2016 Postmortem

applegrove

(118,503 posts) Mon Aug 22, 2016, 07:19 PM Aug 2016

Steve Bannon, Trump's Top Guy, Told Me He Was 'A Leninist' Who Wants To ‘Destroy the State’

Steve Bannon, Trump's Top Guy, Told Me He Was 'A Leninist' Who Wants To ‘Destroy the State’

by Ronald Radosh at the Daily Beast

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/22/steve-bannon-trump-s-top-guy-told-me-he-was-a-leninist.html

"SNIP.............

Then we had a long talk about his approach to politics. He never called himself a “populist” or an “American nationalist,” as so many think of him today. “I’m a Leninist,” Bannon proudly proclaimed.

Shocked, I asked him what he meant.

“Lenin,” he answered, “wanted to destroy the state, and that’s my goal too. I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.” Bannon was employing Lenin’s strategy for Tea Party populist goals. He included in that group the Republican and Democratic Parties, as well as the traditional conservative press.

I emailed Bannon last week recalling our conversation, telling him that I planned to write about it and asking him if he wanted to comment on or correct my account of it. He responded:
“I don’t remember meeting you and don’t remember the conversation. And as u can tell from the past few days I am not doing media.”

...............SNIP"

7 replies

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Highlight:

Steve Bannon, Trump's Top Guy, Told Me He Was 'A Leninist' Who Wants To ‘Destroy the State’ (Original Post) applegrove Aug 2016 OP

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?!?!? LongTomH Aug 2016 #1

That's like a Christian who doesn't want to help disadvantaged people. baldguy Aug 2016 #6

Interesting. Charles Koch styles himself a libertarian, Hortensis Aug 2016 #2

That certainly explains the Party of No. They will never govern. Ever. Indpndnt Aug 2016 #3

This is really no different from Grover Norquist wanting to "drown the government in the bathtub" Maven Aug 2016 #4

Why are all the serious nut cases.... paleotn Aug 2016 #5

Lenin DID NOT want to "destroy the state." He wanted to destroy KingCharlemagne Aug 2016 #7

LongTomH

(8,636 posts)

1. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?!?!?

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Mon Aug 22, 2016, 07:24 PM

Aug 2016

A Leninist?!?!?

baldguy

(36,649 posts)

6. That's like a Christian who doesn't want to help disadvantaged people.

Reply to LongTomH (Reply #1)

Mon Aug 22, 2016, 09:57 PM

Aug 2016

oh, wait....

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)

2. Interesting. Charles Koch styles himself a libertarian,

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Mon Aug 22, 2016, 07:25 PM

Aug 2016

though he's definitely authoritarian and probably is just a clone of his father, a John Bircher nationalist fascist who admired Nazi Germany's economic efficiency. A whole lot in common with Bannon actually. In any case, Charles ALSO is very much an anti-statist and doing his best to destroy our government.

He's been seeding and watering anti-establishment resentments and beliefs that our government doesn't represent the people and fails at everything it does try to do, which is nothing. Sound familiar?

Indpndnt

(2,391 posts)

3. That certainly explains the Party of No. They will never govern. Ever.

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Mon Aug 22, 2016, 07:26 PM

Aug 2016

They are there to obstruct and destroy. Lovely. How very patriotic.

Maven

(10,533 posts)

4. This is really no different from Grover Norquist wanting to "drown the government in the bathtub"

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Mon Aug 22, 2016, 07:35 PM

Aug 2016

These hyenas have been working on dismantling civil society for decades. The only difference is that now they are brazen enough to say what they mean in no uncertain terms.

paleotn

(17,884 posts)

5. Why are all the serious nut cases....

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Mon Aug 22, 2016, 09:43 PM

Aug 2016

...fat, doughy white guys?

Go ahead, Bannon. Do your worst, but it won't turn out like you think it will. Fat, doughy white guys in power will soon become an endangered species.

KingCharlemagne

(7,908 posts)

7. Lenin DID NOT want to "destroy the state." He wanted to destroy

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Tue Aug 23, 2016, 01:52 AM

Aug 2016

Capitalism and the bourgeoisie. Bannonis an ignoramus.

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