The book was released to bookstores today. I picked it up at Barnes & Noble this evening, sitting down with it at about 9 PM and finishing it at 1:30 AM. I'm referring to Devil's Bargain, Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency by Bloomberg Businessweek senior national correspondent Joshua Green.
This is not your average Theodore H. White election summary but then this election was not in the 1960s. These weren't two standing armies positioning and repositioning themselves before the first assault would begin. Rather this was one standing army....the Clinton campaign....and one group of ragtag militiamen crossing the Potomac in bowriders and dinghies, catching the enemy by surprise as they were sipping martinis and listening to Lady Gaga.
Quite frankly I don't know if this is supposed to be an anti-Bannon book or not. He comes out as quite the swashbuckler whether it's the navy or Goldman Sachs or Hollywood or Hong Kong. There is indeed a darkness implied in Bannon's life but it's portrayed as a lighter shade of grey. I learned nothing new about Donald Trump in the book, but that's good because I don't think that I can handle any more information on who he has been and who he is. I did learn an awful lot about Breitbart News that I check throughout the day and the radio program that starts my day out Monday through Saturday. (they have a program apparently on the Lord's Day....I wouldn't know) They're smart, efficient, and take no prisoners, and that comes out throughout the book.
The author is about as fair as I think that anyone could be considering the polarity of the American public. It would have been nice if he called Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for who they are but at least he didn't give the standard media whitewash.
I may be a little bit biased in the authors favor for he concludes his book with an afterward that I'm totally on board with.....he writes and then expands upon it a little...."I think that there are three main reasons why Trump's administration has so quickly fallen into disorder and confusion."
(1) Trump thought being president was about asserting dominance.
(2) Trump ran against the Republican Party, Wall Street, and Paul Ryan, but then took up their agenda.
(3)Trump doesn't believe in nationalism or any other political philosophy-he's fundamentally a creature of his own ego.
The concluding sentence in Joshua Green's book is this..."But in the end, it's hard to imagine that Bannon and the legions he spoke for will wind up as anything other than the latest partners disappointed when their deal with Trump turns sour." Well he's writing about me and I'm already more than disappointed.....and I didn't expect much to begin with! The book is rapid fire political analysis. It's right on as far as I experienced what was going on... albeit from afar.
What was most disappointing to me concerning the Stephen K. Bannon that I knew from his radio program throughout 2016....who at the time was a more potent force to the individual listener than either Rush or Mark Levin....what was most disappointing to me was that this man who I thought to be somewhat of a God-fearing man....is more "mystical" than spiritual. He views Western Civilization as some sort of holy force field or medieval brotherhood of crusading knights rather than just the more positive elements of a fallen world.
God will not be mocked and we are about to find that out. Our 'make America great again' attempt to not only bypass but actually totally ignore His dire warnings to us over multiple decades...as a people once favored for a purpose...to bring glory to God....will be brought low if we...beginning with evangelicals....do not humble ourselves and cast away our hopes in this greatly misguided political prince. I lamented in a post well back into 2016 that the one good thing about Ted Cruz failing in his campaign was that he would not have to be directly blamed for the judgments that we are headed for. Donald Trump will find out in short order that machismo does not impress a Holy God...but that it offends Him.
This is not your average Theodore H. White election summary but then this election was not in the 1960s. These weren't two standing armies positioning and repositioning themselves before the first assault would begin. Rather this was one standing army....the Clinton campaign....and one group of ragtag militiamen crossing the Potomac in bowriders and dinghies, catching the enemy by surprise as they were sipping martinis and listening to Lady Gaga.
Quite frankly I don't know if this is supposed to be an anti-Bannon book or not. He comes out as quite the swashbuckler whether it's the navy or Goldman Sachs or Hollywood or Hong Kong. There is indeed a darkness implied in Bannon's life but it's portrayed as a lighter shade of grey. I learned nothing new about Donald Trump in the book, but that's good because I don't think that I can handle any more information on who he has been and who he is. I did learn an awful lot about Breitbart News that I check throughout the day and the radio program that starts my day out Monday through Saturday. (they have a program apparently on the Lord's Day....I wouldn't know) They're smart, efficient, and take no prisoners, and that comes out throughout the book.
The author is about as fair as I think that anyone could be considering the polarity of the American public. It would have been nice if he called Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for who they are but at least he didn't give the standard media whitewash.
I may be a little bit biased in the authors favor for he concludes his book with an afterward that I'm totally on board with.....he writes and then expands upon it a little...."I think that there are three main reasons why Trump's administration has so quickly fallen into disorder and confusion."
(1) Trump thought being president was about asserting dominance.
(2) Trump ran against the Republican Party, Wall Street, and Paul Ryan, but then took up their agenda.
(3)Trump doesn't believe in nationalism or any other political philosophy-he's fundamentally a creature of his own ego.
The concluding sentence in Joshua Green's book is this..."But in the end, it's hard to imagine that Bannon and the legions he spoke for will wind up as anything other than the latest partners disappointed when their deal with Trump turns sour." Well he's writing about me and I'm already more than disappointed.....and I didn't expect much to begin with! The book is rapid fire political analysis. It's right on as far as I experienced what was going on... albeit from afar.
What was most disappointing to me concerning the Stephen K. Bannon that I knew from his radio program throughout 2016....who at the time was a more potent force to the individual listener than either Rush or Mark Levin....what was most disappointing to me was that this man who I thought to be somewhat of a God-fearing man....is more "mystical" than spiritual. He views Western Civilization as some sort of holy force field or medieval brotherhood of crusading knights rather than just the more positive elements of a fallen world.
God will not be mocked and we are about to find that out. Our 'make America great again' attempt to not only bypass but actually totally ignore His dire warnings to us over multiple decades...as a people once favored for a purpose...to bring glory to God....will be brought low if we...beginning with evangelicals....do not humble ourselves and cast away our hopes in this greatly misguided political prince. I lamented in a post well back into 2016 that the one good thing about Ted Cruz failing in his campaign was that he would not have to be directly blamed for the judgments that we are headed for. Donald Trump will find out in short order that machismo does not impress a Holy God...but that it offends Him.
