Wrote all morning about the Democratic convention and, the moment I finish, the news breaks about Steve Bannon’s arrest…
I was only wondering a couple of days ago how the world would bring Bannon’s reign of influence to an end. I don’t know what promoted it, but I distinctly remember standing in the kitchen thinking about history and how the influence of one misguided man can have a profound effect.
Not to get all Godwin’s Law about this but it’s often said about Hitler how he was rank average in so many areas yet came to become one of the dominant figures of the century. Too often do people expect history to be directed by some Tony Stark figure (yes, my recent descent into the Marvel Universe is showing) but why not some second-rate hack with Trotskyite pretentions? Influence – like so many things including success, fame, popularity – is as much about luck as it is to do with innate quality.
The problem with luck, of course, is that it does run out or, rather, the odds of continuing a “winning streak” diminish rapidly. The obvious conclusion to make of today’s news is that this is the “Deep State” fighting back. I tend to agree with that analysis but not the language. “Deep State” is just the excitable term for something we all need, which is a system of laws that apply to everybody equally. It’s why I never accept the rationale that America has become Trump’s America or even that the Republican Party is the party of Trump. All that absolutist nonsense is simply that. It’s nonsense to think that any entity has a single outlook or loyalty to one man. Trump has made enemies and many of those enemies inside the US government are far brighter than he is. America stumbled into Trump because leaders were to complacent. Rather than spy on his campaign, as Trump routinely accuses, Obama treated the Republican nominee with far too much consideration. He didn’t want to be seen influencing the election so he didn’t bring it to the American people’s attention that Trump really was a puppet of Putin. Of Bannon, too, and so many others who have gained from the past four years.
Oh, Christ… I’ve got the window open and all I can hear is an ice cream van playing a chirpy version of Yankee Doodle… And I don’t mean Yankee Doodle Dandy. I mean the guy with the horse called Macaroni…
Really distracting.
Where was I?
I have no idea…
