OPINION:
Well, isn’t this precious?
Bad-boy bully Steve Bannon who evangelized the “burn it all down” approach to Republican politics now advises GOP candidates to back away from anti-establishment rhetoric.
Bannon told the New York Times (why is the renegade of conservative media granting exclusives to the Old Gray Lady?) that “the anti-establishment thing is kind of a luxury we can’t afford right now.”
“People are starting to realize that the anti-establishment thing is kind of a luxury we can’t afford right now,” said Stephen K. Bannon, the president’s former chief strategist who six months ago said it was his objective to see Mr. McConnell removed as the Senate Republican leader.
That effort has been put on hold. And Mr. Bannon’s rebellion has considerably smaller ambitions than it did six months ago, when he was trying to recruit challengers to every Republican incumbent senator up for re-election this year, with the exception of Ted Cruz of Texas.
Of those Mr. Bannon worked most closely with, just two are still running: Mr. McDaniel and Kelli Ward in Arizona, who is competing in a three-way primary for the seat that opened up after Senator Jeff Flake announced his retirement.
Fascinating.
After throwing a grenade into the Republican senate primary in Alabama, defying President Trump’s choice for the nomination and embracing Roy Moore who turned out to be, problematic, in the general election, Bannon has now done a full 180 and wants the grass roots to forget all about that whole “another day another scalp” strategy as he helped pick-off incumbent Republicans who didn’t conform to his view of what the party was supposed to represent.
It’s a fascinating and somewhat problematic shift of message and brand for the man who defined the “drain the swamp” persona of the Trump campaign. After vowing to unseat Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader, Bannon now agrees that maybe the GOP establishment is just fine if it means keeping a majority.
The “mastermind” behind Trump’s victory (if you believe Bannon’s own self-serving press leaks) has had a change of heart, that’s for sure.
Establishment publications are already claiming victory for Bannon’s flip-flop and they deserve a little glee in witnessing their bete noire’s cummuppance. But the real danger for Bannon is not the victory he seems to have handed his opponents, it’s the question of his own political relevance.
If Steve Bannon doesn’t stand for “Burn the GOP establishment to the ground” anymore, then what does he stand for?
If he’s not essential in reshaping and purging the Republican Party on behalf of Donald Trump and Trumpism, then what is he useful for?
At this point, why does anyone need Steve Bannon?
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