We last saw Steve Bannon headed to prison for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Fine. But the sentencing judge apparently didn’t check the calendar and possible repercussions of releasing Bannon just a week prior to this coming election. In hindsight, it might have been better to recommend that Bannon spend another three weeks on the boat kicking it in the Caribbean before a nice four month stint in prison – one that could have taken his sentence well into November. It might have contributed to a more tranquil post-election country. Cute thought, anyway.
To say that Bannon doesn’t sound reformed is akin to saying that he and Trump will surely lose gracefully. Steve is already telegraphing his plans for the holidays and they are festive in the worst sense. From The New York Times:
He wasted little time reprising his role as one of the leading provocateurs of the former president’s political movement. “I’m not broken, I’m empowered,” Mr. Bannon said in an interview shortly after his release at 3:15 a.m. from a low-security prison in Danbury, Conn.
So, not to quibble but he seemed awfully broken prior to rebuffing Congress. To be sure, he didn’t want to testify. But the idea is to go in and actually say, “I claim my Fifth Amendment rights” and sit back while grilled on a bunch of questions. He could silently shrug his shoulders and wish them a good lunch on the way out the door – prison avoided. Now, looking more like a martyr than a self-entitled dolt, he actually is more empowered as, well – a bit of a martyr, if only in an appropriately weird sense. Onward:
He predicted a bitter legal battle after Election Day that could last for weeks or months before a winner is clear. “If people think American politics has been divisive before, you haven’t seen anything,” he said.
Reformed! No – he’s obviously now on a roll. Why is it someone’s goal to make politics more divisive? Isn’t the whole idea to convert people to your cause such that you’re so tickled that you don’t want to fight? Well – yes, and this is America, where we used to take a lot of pride in voting over fighting. No more, apparently. Ironically, this is why Bannon was in prison in the first place. Full circle, judge.
It certainly does prepare us for what is coming. Notice that Bannon doesn’t pause in his promise in order to leave room for a win that vitiates all need for “bitterness” of any type, litigious or otherwise. No. He must know something that we don’t – always dangerous and also something of which the judge could’ve taken note. Steve must not have spent all that time alone planning for a quiet retreat to winter in Bozeman. Shudder at what he did plan over those four months.
He planned on resuming the battle. Never mind that we don’t yet know where the battle lines might be drawn or over what issue. Apparently Steve doesn’t care. We certainly do. After all, we’ve spent four months looking ahead, too.
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On the plus side, anything that Bannon says or does over the next week is going to be watched by certain authorities. And when he makes the inevitable screw-up, he can find himself–once again–behind bars, and, quite likely, for a much lengthier sentence. (His *only* hope will be for Trump to win. A Harris victory–followed by any kind of Bannon shenanigans–will mean he’s got a record and judges rarely look well upon people standing in front of them for a second time for essentially the same action.)
Always wondered. He has to prison for contempt. And was pardoned for his wall bs. If he is sent to prison for his ny state wall nonsense (theft or fraud 🤔)… does the judge take into his previous conviction/pardon into account? And remembered a pardon accepted is an admission of guilt.
A bunch of people, including Smelly Steve, have already shown us what they think of laws, legality, and The Constitution. We all remember Jan 6, their trial run for their aims.
But they’re not as smart as they think they are. Laws regarding the coup and it’s ‘legal backing’ have been changed and clarified and they can’t do what they tried before – and let’s not forget, they couldn’t do it then either.
The main point to remember about Bannon being released from prison is that he WAS in prison, he was too stupid to get out of it. He likes to pretend that he is a scholar of history, but pretence is all it is. Everyone else has learned from history that keeping people like him out of power is a very good idea – a better idea than any he has.
And we have the power to make it happen. Just by voting.
If they think can get a replay of 1/6/2021, they may be very shocked. Biden, the F.B.I., Secret Service, and National.Guatdhave had 4 years to.figure out what went wrong and how to counter it. There wil be an armed presence keeping out anyone who doesn’t need to be at the Capitol, and, I suspect, any of the Congressional office buildings. D.C police will.ring that area–several.blocks cordoned off. Snipers on roofs, perhaps. The governors of VA and MD will.have their Guard waiting for a request from the President to go in.
I think the Angry Trumpies will be horrified at what they’ll be facing if the attempt a replay of 2021.
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Yep. The DC Guard will be fully prepped and deployed with backup at the Armory. MD National Guard can be positioned at Anacostia and helicopters can be across the river at Andrews to quickly fly hundreds into position if needed. VA National Guard can be positioned (with vehicles in the Pentagon Parking lot. And helicopters can be ready to again, within minutes fly reinforcements to the Capitol Grounds. Since it will be President Biden sitting in the WH there will be NO delay in authoring the use of the Guard. The only potential fly in the ointment is Virginia has a pissant GOP Governor who likely harbors Presidential delusions of grandeur. Glenn Youngkin could try to much up use of Virginia Guard units. He’ll be in a no-win situation trying to make that decision. If he screws with things he’ll get some MAGA votes but he’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. He’d have ZERO chance in a GOP primary and probably not even do well in VA if he lasts that long. However it would kill him with Independents and given the state has “off year” elections in 2025 he’d be handing the Governor’s Mansion over to Abagail Spanburger, and likely both chambers of the Assembly. Well, we’ll see how it all plays out. With a solid win MAGAs might take a hard look at all the people convicted, many of which are doing time in prison as I write this. Then they will think long and hard about the fact that they’d have ZERO chance of a pardon without Trump in the WH. AND the fact he didn’t pardon the insurrectionist rioters LAST time. They’ll talk a lot of shit to their pals but in the end there won’t be much of a crowd showing up. And I rather doubt the Park Serice will be granting any permits for a gathering of Trumpty MAGAs that day. Seeing those National Guard troops on the bridges and other major roads into DC will cause most of those who do choose to ignore common sense to decide NOT to try what they did four years ago.