“Darkness is Good”
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Steve Bannon – career bigot and now chief strategist to Cheeto Jesus, asserted that:
“Darkness is good. Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That’s power. It only helps us when “they” [liberals and the media] get it wrong. When they’re blind to who we are and what we’re doing.”
and there’s more – a lot more. Here’s another nice jewel from before the election:
“I’m not a white nationalist, I’m a nationalist. I’m an economic nationalist. The globalists gutted the American working class and created a middle class in Asia. The issue now is about Americans looking to not get fucked over. [Sorry, Momma] If we deliver, 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. That’s what the Democrats missed. They were talking to these people with companies with a $9 billion market cap employing nine people. It’s not reality. They lost sight of what the world is about.”
Bannon is at one time fascinating and terrifying. He is playing the role to Cheeto Jesus that Rove played to GWB. The difference? Rove was a brilliant tactician and professional dirty trickster. He got votes through vicious lies and simple dirty tricks like push polls, fake mailers, and simply misrepresenting of fact. Bannon is more dangerous. He addresses people who have been actually disaffected. For decades, the GOP (aided and abetted by NeoLiberal Democrats) have pushed all of the wealth to the top 1%, stagnated wages, destroyed unions, offshored jobs, and crippled the public healthcare system. Bannon (you’re going to hate this) has brilliantly used this disaffection to propel the Cheeto vote.
In the campaign, he targeted establishment Republicans, the Tea Party, the media, and of course, Neoliberals. Because the Democratic Party was taken over by Neoliberal ideology in the late 80s and early 90s adopting GOP light policies, it has therefore been complicit in the decline of the middle class by not standing up to GOP slash and burn tactics. Having ceded most of populism, the last bastion of liberal ideology has been on identity politics – pointing out how the “other guy” is bad for women and minorities. While, especially in the case of Cheeto Jesus, that line of argument is certainly true, it is simply not enough for today’s politics.
Maslow’s Hierarchy
What Hillary didn’t get (and Cheeto Jesus and Bannon clearly understood) was that disaffected white working class voters were more concerned about eating, heating their homes, and were angry at a system that was taking security away from them. Intentionally or not, they used Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs to appeal to potential voters. Maslow developed the hierarchy in 1943 to describe people’s behavior based on needs. Essentially, the theory is that people’s physiological needs (eating and safety) take precedence before all other needs. When those are satisfied, then people focus on loving and belonging, when that is satisfied, esteem becomes important, and finally, self-actualization. Bannon and Cheeto brilliantly kept the entire campaign focused on the first two most basic needs, especially safety. Hillary and the Dems focused on love/belonging and esteem (identity politics), pointing out how bad the other guy was. And they missed. Badly. The result of Hillary and Co. being completely tone deaf to the mood of the electorate was that they were shocked when Cheeto took the battleground states that she had deemed as her own. Bannon, I believe, is responsible for the success in the battleground states by focusing on fear, while Hillary relied on traditional identity politics.
The US, and indeed the planet, are in for dark days. I don’t believe that Cheeto Jesus intends to (or even can) fulfill nearly all of his promises to those who voted for him. He’s not going to resurrect the coal industry. He’s not going to lower the deficit increasing spending while slashing taxes. He’s not going to deport millions of people and create better healthcare by destroying Obamacare. At some point, the disaffected will begin to realize that they are still disaffected. At that point, the Dems (if they get off their asses and get to work) will have a chance to take control of the national debate.
My concern is that the Dems keep doing the same goddam thing over and over, expecting a different result. It’s time for the ruling class of the Dems to step aside, allow a younger, more energetic generation of true liberals rise to the top (if they exist). If the Dems don’t do that, then Bannon’s assertion that they’ll “govern for 50 years” is more scary than Rove’s assertion he was going to develop a “permanent majority.”
Message to Hillary loyalists – stop mourning and get off your ass. Message to DNC and state parties: stop mourning, get off your ass, and get out of the way.
Here endeth the rant, goddamit. (Sorry, Momma).
Yes “it’s the economy stupid”. But I’m really tired of the BS about the “white working class”. The majority of the working class by economic standards is people of color. How is it that the majority of people of color were able to recognize the BS of Trump and the white people were not! I’m the white daughter and sister of Detroit auto workers – UAW. I know these people. Racism played a role. To deny that is a lie.
1How refreshing. This is the same conclusion I came to this morning while considering this mess: we need someone like JFK; maybe it is Tammy Duckworth or Kristin Gillibrand. Maybe it is Al Franken or Russ Feingold. Castros, anyone? Maybe it is that young man, Chris something? also a vet, who ran for the Senate in Missouri. I’m glad Donna Brazile is out; I hope Rham Emmanuel stays out. I hope DWS didn’t let the door hit her in the ass on her way out. So now that I’ve stopped mourning and got off my ass, what do I do? I’ve started by trying to refer to the President elect using his honorific; I learned that when I called our outgoing President “Mr Obama” it changed the whole tone of a conversation. Same with the ACA – I never refer to it by its cute little press moniker. So, Jefe, PKM, daChipster-what do we DO? What direction do we take from here? What is the plan for moving forward?
2Give the devil his due. Bannon is right about a few thing’s.
3The demo’s better get back to their roots. Working people of all
colors and backgrounds. And the lower middle class. And I mean here not in china.
El Jefe, great analysis. It is incumbent upon Democrats to reminds themselves of the true nature of their base – all the people. Howard Dean was on the correct track with the 50 state strategy. It does not pay to simply focus on the low hanging Electoral College fruit as did Team Hilz. Bernie’s ‘failure’ was not in his tepid attack on Hilz, but a combination of underestimating the mood of the country for change and not having a southern strategy combined with an outreach to disaffected voters. He had the economic plan, but not the time and resources to take it to all 50 states.
Good candidates are paramount, but we cannot forget the importance of “framing the debate.” For example, I’d slap the “pro-life” issue right out of the mouths of the snacilbupeR beginning with Planned Parenthood. How can one close clinics that provide prenatal care and claim to be pro-life? And, how can one claim to be a “Constitutionalist” while ignoring the Fourteenth Amendment that recognizes the right of everyone to equality. The 14th is not a pick and choose option of ‘who’ is a citizen. It means everyone.
😀 and the old snacilbuepR fav “fiscal conservatism.” That is rich with irony. Privatize prisons while starving education. I do believe the statistics are in on that meme and are readily available to discredit the snacilbupeR. They love to wrap themselves in the flag, so let’s assist them in wrapping themselves in their School to Prison Pipeline banner. Or, for those who prefer a more numbers related strategy, ask them again why we should increase the Pentagon’s budget, when the Pentagon claims they can’t possibly account for their expenditures. WTF? The most indulgent of parents wouldn’t accept that sort of lame excuse, when their kid busts past their weekly allowance. Yet, the snacilbupeR repeatedly take that BS from the Pentagon in a $billion dollar smoke screen.
4No El Jefe! Not goddamit! It’s Gawd, Dem It!
“Darkness is good. Dick Cheney. Darth Vader… (and) SATAN?!!!!! That should thrill the Christians.
5JAKvirginia, it will thrill the “Christian” wrong who are so deep into the darker passages of the Old Testament. They love them some he’ll.
Ol’ Bannon has already been busy mansplainin’ his remarks to mean condemning the media, his ownself excluded, of course. More of the snacilbupeR “personal responsibility” on display wrapped in an attack on the First Amendment.
For an appreciation of their interpretation of the Second Amendment, we need look no further than their embrace of “stop and frisk.” If “stop and frisk” were to be extended to include their wingnut ammosexuals, they’d exceed apoplectic.
6Yes, and this explains the racism /sexism / bigotry as well. Bannon told people fearing for their jobs and their homes that the Democrats were in league with Wall Street to steal their stuff and give it to foreigners. Plus, give their tax money to The Others.
Given that, Trump won. To defeat the Republicans, we need a DNC that stops hippie-punching, stops Republican-Lite triangulation, and goes back to speaking for the average American. Betcha getting laws passed screwing the payday loan folks would make lots of Trump voters vote for Democrats…
7Speaking of Stub your toe old Bunion, maybe he’d care to address their ‘supporters’ set loose by his and Donnie’s rhetoric.
https://desertbeacon.wordpress.com/2016/11/18/chills-down-the-spine-time/
8“…then Bannon’s assertion that they’ll “govern for 50 years”… ”
Translation: “Das tausendjährige Reich”, said by somebody similar or other…
9.
PKM et al,
Have y’all heard of the latest 2nd Amendment bill pre-filed by a Texas legislammer?
Deals with allowing what they call “Constitutional Carry”, IOW, anyone can carry any weapon anywhere without any restrictions (like obtaining the current CCW license).
What could possibly go wrong here?
Man, I’m a fairly strong gun rights type, often ‘carry’ a peice, but this stuff is getting weird.
10I guess if it passes (sort of a foregone conclusion, eh?), one could tote one’s .50cal Barrett or Desert Eagle around (I think you already can w/those); maybe your basic homemade bazooka’s, flamethrowers, M240’s, tactical missiles, whatever…
I hear PanTex up in Amarillo will be auctioning off surplus nukes (it’ll take a little more than your basic 4×4 pickup to haul one off though). MM & Raytheon may have a few extra missiles, or if you like the fancy imported Thales stuff, those Frenchies will sell you some with a smile.
C’mon Bannon, a 1000-year Reich idea has been tried before. Lasted 11 years. So, by comparison, your 50-year Reich gonna last what 6, 7 months?
11Thanks. Interesting analysis. Prompts a lot of thoughts, some of which are really unpleasant.
One wonders if, not only will the dems come up with new leaders but if we have the courage to articulate bold new positions that substantively address the concerns found in the lower Maslov tiers.
Positions that are willing to sever ties to older platitudes and will generate outrage and reprisal from the financial elite stakeholders but will truly help the middle and lower economic classes.
12Seems to me that the base line of this right-wing politics is white supremacy; therefore, this needs to be constantly challenged with, “Tell me how EXACTLY before you were born you were able to choose being born white?” No opinions, beliefs, guesswork, etc, allowed/accepted.
13Follow up: “If white means superior race, why would nearly 3/4 of the 7+billion present population choose not to be white?”
Whichever tactic, format, best works, hammer the hell out of it and don’t let the racist leaders esp. off the hook. Ever!
IMO, the “christianists” need to be held to account per the main accepted versions of the Bible with all critical words and wording properly defined by the large majority of biblical scholars. Again, don’t let the charlatans off the hook. Ever!
This means remaining classy on our part – not subservient.
Abashed the Devil stood, and felt how awful goodness is, and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely, and pined his loss. — Milton
The first sort by their own suggestions fell,
Self-tempted, self-depraved: man falls deceived
By the other first: man therefore shall find grace,
The other none. — Milton
Thanks, El Jefe, for that analysis with Maslow’s hierarchy.
14El Jefe- please don’t stop ranting; we can’t fix the problem if we can’t see the problem. You give me hope that there is a way out of this darkness.
RepubAnon- Yes, to everything you said but particularly the call for the cessation of hippie punching and for the call to defeat the pay day loan sharks. How can Debbie Wasserman Schultz call herself a Democrat when she tirelessly works to screw the consumer and abet the predatory loan companies? The new Democratic Party needs to make members like her either change her tune or find another party. The Party needs to be inclusive but it doesn’t need to include members who don’t agree with the basics of our platform.
Van59- Now that science has definitively established that people of all races originated in Africa my automatic response to all bigots is “Go back to where you came from… go back to Africa.” They are too stupid to get it but it makes me feel better and hope springs eternal that one of them will one day ask me to explain myself.
15El Jefe–
I’m so glad you’ve come aboard here!
Don’t know if it will help anyone, but when I told my daughter on Wednesday that I was horrified by the election, she immediately responded that the Millennials are coming as fast as they can. We have to make the place for them, but I think she’s got a good point in that they have potential to do us a lot of good.
But you’re absolutely right–we need to open the door for them and be ready to listen to what they have to say.
I’m healing, but I still wake up with night sweats because I’m afraid of what this monster will do. Pence wouldn’t/won’t be much better (he’ll be more of a Snacilbuper rubber stamp than the Cheeto will be), but that would at least show the “conservatives” what their side really stands for.
Three things I am sure of: the Cheeto is a liar and a bully, and he doesn’t give a rat’s patoot about anybody but himself. The amount of harm he will do is mind-boggling.
16While we are waiting for the mangled apricot to drag his knuckles through the sand, here’s a to do list:
http://crooksandliars.com/2016/11/top-10-actions-you-can-take-stop-trump
If one is into entertainment that borders the masochistic and has a Senator of the snacilbupeR flavor, writing them to ask what they plan to do in regard to all Donnie’s conflicts of interest can be fun. Still waiting on an answer from Senator Heller. (yes, him and yes, that’s really his name)
17” the Millennials are coming as fast as they can. ”
djw, I love your daughter, and thank her for the encouragement. That really helped me feel better.
I forget that is not only skin color demographics that are working against the snacilbupeR, but it’s age too. KKKNaziBannon may not be as smart as he thinks.
I fully agree that liberals need to be LIBERAL! Let’s go for it and be what we are, Roots Liberals!
18This twerp is about as whimsical as Stalin!
19@ Sandridge: Anyone can carry a gun anywhere? That Texas Legislator must not realize who won the election… I doubt El Trumpo wants armed non-white people wandering the streets.
20El Jefe…I work at the number one profit center for GM in the United States. We work 6 and sometimes 7 days a week with no regard to family situation or needs. Here everyone is well taken care of with regards to the bottom of that pyramid in terms of money, etc. From the middle up is missing here. That and the utter racism of the white minority in this plant. We are heavily black and brown here and too many of my white coworkers voted for that ahole Trump and they’re damned proud of it when with white coworkers. But most will clam up about it in a mixed race group. Not all, most.
21So two takeaways from TWMDBS for those who will put their money where there mouths are and run for public offices,
221. tell a story with your candidacy, a hero, a villain, a McGuffin, etc. Just like Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces has described for fiction writers. Your campaign really should look like Star Wars Episode IV.
2. in the telling of that story you must remain cognizant of the perception of Maslow’s needs hierarchy in the voters’ in your district.
Repeat as necessary to reverse the snacilbupeR tide of ignorance. Your mileage may vary.
oh hogwash. this is the same el crapo that rove bloviated on when bush II was selected by the SC in 2000. the 1,000 year republican reich. it didn’t happen then, it’s not going to happen now. the blatant racism, etc. that Trump spewed openly, was spewed to a slowly dying breed (remember, he lost the popular vote), and they die off more each day. if HRC’s campaign staff was taken by surprise, they weren’t alone. pretty much everyone (including Trump’s campaign staff) were stunned. I don’t think it will happen again.
the very last thing the Dems need to be doing, is trying to appeal to Trump voters, because they can’t be reasoned with. toss them aside, and work on getting every dem voter to the polls/registered. I think that’s where they fell short.
23cpinva, everything you stated is true. To it I would add that because only a mere fraction of eligible voters who actually vote, it’s time to embrace/enfold and whatever it takes to bring out the electorate. Past elections show that ‘divide’ among Americans where close races happen, while the choices are not even close. For example Dubya x2 or more recently Donnie. Messaging, messaging, messaging and more messaging to appeal to those non-voters who think their vote doesn’t count.
Ask them, “how do you like me now” in regards to Donnie. Green day nailed that one: “No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!”
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