Keller @ Large: Trump Strategist Steve Bannon Is A Fool
BOSTON (CBS) - So Steve Bannon, chief strategist for the president, says the media should just "keep its mouth shut" in covering the early days of the Trump administration.
In your dreams pal.
In an interview with the New York Times, Bannon said "the media is the opposition party," that journalists have "zero integrity," and that the media has "no power" because some outlets mistakenly thought Hillary Clinton would win.
Let's analyze this trash piece by piece.
Bannon actually comes within hailing distance of the truth when he talks about how the media is "the opposition party." Yes, the proper role of the press is to be adversarial to and skeptical of power.
However poorly some ersatz journalists may have performed this function in the past, it remains the mandate real journalists follow, and if Bannon knew anything about history or journalism, he'd know that.
"The media has no power"?
If that's the case, then all of the critical coverage of Trump – not to mention Hillary Clinton – had nothing to do with their historically high negative ratings during the campaign. And if the press has no power, why is a big, important blowhard like Bannon so exorcised about us?
"Zero integrity?"
I would happily match the integrity of most journalists I know with that of Bannon, not to mention that of the father of Trump University. It would be no contest.
Bannon rarely gives interviews, but made an exception here, which reminds me of another famous quote: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."
Listen to Jon's commentary: