A particularly dumb narrative has emerged in the wake of Roy Moore’s loss to Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama: that it’s a rebuke of President Donald Trump.
Trump did endorse the candidate in a state where he beat Hillary Clinton by 26 percentage points, and Moore would’ve won too, if he wasn’t Roy Moore. The voters of Alabama were far less concerned with voting against Trump or the Republican Party, and far more concerned with not electing a man they believe could be a sexual predator.
The same is true of Steve Bannon, whose reputation as a “master strategist” was mocked following Moore’s loss.
Steve Bannon, strategic genius *
* Terms and conditions apply. Not valid in continental United States. Read hobo signs before relying on advice. Past performance indicative of future results.
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) December 13, 2017
Suck it, Bannon
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) December 13, 2017
Now, Bannon is firing back at the GOP establishment.
According to the Raw Story,
A new report suggests that Breitbart boss Steve Bannon is unbowed by the defeat of his chosen candidate, Roy Moore, in the Alabama Senate race.
A “source close to Bannon” tells Bloomberg TV reporter Kevin Cirilli that the former Trump political strategist is as determined as ever to wage war against the Republican establishment, which includes plans to run multiple insurgent primary challengers against GOP incumbents in 2018.
“This doesn’t stop Steve’s war against the establishment, all it does is pour gasoline on top of it,” the source tells Cirilli.
Source close to Bannon re: #AlSen: "This doesn't stop Steve's war against the establishment, all it does is pour gasoline on top of it."
— Kevin Cirilli (@kevcirilli) December 13, 2017
Moore’s loss does present an opportunity for Bannon to spread a narrative of the “Trump-right” versus the “establishment-right,” which he can blame for electing a Democrat in one of the nation’s reddest states. It was Trump and Bannon supporting Moore, and the Mitch McConnell types opposing him, after all.
If there’s anything to be learned from Moore’s loss, it’s that you’re only as good as the candidate you’re backing. Bannon’s strategic error was in backing Moore in the first place (though it’s not like he had any alternatives to work with).
What do you think? Does Moore’s loss mean that Bannon is finished? Will his war against the GOP establishment fail? Tell us your thoughts below!
