Bannons entry into Alabama race adds to Republican headaches

[turbinetree]

September 2, 2017
Jason Le Miere
Posted with permission from Newsweek


Following Steve Bannon's ousting from the White House two weeks ago, an editor at the publication he formerly ran, Breitbart, sent an ominous one world tweet: "War." Within hours Bannon was back at the influential far-right media company and within a week he had started to put that prophetic tweet into action. His chosen battleground was Alabama and a Senate race already teeming with national interest and subplots.

At a closed-door meeting in Washington last week, Bannon told a group of influential conservatives to throw their support behind the anti-establishment, evangelical-favorite Roy Moore in the battle to earn the Republican nomination to take Jeff Sessions’ Senate seat.

In doing so, he further entrenched Alabama as the latest scene of a proxy war over the direction of the Republican Party. And it puts the attention squarely on Trump as to on which side he will now swing. The president is for the time being aligned with Moore's opponent, incumbent Senator and establishment-backed Luther Strange. But, amid a deepening feud with his own party and reports that he is sneaking phone calls to Bannon, Trump's allegiance is far from secure.

That has become truer than ever with the Bannon and Breitbart machine aimed squarely at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In Alabama, at least, Trump finds himself sitting uneasily in the McConnell camp, having surprisingly endorsed Strange earlier this month ahead of the GOP primary. A runoff between Strange and Moore will take place September 26.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/bannons-entry-into-alabama-race-adds-to-republican-headaches/


I hope they eat themselves

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I don't understand why Trump isn't also backing Moore.

Self-righteous religious hypocritical know-nothing.

What's not to love?

[Willie Pep]

3. It seems like Trump is trying to repair his relationship with so-called establishment Republicans.

I have a hard time telling the various Republican factions apart since they seem to have similar beliefs but I guess there is a kind of civil war going on among Republicans, with the more right-wing populist faction represented by Bannon opposing the more establishment wing of the party.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Trump is extending a short olive branch to the Turtle

McConnell trusts Strange, and knows that Moore would be his worst enemy in the GOP caucus.

This development tells me to expect a Moore win in the runoff, which is the same thing as winning the general in Alabama.

[marylandblue]

2. I don't see much difference between Strange and Moore

[customerserviceguy]

6. Strange is far more sane

but I admit, it's like saying, "Moe is the smart Stooge."

[PSPS]

4. I stopped reading at "the influential far-right media company"

Hey, if it's so "influential," why is it that nobody I know has ever heard of it?