Wednesday, February 01, 2017

The Real President?



If you want to know what is really going on in Donald Trump's White House, Lawrence Douglas suggests that you take a good, hard look at Steve Bannon:

As we now know, the drafting and rollout of the travel ban was largely the work of Steve Bannon, the president’s chief political strategist. It was Bannon who reportedly overruled the proposal to exempt green card holders from the ban. And it was Bannon who pushed the order through without consulting experts at the Department of Homeland Security or at the state department.

The Nacht und Nebel quality of the ban’s announcement makes clear that the president’s chief strategist wanted to send tremors through the world. Here was bold proof that the portentous accents of Trump’s inaugural address, also Bannon’s work, was not mere rhetoric.

Now the world would know what “America First” means – not first in democracy or human rights; not first in recognizing an obligation to victims of humanitarian crisis (some of which we have helped create). No, this was America first in pugilism, parochialism and misplaced protectionism.

Douglas suggests that in Trump Bannon found the perfect empty vessel:

Bannon is not the president’s servant. The president is his tool. For years, Bannon cast about for the proper vehicle to carry the fight forward. Sarah Palin, Rick Perry –they were considered possible material. Now in Donald Trump he has found adequate if imperfect stuff. Both are workaholics. Both share a protectionist mindset. Both are combative.

Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker goes even further. She suggests Bannon is the real president:

With little more than a week in office, President Bannon has been operating at a frantic pace. As Trump sits dutifully at his desk, signing executive orders and memorandums — banning mostly Muslim travelers and doing away with acting attorney general Sally YatesBannon grabs a seat on the National Security Council.

Though true that previous administrations have approved visits by political advisers, including David Axelrod during the Obama years, there’s at least one significant difference. Within a day of the Friday afternoon blitzkrieg that ultimately deleted Yates, two council members specifically required to advise the president on security matters — the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — were stripped of their regular seats on the NSC’s principals committee. Now why would this be?

Is the answer to Parker's question that Donald J. Trump is a doofus  and Stephen K. Bannon is the real president?

Image: Breitbart

21 comments:

the salamander said...

.. the 'endless endaround' era..

Some day soon I will trademark the term.. but it's the impression I gained as a Canadian.. tracking Stephen Harper, Ray Novak & Peter Kent on the boreal caribou - wolf file. Without going also into the mystery of the same players but substituting Kent out, for Keith Ashfield & Super sub Gail 'Groundhog Day' Shea re farmed vs wild salmon.. I will say Harper hit a strategic home run.

Yes.. the endless endaround involves doing whatever the f__k you want, once you hit or a majority.. and then using thousands of tax payer paid lawyers the litigate, appeal.. deny, apply rhetoric, file yearly appeals.. and just plain filibuster the hell out of the case.. They finally decided to shoot and airdrop strychnine meat baits on the wolves to 'save' the caribou.. last seen on our 25 cent coin.. Oh did I mention 'regretfully' ?

The lesson here is do what you want.. to the citizenry.. and use their tax $ against them.. This is the new 'public servant' approach to runaway train wreck politics ..

Bannon - Trump et al know this .. they're psychopaths.. From Los should review the medical algorithms that the DSM - 5 utilizes for differential diagnosis of medical research disorders - Bannon - Trump - Miller are poster guys..

Dana said...

Owen, I'd like to send you an image file. Is there a way?

Owen Gray said...

They are sociopaths, salamander, masquerading as public servants.

Owen Gray said...

Can you copy and paste the image to the comment section, Dana? I don't like to put my email out for public consumption.

Dana said...

This might work.

https://twitter.com/PiaGuerra/status/825894457396514816

Dana said...

I completely understand that. I don't like to do that either - which is why I have a few anonymous accounts that I can easily abandon should the trolls become a problem. I found the link to the artist's twitter account where the image resides. Truly brilliant piece IMO.

Anonymous said...

"No, this was America first in pugilism, parochialism and misplaced protectionism."

Note that establishment talking heads always work globalization into their rants about Trump. First these weasels said opponents to free-trade were philistines who didn't understand "economic science." Now that everything opponents predicted came true, they have to resort to calling them racists.

Also note how they imply Trump is a puppet of Steve Bannon – absurdly framed as an 'alt-right' neo-Nazi (note: one can disagree with someone's opinions without having to call them a Nazi.) Just more weasel words and emotional manipulation from 'fake news' journalists shilling memes and messaging to protect establishment interests. (Which amount to nothing more than looting wealth other people created.)

One could say that Americans are wrong for wanting to ban immigrants and refugees from dangerous countries. But it would be idiotic to consider them racists for not wanting to stick their necks out so some jihadist can sneak through and mass murder their fellow citizens.

The fault really lies with Obomba who ran on ending the wars (for which he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize) but instead expanded on them spreading terrorism throughout the region. He's the one who made accepting refugees and immigrants from affected countries so dangerous.

Note how liberals don't explain their position. They just act up and hate on anyone with a different opinion. A crazy cult, IMO.

-MAGA

Toby said...

Dana, upload to image to a hosting site such as: http://imagehosting.com/
It will give you a link which you can post here.

Owen Gray said...

I can copy the image but I can't paste it, Dana. If folks go to the link they can see it. The picture is worth all my words.

Owen Gray said...

I think you're letting Bannon off too easily, MAGA. The man has quite a paper trail -- and it's not flattering.

The Mound of Sound said...

I've been spending much of yesterday and this morning going through my reference books on historical parallels to Bannon. Among them are Niccolo Machiavelli, Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, Otto von Bismark and Grigori Rasputin. I can find whiffs of Bannon in each of them but it's impossible to select any one that provides a suitable guide to Trump's puppeteer. Our knowledge of his predecessors is historical, digested and written decades after their passing. Bannon, despite what we do know of his background, remains difficult to evaluate, a bit unpredictable. There are some who suggest that Trump's opening fiascos are actually a carefully staged diversion to distract the public, the media and other office holders while something more significant, something sinister is hatched. Sounds a bit far fetched but who knows, certainly not I.

Some fear a constitutional coup. That can't be ruled out but it seems unlikely. We're left to catch glimpses of movement in the shadows.

Owen Gray said...

I can't predict what will happen, Mound. But do do think Bannon is smart -- much smarter than Trump. And it would appear that he's been ruminating for a long time about some of the things he says. Writing him off as a nutbar is foolish and dangerous.

Unknown said...

I agree with you Owen and I think Trump is much more easily manipulated then what people think.

Steve said...

It looks like Harper may still be running Canada. At worst I hope it means the NDP will finish the job.

Owen Gray said...

Trump has been there for less than two weeks, Pam, and the United States is undergoing a revolution. Trump's not the kind of guy who could think up this kind of stuff on his own.

Owen Gray said...

During the last election, there wasn't that much difference between the two parties, Steve. Until the NDP generates some leadership candidates, they are an unknown quantity.

Anonymous said...

Trump and Branon have always been part of the America psyche just as have all the right wing bigots been hiding in the shadows awaiting 'their turn'.
We , Canadians, have long looked at the USA gun nuts and Tea baggers with a sense of humor to the situation!
Now the reality of it all is hitting those caught knapping whilst history was been made.
We, in the West, have patronised the USA for too long purely for obtaining access to it's huge capitalist market.
We have sat idly by as the USA swallows up world resources and markets to feed a society that is in self destruct mode and one that will take us down with it.
The USA is a failed state thrashing around as it dies and trying to take down those it considers responsible.
Be wary of those that emulate the USA and wish to hang to it's coat tails as they will take us down the same black hole the USA .


TB

.

Owen Gray said...

The United States has become a collection of ghettos, TB, whose citizens are at each other's throats.

Owen Gray said...

I'd like to publish your comment, Anon, but it needs to be initialed.

Anonymous said...

Who; me?
TB

Owen Gray said...

Could be, TB.