Naturally, when Steve Bannon reviews the Trump campaign, it all revolves around his contribution, starting out in mid August 2016 at 12, 15 points behind and ending with the upset of the century.
But when you listen to Bannon and Pat Caddell talk at David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend about what they knew and what they wanted to do, you think: Wow, thank goodness for Steve Bannon and his Gen. Patton attitude.
The basis of the Bannon Doctrine is that the natives are restless.
Pat Caddell talked about how his polling showed this.
Then Bannon went on to talk about the "nullification project," the attempt that started the day after the 2016 election to nullify Trump's win.
The fact is that in the last two change elections where the Democrats have lost, in 2000 and 2016, the Democrats have not conceded the election. Instead they have encouraged their supporters to believe that the election was stolen, and their supporters have believed it.
In this, as in many things, Democrats are klueless klots, completely misunderstanding the point of electoral politics. It really does not matter who wins the election, for the winner will do stupid things based on the misapprehension that government force can ever do good. What matters is that our disagreements about who gets the loot do not escalate into actual civil war.
Of course, I understand the annoyance of Trump, that he has broken into a nice little protection racket that has been very good to the courtiers of the capital city, just like the Capitol in The Hunger Games.
But really, the educated elite has had a pretty good run for the last 150-200 years, and dynasties typically don't last beyond about 200 years, max. Like all elites our elites have found it easy to believe that what was good for them -- lots of sinecures for the educated elite at the Circumlocution Office -- was also good for the nation. But, of course, as in almost all cases, the ruling-class agenda has not been so great for the great unwashed, and so the deplorables start to believe that the system is rigged against them.
The problem is, of course, that no ruling class ever went quietly. The whole point of power is power, and any outcome that means the end of power is a non-starter for any serious ruling class.
That is why, in China, the interregnum between dynasties is called a Time of Troubles.
So I expect that, sooner or later, the ruling class will come for Steve Bannon, and that the removal of Bannon won't solve anything.
But at least Steve Bannon showed the way.
But when you listen to Bannon and Pat Caddell talk at David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend about what they knew and what they wanted to do, you think: Wow, thank goodness for Steve Bannon and his Gen. Patton attitude.
The basis of the Bannon Doctrine is that the natives are restless.
Pat Caddell talked about how his polling showed this.
But what we found from the beginning was the level of discontent in this country was beyond anything measurable, and I believe worse than any time that we have ever seen in our country.As in:
- "the 70-75 percent of people who absolutely believe the country was in decline"
- "85 percent believe that the rich and powerful have rigged the rules and have the advantage"
- 81 percent think "Political leaders are more interested in protecting their power and privilege than doing what is right for the American people."
Then Bannon went on to talk about the "nullification project," the attempt that started the day after the 2016 election to nullify Trump's win.
Yeah, this nullification project, which was both from the left and also from, I think, the Republican establishment, started immediately on the morning of the 9th and the 10th. They had to come up with an excuse for why they lost.In my view, this nullification project, or "Resistance," is the really troubling aspect of today's politics. The whole point of elections is to reframe the natural civil war of all against all into a sham fight of electioneering and then a decision by the spectators as to who won. The key moment is right after the decision, when the losing party accepts with a good grace, says we are all Americans, and says "wait until next year!"
The fact is that in the last two change elections where the Democrats have lost, in 2000 and 2016, the Democrats have not conceded the election. Instead they have encouraged their supporters to believe that the election was stolen, and their supporters have believed it.
In this, as in many things, Democrats are klueless klots, completely misunderstanding the point of electoral politics. It really does not matter who wins the election, for the winner will do stupid things based on the misapprehension that government force can ever do good. What matters is that our disagreements about who gets the loot do not escalate into actual civil war.
Of course, I understand the annoyance of Trump, that he has broken into a nice little protection racket that has been very good to the courtiers of the capital city, just like the Capitol in The Hunger Games.
But really, the educated elite has had a pretty good run for the last 150-200 years, and dynasties typically don't last beyond about 200 years, max. Like all elites our elites have found it easy to believe that what was good for them -- lots of sinecures for the educated elite at the Circumlocution Office -- was also good for the nation. But, of course, as in almost all cases, the ruling-class agenda has not been so great for the great unwashed, and so the deplorables start to believe that the system is rigged against them.
The problem is, of course, that no ruling class ever went quietly. The whole point of power is power, and any outcome that means the end of power is a non-starter for any serious ruling class.
That is why, in China, the interregnum between dynasties is called a Time of Troubles.
So I expect that, sooner or later, the ruling class will come for Steve Bannon, and that the removal of Bannon won't solve anything.
But at least Steve Bannon showed the way.
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