Steve Bannon's big comeback: Fuel the European right and protect Trump -- against Republicans

[DonViejo]

Would-be mastermind says the Times op-ed is a sign GOP is plotting a “coup” against Trump. Um, not really, Steve

HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
SEPTEMBER 10, 2018 12:00PM (UTC)

Here's a story that won't merit a lot of discussion in the American press because our political circus and culture war is so loud and raucous that we can't hear much else:

Sweden headed for a hung parliament after an election on Sunday that saw the popularity of the nationalist Sweden Democrats surge, as one of Europe’s most liberal nations turns right amid fears over immigration.

Sweden is a social-democratic nation with excellent services, benefits and a very high standard of living. Most Swedish citizens have traditionally held very liberal views on just about everything. But the far right made big gains in this year's election because of immigration and, frankly, race. That's what right-wing "nationalism" in 2018 comes down to. Welcome to our world.

Sweden isn't the first European country to go this way in recent years. Hungary, Austria, Italy and (in its own manner) Britain have taken rightward turns, and those political movements are picking up steam all over the world. I won't to try to analyze the reasons for this. There are hundreds of people trying to sort out where all this is coming from. Let's just say there are tectonic forces at play, from migration caused by war, economic dislocation and climate change to income inequality, corruption and God knows what else. But regardless of the reasons, there is no doubt that something is afoot and it's gaining ground.

Here in the United States, our version of this phenomenon is Trumpism, an especially cartoonish form of the right-wing nationalism we see elsewhere. Donald Trump is a ridiculous celebrity with a simple-minded set of talking points he's been spouting for decades, along with some recently acquired hate-radio tropes deployed to get his followers excited. Nonetheless, Trumpism is best understood as a variant of the global "alt-right" movement devoted to martial chauvinism, authoritarianism, anti-liberalism, nativism and racism. Perhaps the primary exponent of the current U.S. iteration is former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who is also the former chairman of Breitbart News and now a propaganda filmmaker.

more
https://www.salon.com/2018/09/10/steve-bannons-big-comeback-fuel-the-european-right-and-protect-trump-against-republicans/