Steve Bannon: Bogeman of the #HumptyDumptyMedia

Be afraid, be very afraid of the Left's
bogeyman, Steve Bannon (or anyone
with intelligence and common sense).

As I've mentioned often, I'm a big fan of Chronicles Magazine. I think it illustrates the most Chestertonian approach to politics in the media. This morning I'm reading an article (February issue) about the Trump bogeyman the left most loves to hate (after Trump, of course) -- Steve Bannon.

The author of the article, A.M. Fantini, describes a conference he attended in Rome put on by the Rome-based Dignitatis Humanae Institute which exists "to protect and promote human dignity based on the anthropological truth that man is born in the image and likeness of God." The theme was "Poverty and the Common Good." Among the speakers at the conference was Steve Bannon, then head of Breitbart News, who "stood out" among the conference participants

Anyone paying attention knows that Bannon has been vilified by the #HumptyDumptyMedia as an anti-Semite, a racist, a fascist, a misogynist...yadda...yadda...yadda ad nauseum. (Remember that the left resorts to name-calling because they have no argument based on facts.)


 Fantini presents a radically different picture of the man as, not only reasonable but, someone with a "firm understanding that we are all called to be guardians of civilization and preservers of the Western Tradition."

But I'll let Fantini speak for himself:

Bannon continually praised a decentralized, common-sense approach to politics, both in the United States and abroad. This is precisely what is fueling the rise of many of the so-called populist and Euroskeptic political movement in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.K. Bannon spoke with sympathy for the "global reaction against centralized government." He also expressed his disdain for the world's bean-counters, corrupt elites, and overzealous regulators, and seemed to share a faith in the accumulated wisdom of traditional families, hard-working communities, small towns, and sovereign states.... He noted the problems that secularization has wrought across human societies...[and] highlighted the critical links between freedom and the "entrepreneurial spirit" and the process of wealth creation and poverty alleviation.

One particularly interesting moment concerned Bannon's efforts to distinguish between two "disturbing strands" of capitalism: the "state-sponsored capitalism" of China and Russia, which limits man's economic freedom and individual liberty, and the "objectivist school of libertarian capitalism," which denies basic human dignity by reducing man to an object or a commodity. On this Bannon was impressive. 

During the Q & A, Bannon warned about the "growing threat of 'jihadist Islamic fascism'" a fact the naive bishops led by Pope Francis seem to be clueless about (my opinion). Bannon pointed out the "growing frustration of middle-and working-class people worldwide [who]...are finally beginning to challenge the power of the world's political and economic elites in places such as Washington, Brussels, and Beijing." One of the dangers the group discussed is the growth of far right reactionary movements that throw the baby out with the bathwater reacting to problems like "crony capitalism" that apply the rules unfairly to benefit the elite.

Steve Bannon is clearly an intelligent and honorable man, one Fantini says may "end up being President Trump's best asset, his greatest ally and the most intelligent advisor -- a modern Sir Thomas More without the gory end." I echo Fantini's final sentence, "Perhaps that's an encouraging enough thought to give us all hope."

I recommend this article specifically, but Chronicles in general. It's a great antidote to the #HumptyDumptyMedia and their #fakenews. You can order the February issue here or subscribe to Chronicles here.