clear, and most on the left agree, Democrats must demand "a full accounting into Trump’s most recent crime against the country, the effort to incite the violent overthrow of U.S. democracy."

And, in Stephen Miller, one of the scariest of Donald Trump's recent aides; always in the background, always proposing the doomsday. Miller was the nucleus of Trump's immigration program exclaiming re. Biden's moves on the issue, "This is madness!" Here are Miller's words...
"This is a policy choice disguised falsely to the court and to the country as a resource issue!" Miller shouted. "That is a lie and it's a lie that threatens public safety."

Stephen Miller has been branded an "Extremist" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, where you can find the best documentation of hate groups in the United States. Here is SPLC's take on Miller...

"Stephen Miller is credited with shaping the racist and draconian immigration policies of President Trump, which include the zero-tolerance policy, also known as family separation, the Muslim ban and ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Miller has also “purged” government agencies of civil servants who are not entirely loyal to his extremist agenda."

Stephen Miller is an ardent follower of Jared Taylor, a mouthpiece for white supremacist ideology, said, "The races are not identical and equivalent." Miller queries: who will pay for these immigrants, but it is clearly his views on white supremacy that guide his ideology. The Guardian said "Stephen Miller: the white nationalist at the heart of Trump's White House." Trump is no longer in the White House, but the heart of the current Trump movement is still white supremacy.




Monday, November 21, 2016

Steve Bannon scarier than ever with his statement : "darkness is good."


The term is in reference to keeping the liberals in the dark, but hits a familiar note when comparing Dick Cheney with darkness and in the same sentence, Satan. Bannon is "known for pushing nationalist policy positions, as well as conspiracy theories, and has been criticized as being racist, sexist and anti-Semitic." Speaking of Trump's potential ability to please the public, his comment is...
"...we'll get 60 percent of the white vote, and 40 percent of the black and Hispanic vote and we'll govern for 50 years."
 You'll notice the "we'll govern" in his rhetoric, indicating either Donald Trump has a twin or this presidency could be a doubleheader. If it is the latter, this is one of the points in Steve Bannon's agenda: Wants to replace Republican Party with "Trump's movement. I would have given anything to see the look on the faces of Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, even Mike Pence, when Bannon said that. He even mentions Andrew Jackson's populism to create a new political movement.

And here's a statement that is downright laughable, the fact that Bannon thinks Trump really gets it. Gets what? There is no substance to the President elect's issues and his thin skin keeps him attacking anyone who criticizes him indicating to me a vein of insecurity. What he gets is the fact that he hornswoggled enough of the public to be elected President, and now he is in the process of figuring out just how to convert this into the future of his businesses.

Friday, December 10, 2021

UPDATE: The Agony of Stupidity...Did Donald Trump Reintroduce Fascism to America?

 


This country thought it had left fascism behind when it defeated Germany and Italy in the 2nd World War. It took a raving maniac to open the door to its re-entry into to the United States. Donald Trump is the benefactor to a dictatorial form of government his pathetic supporters are willing to tolerate. Trump lost to Joe Biden but has never admitted his loss. Since then, the President has had to muster forces to combat Trump's continuing attacks on democracy.

Biden has also had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, which, again, Donald Trump holds the responsibility for letting the virus get out of control, resulting in a major problem for the Biden administration. But one thing continues to mystify me in all that is transpiring: why the hell would Trump followers want to succumb to a dictator, especially one that is a lowlife like the ex-president. And why would the apathetics from the left who don't vote seem to endure this lunacy?

One of this country's major allies, Germany, seems to be headed to the radical right, according to AlterNet...

"Germany’s gift to the far right is the Desiderius Erasmus Foundation, the public-policy arm of the country’s most prominent extremist party, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Erasmus, a Dutch humanist of the Renaissance best known for his ironic essay “In Praise of Folly,” would have been appalled at such a grotesque misappropriation of his name. The AfD, after all, has built its political base on a series of follies diametrically opposed to humanism, from its initial anti-immigration screeds to its current overtures to the anti-vaccination crowd."

 One must wonder, with a new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, just taking office, who is a

member of the Social Democratic Party, plus working closely with Angela Merkel in the past, is he on board with all this? I mean the AfD will be funded to establish outposts of hate throughout the world. The authors' comment...

The far right hasn’t had this kind of opportunity for global expansion since fascism’s heyday in the 1930s."

And it is clear that the Republican Party is regularly doing its part to kill democracy, raising autocracy to new heights. But although Donald Trump persecuted Hispanics and totally shut down Muslims from entering the United States, five fascism experts said the ex-president did not qualify as a fascist...

"Every one of them stated that to be a fascist, one must support the revolutionary, usually violent overthrow of the entire government/Constitution, and reject democracy entirely."

Trump was...

"too individualist for the inherently collectivist philosophy of fascism, and not sufficiently committed to the belief that violence is good for its own sake, as a vital cleansing force."

In other words, he was more into himself that he would embrace a movement like fascism. Steve Bannon, though, is another thing. The Daily Beast reports...

"Bannon may be the poster child for far-right “populism” and “economic nationalism”—euphemistic slogans for neo-fascism and neo-Nazism—but The Brink (in theaters March 29) is no puff piece on the founder of Breitbart News, whose role in the Trump campaign, and subsequent stint as White House Chief Strategist, helped make him an extremist celebrity power broker."

Steve Bannon is definitely an authoritarian who many thought was Donald Trump's brain. It is interesting to note that, as late as October of this year, Bannon was quoted as saying, "You need to kill this [Biden] administration in its crib." But there is still hope and it comes from the state of Georgia, and the far-left of the Democratic Party, a faction I recently criticized. The fact is I have been a Progressive for years but recently tired of the "Squad's" antics.

If You’re Not Scared About American Fascism, You’re Not Paying Attention...



AlterNet starts with quoting the recent low black turnout in Virginia then turns to South Fulton, Georgia, the state’s eighth most populous city, where Khalid Kamau, a “prominent Democratic Socialist… got 59 percent of the vote.” Here's the scenario...

On December 2, the paper noted that two city council members with a combined “four-and-a-half decades of experience” on the panel “were ousted Tuesday by younger, more progressive challengers.” (One victor, 34-year-old Antonio Lewis, is among the activists featured in “The Georgia Way.”)
This may very well point the way to more Progressive candidates from the left, but it does not open the door to stone-walling tactics. And turning back to the original question, "Did Donald Trump Reintroduce Fascism to America?', probably not, but not because he didn't want to. This maniac would have done anything to stay in office, denies losing, and continues to run for president in 2024. Trump has held several rallies since the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection but Iowa was the worst.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Gov. Kim Reynolds, along with other state politicians joined Trump in October at a rally that CNN's Dean Obeidallah described as "the most alarming by far." Here is Obeidallah's take...
"Some of these very same people, who just nine months ago were slamming Trump for his role in the Capitol riots, were now only too happy to be seen supporting him. This is politics at its worst -- and at its most dangerous for our democracy."
The most hypocritical of the bunch is Sen. Grassley...
who on January 6 was escorted by his security detail to a secure location to protect him from the pro-Trump mob that had laid siege on the Capitol. Grassley, who voted to certify the 2020 election, made a veiled reference to Trump in his statement, noting that the lawsuits filed after the election had failed and that "politicians in Washington should not second guess the courts once they have ruled."

Iowa can do without Chuck Grassley. The U.S. Senate can do without Chuck Grassley. This country can do without Chuck Grassley, just like an abundance of other Republicans in Congress. If we don't stop the GOP's attack on democracy, the U.S. doors will swing open, eventually welcoming a government promulgated by nutcases like the freaked out five, Matt Gaetz, M.T. Greene, Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorne and Paul Gosar. Any one of these could lead us to fascism.













 

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Political Satire: Steve Bannon pursues "deconstruction" of what?


Look what we dug up
It is near impossible to find something to admire Donald trump for but Steve Bannon would. It's the fact that the engineer of this runaway train, being called the Trump administration, will never moderate on his issues. That would be commendable, except that many of his issues are insane. Take the immigration Executive Order as one example. Another is targeting Obamacare. There are more. But this is all about something Stevo calls “deconstruction of the administrative state,” and that would mean...
"...the system of taxes, regulations and trade pacts that the president says have stymied economic growth and infringed upon U.S. sovereignty."
It was Barack Obama, a Democrat, who rescued the U.S. economy after Geo. W. Bush, another Republican, put it in the toilet.  Obama has placed it on the path to recovery and it would be in an even better position if the former President hadn't been blocked at every move he made by GOP obstructionists like Mitch McConnell and John Boehner. Back to Bannon, here's another biting commentary...
"Former Ohio governor Ted Strickland (D) said Bannon is a 'dangerous person driven by an authoritarian ideology who, I fear, has more influence than anyone in the administration.
This is a mean, vicious, intolerant group. I’ve never seen anything like this in my political life.'”
Finally, for the record, When Stevo was a documentary filmmaker, he promoted former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as a conservative idol for the Tea Party wackos. Need I say more?

The real story...

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Even the white nationalists are turning on Trump


Iowa has always been the come-to state for Presidents and 2016 was no different for Donald Trump. He took the state 51.1% to win against Hillary Clinton's 41.7, garnering the 6 electoral votes. Des Moines, where I spent several years, went for Clinton as did another major metro area, Cedar Rapids. Iowans are considered good, down to earth, stable people with common sense. That's pretty much true as I can attest to after spending several years in the capital city, but also having experienced a hard-line cliquishness there that forbids outsiders in until proven. I never made it.

I left in the late sixties, never sorry for my decision, and have never looked back. I tell you this to qualify the fact that I am a maverick, always have been, and always will be. Mavericks don't do well in the state, although there is a basketball team there by that name who are apparently winners. But it is people like Tom Godat, a union electrician from Clinton, Iowa, that represents a state that has been a combination of Democrat and Republican in the past, but recently has been attacked by the Tea Party. It elected Joni Ernst to the Senate, something many in the state still can't believe.

But back to Mr. Godat, who has always voted for Democrats, decided to cast his vote for Donald Trump in 2016, not that he particularly thought Trump was best, but because he thought Hillary Clinton was worse. An excellent case in point to shore up the fact that Bernie Sanders should have been the Democrats nominee, not Clinton. Tom now says he is "embarrassed" over his vote. I would suspect that a lot of good people out there are also coming to the same conclusion. What I don't understand is, after viewing Trump's campaign, why wasn't Tom Godat horrified with what he saw?

There were Donald John's comments about Mexican immigrants, about women, about veterans, the disarming of Clinton's bodyguards, saying Obama was the founder of ISIS, sicking the gun nuts on Hillary, encouraging Russia to hack Clinton's campaign, more racism calling for a ban on Muslims in the U.S., saying people in New Jersey were cheering on 9/11, suggesting one of his protesters should be roughed up, referring to his daughter in a sexual way, his bizarre comments about Megyn Kelly's menstrual period, I could go on forever but you get the idea. Why didn't Tom Godat?

Washington Post reporter, Jenna Johnson, and her photographer, Michael S. Williamson, ran into "...more than 100 Iowans [who]explained why so many of them are already disappointed in the new president." It only took four days which means they encountered 25 a day. That's an impressive number of people when you consider that Iowans aren't that open and easy to get to talk to by people they don't know. And then there's Lost Nation, Iowa, where the president received 66 percent of the vote. After Trump's election, the Iowa legislature voted to dramatically scale back the collective bargaining rights of the state’s public workers, distressing my Lost Nation residents.

The Huff Post reports that "thousands" of people across the country are unhappy with their vote for Donald John, and they are tweeting it in response to the "head tweeter's" barrage of lies and misinformation. Here's an example...
“I’m starting to feel like the biggest mistake of my young 23 years of life has been voting for [Trump],” Joseph Richardson tweeted on Nov. 21.
And that's less than two weeks after the November 8, election day. Richardson said it was a bitTrump’s Cabinet picks or the 'very childish' behavior he exhibited at a press conference last week. And he does regret his vote. Sort of." Even if he did it over, Richardson says he still couldn't vote for Clinton continuing with, “I still think Trump would be the better candidate. I’d still regret it. I’d vote for him again but I’d still regret it.” Go figure. But it is this exact kind of reasoning that political pundits were clamoring over during the 2016 election.
unsettling and added, "He doesn’t like

Now here's a guy you just have to shake your head over. Not sure if he is misinformed, full of indecision or just not too bright...
"Bill said he would like Trump to act more like President Barack Obama, who he voted against twice but considers 'an extremely honorable man who served the country fantastically.'”
I could understand a statement that said, served the country "well," or "fine," or even "right." But how can you call Obama "extremely honorable" and a man "who served the country fantastically" but still have voted against him twice? Makes no sense unless there is an ulterior motive. And that's what is wrong with our political system, people voting who haven't the slightest idea what they are doing. There were some that lashed out at Donald John for not following up on his promise to investigate Clinton’s handling of sensitive emails, a decision that also puzzles some of the pundits.

Others voiced their reason to vote for Trump was his promise for change, to drain the swamp. Many of this group think the swamp is fuller than ever, but others believe Trump is following through on his promises. Even the alt-right and its white nationalists are down on Donald Trump. Remember Richard Spencer? The guy "who stood at a podium shortly after Donald Trump's election and, in a video that went viral, shouted 'Hail Trump!' while several in the crowd celebrated the victory with a Nazi salute." He's not sure now his President will be racial enough.



From what I have read, a large number of Trump voters have combined to strongly object over the fact that Donald John did not investigate, subsequently prosecute Hillary Clinton over the email issue. This is a major campaign promise that he broke, and the fact that this is one of the primary annoyances of those who voted for the man, it is yet just one more instance that reflects the amount of animosity toward Hillary Clinton. This was clear from the early 2016 campaigning right through the November election. A leading reason Democrats are in the hole they are now in.

Donald Trump's top adviser and chief White House strategist, Steve Bannon, described Richard Spencer as one of the leading intellectuals of the alt-right movement. CNN reported that...
"Spencer is a white nationalist who believes that there should be a 'peaceful ethnic cleansing,' where people who are not of European descent voluntarily leave the United States."
Not that it is important since this deranged kind of thinking probably has no chance of ever being initiated in this country, but what if they don't leave voluntarily? But just maybe the thought of ethnic cleansing isn't so far out when you consider Trump has already provided the model in his latest Muslim ban of now six countries just announced in Monday's address to Congress. More from Slate on Bannon/Spencer connection...
"In August, [2016] Bannon proudly described his site as 'the platform for the alt-right,' a movement with Spencer as one of its intellectual leaders, again, according to Bannon’s own site."
It is said the Vice President is only a heartbeat away from the presidency. In the case of Steve Bannon, this is a heart beat that could change the direction of the greatest free nation of all time.


Friday, May 29, 2020

Is racism still a dirty word, or...just accepted today?


Racism is worse than that old weather saying. People have been talking about it for years, but no one has seriously done anything about it...


My take is that it is definitely a dirty word, even many racists would agree with that, but it is like one of those rogue genes that are the basis for a particular kind of behavior which allows those who have it to justify what they do. I grew up in the South, fighting with racists all my life, even within my own family, and when I finally left in the 1960s, there were still lynchings of black people, their houses being burned to the ground, all orchestrated by the Ku Klux Klan.

Like the Mafia, the Klan slowly faded away, but as is the case for both, there is still evidence of their activity around. Here's a scenario from NPR...
"For the fourth year in a row, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that tracks hate groups, reports that hate and domestic extremism are rising in an unabated trend. The center found a 30 percent increase in U.S. hate groups over the past four years and a 7 percent increase in hate groups in 2018 alone."

NPR adds, "The watchdog group blames President Trump, his administration, right-wing media outlets and the ease of spreading hate on social media platforms for the alarming increase." Trump has promoted and encouraged white nationalism since being inaugurated, hiring people like Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, of which the latter is still on his staff. Heidi Beirich, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project said...
"The numbers tell a striking story — that this president is not simply a polarizing figure but a radicalizing one."
Excellent video on the Trump-Miller relationship...


This added...
"Heidi Beirich, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project, said in a statement. "Rather than trying to tamp down hate, as presidents of both parties have done, President Trump elevates it — with both his rhetoric and his policies. In doing so, he's given people across America the go-ahead to act on their worst instincts."
"Worst instincts," resulting from that rogue gene that wallows in racism. And here's more on Stephen Miller from the Daily Beast...
"Stephen Miller, the highly influential advisor to President Donald Trump, is the end result of a shadowy network made up of racist organizations and PAC’s designed to push a white nationalist worldview from the fringes into deep inside the White House."
The Confederate battle flag

Now there are even rumbles that Steve Bannon is attempting to work his way back into the White House. The combination of Miller and Bannon, especially should there be a Trump second term, God forbid, and with the White House maniac at his highest level of mental instability since entering office, could turn this country into a national Confederate States of America. What would a new flag look like? Would future elections even be allowed?

Miller was a close ally of John Tanton, an Ophthalmologist from Michigan, founder of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), and considered by SPLC the "puppeteer" of the nativist movement and a man with deep racist roots. Stephen Miller, practicing Tanton's ideology, is considered the architect of Donald Trump's immigration policies. The Beast's Mark Potok reports...
"Miller is both a promoter and, to some extent, a product of a much wider racist network aimed at preventing non-white immigration into the United States.”
He also thinks there is little chance of Miller leaving the administration, able to now influence, as I stated earlier, a much more mentally unstable Donald Trump, who is already making the worst of bad decisions. I would surmise when the black community sees this rampant racism originate from the highest office in the land, they feel there is just no hope. And they may very well be right as long as Trump occupies the White House and Mitch McConnell controls the Senate.

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Steve Bannon will only add to more chaos


The new Bobbsey twins
The lack of decision-making skills on the part of Donald John is almost as laughable as his lack of knowledge about what he is doing as the new President of the United States. The Chicago Tribune said during the 2016 campaign, "It is almost impossible to underestimate his knowledge about issues, including the ones he talks most about in his campaign." It has gotten no better, only worse. So what does the new inept President do? He selects a Cabinet that knows almost as little as he does.  But the height of his stupid decision-making process is his choice of Steve Bannon, who appears to be against everything but himself. What's worse, "... the president decided to give a permanent seat at the National Security Council table to his chief strategist and senior counselor, Stephen Bannon."

Read more here...

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Political Satire: Trump Executive Order making Steve Bannon Presdent


Trump's latest Executive Order
Donald Trump was secretly constructing a new Executive Order when Kellyanne Conway walked into the Oval Office. She immediately asked what he was working on since Donald John looked so insidious. He told her he was afraid he might have to resign since everyone was dropping Ivanks's clothes line and there was no way he would let this country's business interfere with his business. Besides, he planned to come out with a new line of golf balls and his business advisers were telling him 'Dump the presidency." I'm recommending Steve Bannon for the job.

"Whaddaya mean, Bannon, Mike Pence is Vice President."

"That's what this Executive Order is for but don't tell Mikey or Stevo yet."

"This is bullshit, why can't I be President?" KC retorted.

"You're a woman, to begin with, and besides, no one likes you. You have to have charisma like me."

It was right then that Melania walked in. "Here's the plan to trim the White House in gold. Mitch McConnell loves it and says he'll get the budget of $100 million approved."

Donald John looked at everyone, "Maybe I'll hang around another two years; probably won't make it past the midterms anyway."

The real story...


Friday, April 7, 2017

Friday T-rump STUPID Roundup


After campaigning as the champion of the working class, Donald Trump has carefully organized an enclave of only the rich to advise him. "...disclosures showed that Trump’s top aides have generated millions of dollars from Wall Street, Hollywood, real estate and the media, holding a slew of investments that intensify the administration’s challenge in navigating potential intersections between officials’ personal finances and their policymaking roles." It all adds up to $2.3 billion. Being the Democratic Socialist I am, can you imagine breaking that up among the U.S. homeless?

Donald John's head of the Federal Communications Commission wants to halt small and rural Internet providers from offering subsidized broadband connections to low-income Americans nationwide. The reason given has to do with a Reagan era act called Lifeline, that provided subsidies for seniors, veterans and rural Americans that is more state run than federal. "Opponents of the decision said the move will limit struggling Americans' ability to choose a good provider, particularly in rural or low-income areas." Anyway you cut it, they're telling business what they can do.

The Daily Beast makes the statement that Jared Kushner is perhaps the only Donald Trump adviser that cannot be fired. Even if he starts WW III? And with the stupidity that surrounds this clan, and the fact that Kushner appears to be circumventing State department power, with absolutely no experience in foreign policy, I personally think it's possible. This all comes from the fact that former adviser, Roger Stone, claimed to host Alex Jones that Trump’s own son-in-law Jared Kushner was leaking information to MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough. Want to reconsider DJ?

What does Donald Trump do when his top adviser resorts to juvenile behavior, and it is with his second top adviser? But wait, there's another factor here; number one is his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Number two is Steve Bannon, the trusted white nationalist aide who Trump has placed a lot of trust in for advice. But now Bannon has been removed from the National Security Table, as Ivanks joins her husband in complaining about Stevo's ideologies and their negative effects on daddy's issues. Like Stan Freberg said: High School Ooh Ooh.

ISIS just described Donald Trump in Arabic terms as an "idiot," which is close enough to stupid to be included in this post. And there is a reason for this they use, saying he doesn't know anything about Islam. I doubt seriously if he is well versed on the faith, but this would explain his stupidity for banning entry to the U.S. of some predominantly Muslim nations by lumping all Islamists into one group of terrorists. "Trump has pledged to 'totally obliterate ISIS,'" according to a piece in NBC News. This bit of strategy no doubt compliments of Steve Bannon.

And finally, John Oliver, host of the HBO political talk-show Last Week Tonight, has dubbed Donald Trump's Russian connection as "Stupid Watergate." Oliver says it is, “a potential scandal with all of the intrigue of Watergate except everyone involved is really bad at everything.” If Donald John is really trying to cover up something, he's doing a worse job than Richard Nixon. Devin Nunes, is out, Mike Conaway is in, wearing a Trump "Make America Great Again" cap. Odds are he could be worse than Nunes but there's no doubt who he favors from the get go.






Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Racism is here to stay


Racism hasn't really changed over the years

You can talk about the strides that have been taken since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but, in a nutshell, they haven't worked. I said in an earlier post that since 1964, radical racism has simply gone underground, with those who practice this vile lifestyle, playing in the shadows, putting on the good-guy front. Until Donald Trump. Until the White House loaded up with racists, white nationalists, and a bigotry that isn't disguised, rather, put right there in the open for all to see. Steve Bannon is proud of his white supremacist label, flaunting it regularly around Washington. And Donald Trump is quick to tell you, Steve Bannon is his man.

Donald Trump afraid to offend white nationalist supporters

After days of not repudiating white nationalists and the Ku Klux Klan after the murder in the Charlottesville demonstration, T-rump finally denounced the KKK and neo-nazis. This was his statement...
  • "Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups."

The media made me do it

Daily Progress reports that the only reason Trump changed his tone--it is widely known that he does not adhere to political correctness--is that the media made him do it. What a pathetic moment in history when it takes outcry from the media to make the President of the United States do a duty that should have been his top priority the moment that woman was killed by James Alex Fields' car. But that would have insulted Donald Trump's base of double-digit IQ bigots. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said, "From the beginning, President Trump has sheltered and encouraged the forces of bigotry and discrimination." Why would we expect more just because of a death?

Sports personalities criticize Trump

LeBron James, basketball star, said, “Hate has always existed in America. Yes we know that but Donald Trump just made it fashionable again!” Steve Nash, another basketball great said...
  • “To defend white supremacists and then slang his [crappy] a— grape juice pretty much sums the man up.” Nash was referring to Trump’s remark that he knows “a lot about Charlottesville” because he owns “one of the largest wineries in the United States,” located there.
Seth Meyers on Trump Charlottesville news conference...


Even the Jews were included in Charlottesville protest

Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally was universal in its appeal with anti-Semitic lines like “Jews will not replace us”? Also heard, “This city is run by Jewish communists and criminal niggers,” one demonstrator told Vice News’ Elspeth Reeve during their march. The Atlantic reported, "As Jews prayed at a local synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel, men dressed in fatigues carrying semi-automatic rifles stood across the street." There was more, "In the minds of white supremacists like David Duke, there is a straight line from anti-blackness to anti-Judaism." I learned from the deep South, when you learn to hate like these people do, there are no bounds.

T-rump again reverts to bad taste

Donald Trump created an analogy between his re-tweet that was eventually pulled, where the Trump train collides with a person from CNN News (logo across face) obviously killing them. He did this just three days after the white nationalist drove into the Charlottesville woman killing her. Trump literally sanctions violence; remember when he wanted to punch the Black Lives Matter protester in the face? He also recently told a group of Long Island police that they shouldn't be too nice with criminal suspects. That drew fire from people all across the country, including police departments. There is no end to the Oval Office lunatic's lunacy.

Why are people still racist? A terrifying answer

The Washington Post recently asked, "Why are people still racist?" They go on to answer using a scientific point of view. The answer...
  • “In some ways, it’s super simple. People learn to be whatever their society and culture teaches them. We often assume that it takes parents actively teaching their kids, for them to be racist. The truth is that unless parents actively teach kids not to be racists, they will be."
That is scary as hell, especially when you consider the fact that Donald Trump is President of the United States, espousing his rhetoric of bigotry.

Donald Trump Says He Will Be Indicted On Tuesday

  THAT'S TODAY... Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the case to this point, now looking at a possible indictment. Trum...