{"id":29227,"date":"2017-08-24T05:30:44","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T09:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=29227"},"modified":"2017-08-23T02:08:07","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T06:08:07","slug":"bannon-believes-the-pen-is-mightier-than-the-sword","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2017\/08\/bannon-believes-the-pen-is-mightier-than-the-sword\/","title":{"rendered":"Bannon believes the pen is mightier than the sword"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"95304400_b49b3ab327_b\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After controversial Trump advisor Steve Bannon was fired from his position as presidential advisor, he made it clear that he would continue to champion his brand of economic nationalism. \u00a0In fact, he reportedly feels liberated. \u00a0Returning to his role as head of the conservative website Breitbart.com, Bannon says that he will no longer be constrained by working in the administration. \u00a0Putting aside the sword of actual power in favor of the pen of the journalist, Bannon says that now he can really have an impact.<\/p>\n

In an interview<\/a> with Peter Boyer in the Weekly Standards, Bannon said,<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI feel jacked up,\u201d he says. \u201cNow I\u2019m free. I\u2019ve got my hands back on my weapons. Someone said, \u2018it\u2019s Bannon the Barbarian.\u2019 I am definitely going to crush the opposition. There\u2019s no doubt. I built a f***ing machine at Breitbart. And now I\u2019m about to go back, knowing what I know, and we\u2019re about to rev that machine up. And rev it up we will do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Indeed, it is easier to talk about governing, as opposed to actually governing. \u00a0It\u2019s ironic that the big critic of journalists\u00a0for their portrayal of Trump is so eager to become a journalist himself. \u00a0But it makes perfect sense: \u00a0there is where the power lies. \u00a0With the pen, not the sword.<\/p>\n

Bannon was a major spokesman for putting \u201cAmerica first,\u201d both in his economic populism and in his opposition to America\u2019s involvement in other country\u2019s wars. \u00a0No sooner had Bannon left the White House than President Trump announced the resumption of combat in Afghanistan. \u00a0And no sooner did the president make that announcement than Bannon\u2019s \u201cweapon\u201d of Breitbart news blasted his decision.<\/a><\/p>\n

Other telling quotes from the interview:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trump presidency that we fought for, and won, is over,\u201d Bannon said Friday, shortly after confirming his departure. \u201cWe still have a huge movement, and we will make something of this Trump presidency. But that presidency is over. It\u2019ll be something else. And there\u2019ll be all kinds of fights, and there\u2019ll be good days and bad days, but\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0presidency is over.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bannon says he is still loyal to Trump and will support him, while holding him to his original message of economic nationalism.<\/p>\n

Reportedly<\/a>, Bannon is planning \u201cwar\u201d against moderates, the Republican establishment, and the \u201cglobalists\u201d and \u201cDemocrats\u201d in the administration. \u00a0These include Trump\u2019s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, apparently Bannon\u2019s major nemesis.<\/p>\n

But I suspect that he will find that just as the pen is mightier than the sword, blood is thicker than water.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Illustration by Liz West, via Flickr, Creative Commons License<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After controversial Trump advisor Steve Bannon was fired from his position as presidential advisor, he made it clear that he would continue to champion his brand of economic nationalism. \u00a0In fact, he reportedly feels liberated. \u00a0Returning to his role as head of the conservative website Breitbart.com, Bannon says that he will no longer be constrained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":29229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,36],"tags":[1208,4923,5342],"class_list":["post-29227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","category-politics","tag-journalism","tag-president-donald-trump","tag-steve-bannon"],"yoast_head":"\nBannon believes the pen is mightier than the sword<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ousted Trump advisor Steve Bannon has returned to run Breitbart News, 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