April 29, 2017

At the time of the rise of the Tea Party, in the spring of 2010, "Bannon went through 'a visible transformation,' a friend said."

"'In his days in business, he dressed like an investment banker from Connecticut—shirt and jacket, tie or not, boring men’s shoes, a short, conventional men’s haircut. But he couldn’t show up at the Tea Party dressed like that. He started dressing more casually. There was this other side of him—he was from the South, he could be in a sports bar in West Virginia, and he would be accepted... He never fit in in the world of investment banking—he was this gauche Irish kid. Never fit in in the Hollywood world—his politics were much too conservative. Never fit in in the mainstream Republican world—he wasn’t uptight like them. But then he got embraced by the Tea Party world. He really started playing that role, and he came into his own. He loved being on TV.'"

From "HOW HOLLYWOOD REMEMBERS STEVE BANNON/He says that, before he became a senior adviser to the President, he was a successful player in the film industry. But what did he actually do?" by Connie Bruck (in The New Yorker).

Also about clothing:
In 2011, Bannon released a documentary about Sarah Palin, “The Undefeated.”... The real star of the movie was Andrew Breitbart... Over footage of a young man wearing a fitted suit in a corporate office, Breitbart says, "When you go to Washington, D.C., and you meet with the conservative movement, it’s as if they’ve read the exact right books, taken the right tests, met the right people, are wearing the right outfits, wearing the right tie—and you almost feel like an outsider, even though you’re in the actual conservative movement."
To pick up that topic of books, let me just pull out 2 things:
1. "By the early aughts, the former Hollywood colleague recalled, '[Bannon] was sitting on Canon Drive, in his fabulous office, his bookshelves lined with military and history books, and he would take meetings all day with people, some of whom came to him for money for their movies."

2. "When the girls were ready to start kindergarten, Bannon and his ex-wife visited a number of schools. During an interview at one of them, she wrote in a court filing, Bannon 'asked the director why there were so many Chanukah books in the library.'"

37 comments:

Fernandinande said...

But he couldn’t show up at the Tea Party dressed like that. He started dressing more casually.

Dressing causally in a casual style.

ex-wife ... wrote in a court filing,

That's how we know that nobody said anything about temples or Chanukah books.

traditionalguy said...

Bannon shows us a delightfully inquiring mind, seeking to understand the chaos of politics in the Once Great America. And he is flexible and learns fast. Does that remind us of anyone?

He was trained as a Navy Commander of a warship. That role demands total control making instant decisions that gives him total responsibility for outcomes. He rides into battle on the Bridge, a/k/a the target of all enemy fire.

traditionalguy said...

As for dressing for success, that is a Scott Adams notion of making a first impression on a new group that gives you acceptance.

No shorts on men would make perfect sense to that approach.

When I go to Wednesday night Church supper directly from work wearing a dark suit, white shirt and tie I am offending most of the folks from a distance. Taking off the tie is absolutely necessary.

Browndog said...

Too bad you can't believe everything you read. Like, almost nothing these days.

Kinda like how Ivanka was booed and hissed at in Germany dominated the news for a day or two, only to have the German press report that it never happened.

David Begley said...

One movie that Bannon produced was "Indian Runner." It starred Sean Pean. Part of it was filmed in Plattsmouth, Nebraska and a flea bag motel called the Del-Mar which was about a mile south of Creighton University on 24th Street.

Never saw it.

Michael said...

The "tea party" if there ever was such a thing did not have the slightest dress code. Every fat ass in America is dressed to go to HomeDepot or the golf course. Or they are trying to make the point that they are really Mark Zuckerberg.

I am usually the only person in meetings with a suit and tie. If I get the slightest grief I up the ante the next time and wear bold stripes. Or change from loafers to English cap toes. Trust me, dressing like you are Mark does not make you Mark

Michael K said...

Bannon made a lot of money by owning a big piece of"Seinfeld" when it was still a pilot.

He took the share in lieu of a fee for financial work.

Michael K said...

"The "tea party" if there ever was such a thing did not have the slightest dress code. "

I went to some early Tea Party rallies. Most were with casual dress and were on weekends.

The people who attended were not going to the office.

If anybody had a suit on it was probably a politician trying for votes.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

"Wearing an open-necked striped shirt that bulges around his ample middle, and cargo shorts that ride up his thighs..."

Left Bank of the Charles said...

And here are the pictures of Bannon in shorts.

Bay Area Guy said...

I like Bannon, and the somewhat uptight GOP business types (cough, cough, Mitt Romney, cough) could use a healthy dose of more Bannons.

David Begley said...

"The Clinton and Obama documentaries had none of the bombast of Bannon’s Reagan movie, but they were unapologetically crude and, in the case of “Hype,” arguably racist. “Hype” opened with footage of Obama dancing to Beyoncé on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” and showed him eating waffles."

Now how is the above arguably racist? Showing the dancing or the waffle eating?

A pathetic hit piece.

Otto said...

Why so many Chanukah books; simple answer, the town has a large Jewish population.
"gauche Irish kid". No racism here.
Remember Ann dispises hypocrisy especially from the right.

rcocean said...

What's wrong with wondering why a school has a lot of Hanukkah books?

rcocean said...

If Bannon had wondered why there were so few Christmas books would that have been better way to phrase it?

Anonymous said...

"During an interview at one of them, she wrote in a court filing, Bannon 'asked the director why there were so many Chanukah books in the library."

No anti Semitsm there at all.

Guildofcannonballs said...

In my estimation you people are too wrapped up looking at the mirror to realize what artists and uppest-level thinkers like me have tried to tell you though I still shall make attempts: the cargo short makes the world go round; sun shine; God smile.

Drago said...

Inga: "No anti Semitsm there at all."

Keith Ellison fan says what?

cacimbo said...

According to Buck - Bannon failed at everything he tried, hates Jews, is nasty and mean to women and children, is viewed as a nut by co-workers and may have lied about owning a small share of Seinfeld. How he could claim $41 million in assets in 2005 is all a big mystery. He then hooked up with fellow huckster Trump.
Funny how this is exactly the media meme on Trump - he is a failure who is not really worth as much as he claims, is mean to women, hates Jews, and is viewed as erratic by business associates.
Shame they can not vary the script occasionally for variety.
Not explained is why Bannon had to dress down for a group that happily accepted the suit wearing Trump.

roesch/voltaire said...

Just finished reading this article and wondered if you would discuss it. Great portrait of a huckster, wife abuser, who did not make it big in Hollywood but rode the propaganda wagon of Citizen United Production into the limelight-- no wonder he is such a good fit with the Tweeter-in-Chief.

Birches said...

I read the article a few days ago and wondered if you would blog about it. The juiciest bits of the article have already been reported; there wasn't a lot of new reporting, except that the "Seinfeld" royalties might be a lie. And that seems tenuous. From the article's description there are so many people getting cuts of cuts, it seems almost impossible to figure out. What's obvious is that now, no one wants any taint of Bannon on their reputations. And that is not a surprise.

Michael K said...

Bannon has at least as good a collection of enemies as Trump.

Mostly people who could not dream of accomplishing what he has in his life.

David said...

"During an interview at one of them, she wrote in a court filing, Bannon 'asked the director why there were so many Chanukah books in the library."

And this was relevant in a divorce because??? Sounds like he is best done with her.

David said...

interesting that the author gives so little attention to his time at HBS. He was a star there, outshining a lot of other stars. Not relevant to a hit piece though.

readering said...

Information.

J. Farmer said...

Bannon, I think, recognizes that the old left/right, liberal/conservative, democrat/republican gestalt is not really reflective of the political world we live in today. The nationalist/internationalist dichotomy works a lot better at capturing the dynamic. The Tea Party arose from the bank bailout, but the immigration issue has helped sustain it. Eric Cantor's stunning loss to Dave Brat was emblematic of this. Trump may have run as a member of the Republican Party, but for all intents and purposes, he was an independent. And he was able to successfully play off the public's dissatisfaction and disillusionment with both major political parties. Basically a replay of the Perot phenomenon, the erstwhile billionaire presidential candidate. Stephen Bannon and Steve Miller were instrumental in giving voice to this frustration.

My first vote for president was in 2000, the first year I was eligible, and I punched the hole for Pat Buchanan. My friends were all protest voting for Ralph Nader. Paleoconservatism has been the water I've swam in for close to two decades now. Trump's promise of a nationalist trade and immigration policy and a less interventionist foreign policy were music to my ears. From my perspective, Trump's most impressive quality was his potential to blow up the system. Sadly, in my brief uncharacteristic moment of optimism, I failed to remember just how powerful and resilient the system is. The news that Bannon is being sidelined in favor of the Kushner clan is not a good sign.

@Michael K:

And this was relevant in a divorce because?

The ex was trying to paint him as an anti-Semite. She had also claimed that he did not want his children attending a particular school, because it had too many Jews. Children are often pawns in these high-end divorces, because if the mother is able to obtain primary custody, she can expect a very large child support check each month.

cubanbob said...

J Farmer is right about one thing; Trump is a remake of Ross Perot who ran as a Republican and won.

Mary Beth said...

During an interview at one of them, she wrote in a court filing, Bannon 'asked the director why there were so many Chanukah books in the library

Was there a disproportionate number of them compared to other books? If there's enough of them to be noticeable, then it was probably a reasonable question. There could be a number of reasons from the good (given by a donor) to the not-so-good (the school wants to make December about everything but Christmas). The only way it would have come off as anti-Semitic would be if there were only a couple of Hanukah books, then the question would be weird.

CJ said...

The thought of Steve Bannon selecting Ruth Ginaburg's replacement for the SCOTUS makes me absolutely giddy.

He can wear cargo shorts and Ed Hardy t-shirts while he does it.

CJ said...

So I followed the link Left Bank of the Charles gave to a 2015 Bloomberg article.I loved its title and lede:

This Man Is the Most Dangerous Political Operative in America
Steve Bannon runs the new vast right-wing conspiracy—and he wants to take down both Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush.


Mission(s) accomplished!

Michael K said...

"Was there a disproportionate number of them compared to other books?"

Always trust an angry ex-wife about controversial matters, especially if there is a child custody issue.

Just ask Jack Ryan.

Michael K said...

@Michael K:

And this was relevant in a divorce because?

The ex was trying to paint him as an anti-Semite.


This is standard in nasty divorces. My question was sarcastic.

Michael K said...

"J Farmer is right about one thing; Trump is a remake of Ross Perot who ran as a Republican and won."

Perot might have won but for his emotional instability. He was also an executive in the IT industry and had less experience, I would assume, with antagonistic opponents like New York City unions.

I was thinking of voting for him until he had his melt down.

MacMacConnell said...

"Wearing an open-necked striped shirt that bulges around his ample middle, and cargo shorts that ride up his thighs..."

Yes, while relaxing at home watching television. He's 63 years old and he went to Columbia, Harvard. He's of an age that lived through both the Ivy/preppy golden years 1950s -1968 and it's revival in 1979 by Ralph Lauren. Note the image, button down tape striped dress shirt, popped collar polo shirt underneath and shorts. Doesn't get more Ivy/prep than that for casual wear than that, it's what lots of men that wear Brooks Brothers suits all day at work.

Bet we can find JFK attired similarly while relaxing, but then the media didn't want to fuck JFK, they wanted to blow him and did.

Ambrose said...

some friend

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Are we really supposed to believe that a goy like Bannon said Chanukah instead of Hanukkah? Oy vey!

Gretchen said...

If a good little atheist liberal demanded that the library purge all Christmas books, the left would cheer. Perhaps there were multiple shelves of Hanukkah books in a small library. Did Bannon protest the inclusion of such books or just ask a question?