Steve Bannon, the Republican strategist who helped propel Donald Trump to the presidency, has sounded the alarm over the rising success of democratic socialists and other progressives, calling the style of left-wing populism politically savvy but dangerous in a new interview with Politico.
Insurgent Candidates Unseat Incumbents
After a slate of insurgent candidates were able to unseat Democratic incumbents in primaries in New York and beyond, Bannon said that neither money nor establishment power can contend with the “ground game” the left has built to connect with voters.
“We are facing a new politics. We’re seeing the dying of the old politics before us. You’re seeing it burn to the ground before you,” warned Bannon, who was later cast aside from the White House after helping usher in Trump’s rise.
Bannon's Analysis of Left-Wing Appeal
Asked if the wins were more driven by policy or a frustration with establishment Democrats, Bannon said deep-left candidates’ appeal lies in campaigning under the banner of the “happy, clappy populism of the left” despite being a “Marxist, jihadist movement” under the surface.
While the strategist denounced the growing far-left faction as radicals, he admitted they’d crafted a “very sophisticated” message that “clearly resonates” with voters.
Anti-Establishment Strategy
“They campaign as anti-establishment. Very smartly, if you look at their campaigning, they’re not really even campaigning on Trump,” he said, adding that he thinks the Democratic Party won’t be able to outmaneuver their rivals if they can’t recognize their attraction.
“They don’t fully understand it,” Bannon explained. “They don’t have a response.”
Call for Solutions Over Demonization
But the far-right ideologue said turning the insurgent left into boogeymen won’t work for Democrats or Republicans, saying that finding solutions that address Americans’ economic struggles is the only way to win voters.
“You have to give people an alternative,” Bannon said. “If you just sit there and demonize, that’s certainly not enough.”
