Bannon's Way

Scott Hardie | July 3, 2024
Reading David Brooks's recent interview with Steve Bannon filled me with disgust. That wasn't necessarily because I disagreed with his values, because there is some overlap between us, albeit not a ton. It was because of his arrogant, circular self-certainty that his way was justified because of the unflinching beliefs of its adherents. Reading about how he achieved a takeover of the GOP and local governments and state governments and soon the federal government, forcing people at each step of the way to bend to his followers' iron will, I wanted to ask him, what gives you the right? He says that there is no need to compromise with anyone else because they're incapable of seeing things his way, nor even engage in conversation with anyone else for that matter. But America is supposed to be a democracy in which we're all entitled to have input in the process. I can't say enough terrible things about Donald Trump, but I fully support anyone's right to vote for the man. A "populist" movement that excludes the vast majority of the population because they're considered beyond reason, and engineers a hostile takeover by a minority who has appointed itself to solve everyone else's problems, is reprehensible. Bannon's right that modern America and its "ruling elites" have huge problems, but this is absolutely not the way to solve them.

What do you think?