Steve Bannon: A Year in the Wilderness

Have you ever noticed that some people have a unique ability to self-destruct? They may be brilliant and dazzling at their jobs, but somehow, someway they manage to fall from great heights into the abyss. Such is the case with former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon.

Still, it’s never wise to count these folks out. Maybe it's their lack of self-awareness or the underlying insecurities that get the better of them, but sooner or later people like Bannon manage to climb to the top again. And there is every reason to believe that Steve Bannon has donned his hiking boots and is trekking to the mountaintop one more time.

It’s Showtime!

Grab your bag of popcorn and settle in to watch the latest Bannon media extravaganza, called Trump @ War – coming to a theatre near you on September 9^th. The release date is no accident. It is the second anniversary of Hillary Clinton’s famed “basket of deplorables” remark. Bannon was recently quoted as saying, “If you’re a deplorable, you’ll literally be standing on your chair with your pitchfork saying: 'I’ve got to get people out to vote.'" Then he humbly added, “How jacked do we think Trump will be when he sees this?"

Indeed, when Mr. Bannon left his administration post, he promised his fans that while he was down, he would not be out. So, is Bannon still a player?

Citizens of the American Republic is a Bannon entity that is hitting up Wall Street for big bucks to fund a political midterm initiative. The goal is to get voters to realize that a vote for the Democrats is a vote to roll back President Trump’s economic gains. There are no two ways about it, the folks from Wall Street to Main Street have substantially profited from a roaring stock market, lower unemployment, and a cut in tax rates that have stoked the business community in the United States. Bannon wants to bring these issues to the forefront in the upcoming elections, and this will undoubtedly energize the Trump voting bloc.

The problem with midterms is that they never seem to work out well for the party or president in power. If you want to get right down to the nitty-gritty: Midterms can get out-and-out ugly for the incumbent. Voter apathy is thought to be the culprit. “The stronger the presidential victory margin or, the more seats won in the presidential year and therefore "at risk," the greater will be the subsequent midterm seat loss," explains the University of Houston's Robert S. Erikson, writing in the Journal of Politics.

If apathy is an obstacle, then Bannon’s movie to fire up the base could be a significant voting factor in the midterms. As well, his Citizens of the American Republic group plans to target an estimated 40 congressional districts around the country. This pits him against democratic money-man George Soros who has already ponied up $15M to energize the progressives to oust Trump and his minions in November as previously reported by Liberty Nation here. Bannon’s new political entity “intends to advise surrogates, generate talking points, and flood the TV and radio airwaves,” according to POLITICO.

Go Large

One of the fascinating things about people like Bannon is that they often refuse to accept defeat and, when rebuilding, go large. Thus, Bannon is not limiting himself to just the political battle in the U.S. He has plans to take on the European Union in various and sundry ways to spread the message of nationalism across the pond. Mr. Bannon has initiated a foundation called The Movement in Europe which “will offer polling, advice on messaging and data targeting and research to a network of rightwing parties across Europe that are enjoying a significant surge in support,” according to The Guardian.

For some, the wilderness is a place to lick one’s wounds and go quietly into the night. For others, it is a place to gather steam for their next big move. Bannon appears to be the latter and as such his political resurrection may be something we all may want to sit back and watch.

It’s showtime, folks.