>>THE REPUBLICANS PUSHED THE TAX BILL THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE
PROCESS, BUT THERE IS STILL DRAMA GOING ON BETWEEN THE
ESTABLISHMENT WING OF THE REPUBLICANS AND THE BANNON WING
OF THE REPUBLICANS.
TODAY MITCH MCCONNELL MADE A STATEMENT WHEN
ASKED ABOUT THE EFFECT OF BANNON'S BRILLIANCE ON THE
REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN IN ALABAMA, THOSE ARE THE TWO
SIDES, AND HERE IS WHAT MITCH MCCONNELL HAD TO SAY.
>>DO YOU BLAME STEVE BANNON FOR DOUG JONES BEING ELECTED IN
ALABAMA?
>>LET ME SAY THIS, THE POLITICAL GENIUS ON DISPLAY,
THROWING AWAY A SEAT IN THE REDDEST STATE IN AMERICA, IS
HARD TO IGNORE.
>>JUST THAT RESPONSE, HE KNOWS HE'S GOT A GOOD ONE, WE DID A
MODIFIED VERSION OF THAT CLIP, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE
RESPONSE OF MITCH MCCONNELL TO MITCH MCCONNELL WHEN HE'S DONE
WITH THAT BURN.
TAKE A LOOK.
>>DO
YOU BLAME STEVE BANNON FOR DOUG JONES BEING ELECTED IN ALABAMA?
>>WELL, LET ME JUST SAY THIS -- THE POLITICAL GENIUS ON DISPLAY,
THROWING AWAY A SEAT IN THE REDDEST STATE IN AMERICA, IS
HARD TO IGNORE.
>>IT'S LIKE THE LITTLEST SMIRK FROM THE SLOWEST BURN OF A BURN.
WHAT DO YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THAT STATEMENT?
>>I TAKE AWAY COUPLE THINGS, ONE IS HE HAD THE LINE TEED UP,
HE JUST HAD TO REMEMBER IT.
THAT'S WHY HE PAUSED IN THE
BEGINNING.
RAT, POLITICAL GENIUS ON DISPLAY, LIKE I PRACTICED IN
FRONT OF THE MIRROR.
AND HE WAS SO PROUD OF HIMSELF, THAT'S AS
MUCH JOY AS MITCH MCCONNELL CAN SHOW.
THERE'S NOT MUCH JOY LEFT
IN HIS HEART, SO IT'S LIKE THIS -- THAT WILL LAST HIM FOR A
DECADE.
NOW ONTO THE SUBSTANCE, LOOK, I SAID THIS DURING THE
ELECTION, SOMEBODY DID OPPO RESEARCH ON ROY MOORE, OF
COURSE, SO WHEN REPUBLICANS WERE SAYING WHY RIGHT BEFORE THE
ELECTION?
YES, RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION, BECAUSE SOMEONE DID
OPPO RESEARCH ON ROY MOORE.
I ALWAYS ASSUMED IT WAS THE
DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T RELEASE IT DURING THE PRIMARIES
WHEN IT COULD HAVE HELPED LOU HER STRANGE.
AND I DON'T MEAN
THE PRESS, THE PRESS DOES INDEPENDENT WORK, AS PROJECT
VERITAS, THE RIGHT WING CLOWNS, FOUND OUT, IF YOU GIVE THEM
TRUE
STUFF THE PRESS DOES THEIR OWN RESEARCH, BUT IT'S A THING
CALLED OPPOSITION RESEARCH IN POLITICS, IT EXISTS.
BUT MITCH
MCCONNELL HATES STEVE BANNON AND HIS WING SO MUCH, I THINK
THERE'S EVEN SOME CHANCE THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS
DID THE OPPO RESEARCH, AND KNOWING THAT THEY HAD 51 VOTES
AND THAT'S ALL THEY NEED FOR THE TAX CUTS, THIS IS JUST
SPECULATION, MAYBE HE MIGHT HAVE BURIED ROY MOORE TO SEND A
MESSAGE NOT JUST TO STEVE BANNON BUT TO ANYONE WHO WOULD DARE TRY
TO TAKE ON AN ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICAN.
SO THEY CAN SAY FROM
NOW TO FOREVER, REMEMBER ROY MOORE WHEN YOU TRY TO TAKE ON
WHAT THE INCUMBENTS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT TOLD YOU ABOUT.
THERE'S A HEAVY PRICE TO PAY SO DON'T DO THAT AGAIN.
>>THIS MOMENT IS LIKE, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE PRETTY SMART,
BANNON.
ALL THE STUFF WE WERE DOING, SAYING CAN WE PLEASE HAVE
LUTHER STRANGE, SOMEONE WHO ALREADY GOT FAVORS IN ORDER TO
BE THE CHOSEN SON OF THE IS THAT WAS MEANT WHEN IT COMES TO
ALABAMA POLITICS, GO WITH US.
YOU WENT AGAINST US, AND SEE
WHAT HAPPENED, YOU PISSED AWAY -- IT WAS A COME ON MAN MOMENT,
YOU WERE ABOUT TO DUNK A BASKETBALL AND YOU BEEFED IT OFF
THE BACK OF THE ROOM.
THIS IS MCCONNELL SAYING YOU MESSED UP,
GIVE US BACK THE MANTLE OF THE REPUBLIC AND PARTY BECAUSE WE
JUST PASSED TAX CUTS.
>>HE VIEWS BANNON AS SOMEONE WHO HAS TAKEN THAT MANTLE.
AND
CENK'S NOTION THAT IT COULD BE THIS UNDERHANDED WAY THAT YOU
WILL LAY THE FOUNDATION TO MAKE THAT POINT, THAT'S A COOL ONE.
IT HADN'T OCCURRED TO ME, BUT CLEARLY THE BEAT DOWN MOMENT WE
JUST SAW, WHICH IS HEY, BANNON, GO TO YOUR BREITBART SHIT, YOU
ARE OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE.
>>WHERE DOES TRUMP COME DOWN ON ALL OF THIS?
BECAUSE WE CAN GO
TO GRAPHIC NUMBER FOUR FOR THIS, THIS IS WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO
ALL THE THINGS THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE TO FACE IN THE COMING YEAR,
MCCONNELL SAYS THE WHITE HOUSE WILL BE IN THE SAME PLACE I AM,
WHEN IT COMES TO ALL THE IMPENDING LEGISLATIVE
CHALLENGES THEY SAY THEY FACE.
>>MCCONNELL FOR THE MOMENT BEING HAS WON A RESOUNDING
VICTORY.
BANNON WAS A TOTAL EPIC FAIL IN ALABAMA, THEN MCCONNELL
HELPS TO GET THE TAX CUTS PASSED.
YOU MIGHT SAY ANYONE
WITH ROY MOORE MIGHT HAVE LOST, BUT THAT'S WHY YOU SHOULDN'T
HAVE RUN ROY MOORE, YOU KNUCKLEHEAD STEVE BANNON.
YOU
MIGHT SAY ANYONE CAN GET THE TAX CUTS PASSED IF YOU HAVE 52
REPUBLICANS, THAT'S TRUE, BUT NONETHELESS THAT THE APPEARANCE.
AND WHAT DOES TRUMP LIKE?
HE LIKES WINNERS.
THEY TOLD HIM TO
BACK LUTHER STRANGE AND HE DID, HE LOST TO ROY MOORE, BANNON
CONVINCED HIM TO BACK ROY MOORE, OOPS.
NOW TRUMP IS THINKING
STEVE BANNON, HE'S NOT WINNING ANYMORE.
AND HE JUST TWEETED
MCCONNELL IS DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, AND MCCONNELL WAS KIDDING
AROUND, SAYING I'M STARTING TO WARM UP TO DONALD TRUMP'S
TWEETS.
AND THEN HE'S OUT OF JOY FOR 10 YEARS.
ANYWAY, MCCONNELL
IS DEFINITELY RIGHT, AND ONE LAST QUOTE FROM AN INSIDER, THE
EXPLAINED, AND YOU CAN TELL IT'S A TRUMP INSIDER, THEY SAID THE
BEST DECISION TRUMP MADE WAS FIRING JAMES COMEY.
SO YOU CAN
TELL IT THE DEEP TRUMP INSIDER.
BUT THE SECOND BEST DECISION HE
DID WAS GETTING RID OF STEVE BANNON.
DAMN, IF GUYS THAT ARE THAT LOYAL TO TRUMP OUR THAT
TURNED ON STEVE BANNON HE'S IN A WORLD OF HURT.
>>WHO KNOWS WHAT BANNON WILL DO BECAUSE TRUMP CAN JUST STOKE THE
BASE IN THE BACKGROUND AND DO ALL OF HIS LEGISLATIVE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OF WHICH I'M TALKING ABOUT THE ONLY ONE HE
HAS, HAS GOT TO PISS OFF STEVE BANNON.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT
BANNON STANDS FOR, IT'S 100% IN THE SERVICE OF EVERYONE AROUND
HIM IN WASHINGTON, AND THAT IS THE MCCONNELL WING, THAT THE
ONLY WAY TRUMP HAS SEEN A VICTORY.
HOWEVER, THE VICTORY
TRUMP WON TO WIN THE WHITE HOUSE WAS THANKS IN LARGE PART TO
STEVE BANNON.
AND TRUMP, THE WINNER OF THE ELECTION, IS STEVE
BANNON'S GUY AND NOT MITCH MCCONNELL, MCCONNELL
WOULD'VE CHOSEN SOMEONE ELSE.
>>TWO POINTS, ONE IS THAT WE'VE LEARNED HE'S VERY MUCH IN TOUCH
WITH STEVE BANNON, BANNON'S STARR MAY BE FADING, AS CENK
SAID HE'S NOT WINNING LATELY, BUT STILL A LOT OF THE STEVE
BANNON ETHIC AND PHILOSOPHY IS BEING PLAYED OUT.
YOU SEE THE
DISMANTLING OF GOVERNMENT, WE WILL GET TO THE EPA STORY IN A
SECOND, YOU SEE IT AT STATE WHERE POSITIONS GO UNFILLED.
THIS ISN'T AN ACCIDENT, STEVE BANNON IS REALLY THE ARCHITECT
OF A LOT OF THAT.
I STILL THINK YOU SEE THE FINGERPRINTS OF
STEVE BANNON ON A LOT OF STUFF IN THIS ADMINISTRATION.
>>YOU ARE RIGHT, MARK, EVERYBODY KNOWS TRUMP IS A
PETULANT CHILD, HE MIGHT IN A MOMENT OF PIQUE TURNED BACK TO
STEVE BANNON, HE MIGHT DO THAT 12 DIFFERENT TIMES, GO BACK AND
FORTH, BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S MOST
IMPORTANT, WHICH IS THE UNDERLYING DYNAMIC IN AMERICAN
POLITICS, WHICH IS IF YOU WANT TO WIN AN ELECTION BE POPULIST
AND ACTUALLY BE PROGRESSIVE.
AND STEVE BANNON KNEW THAT, SO ONE
OF THE THINGS HE PUSHED FOR WAS TO GET RID OF THE HEDGE FUND
LOOPHOLE ON CARRIED INTEREST.
AND HE TOLD TRUMP TO RUN AGAINST
THE BANKS.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY SMART.
I SAY ALL THE TIME, STEVE
BANNON IS A TERRIBLE GUY IN 1000 DIFFERENT WAYS, ESPECIALLY ON
RACE AND ETHNICITY, BUT HE'S NOT A DUMMY.
HE SAID TRUMP, GO DO
THIS, APPEAR TO BE PROGRESSIVE SO WE CAN WIN, AND THEY DID, AND
BY THE WAY MITCH MCCONNELL KNOWS THE SAME THING.
IN HIS OWN
ELECTION IN KENTUCKY IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS HE RAN NONSTOP ADS IN
FAVOR OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM DOWN THERE KNOWN AS CONNECT.
YOU
KNOW WHAT THAT IS?
OBAMACARE.
MITCH MCCONNELL RAN ON OBAMACARE
FOR HIS OWN ELECTION.
AND WHAT DID TRUMP SAY DURING THE
ELECTION?
I WILL NEVER TOUCH SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE,
MEDICAID.
THAT WASN'T TRUE.
I'M GOING TO GO AFTER THE BANKS AND
PROTECT YOU, NONE OF THAT WAS TRUE.
BUT THE GUYS WHO RUN THE
CAMPAIGNS, THE MINUTE THEY WIN THEY NO LONGER CARE ABOUT THE
VOTERS, BECAUSE THE WHOLE POINT WAS TO TRICK THE VOTERS.
NOW
THEY HAVE TO SERVE THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE THEM THE MONEY TO TRICK
THE VOTERS, WHICH IS THE DONORS.
IT'S NOT A SURPRISE THAT AFTER
THE ELECTION THE ESTABLISHMENT SETTLES BACK IN, EVEN WITH A GUY
LIKE TRUMP, AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HEDGE FUND LOOPHOLE?
THEY DON'T TAKE IT AWAY, AND IN FACT THEY INCREASE THE
LOOPHOLES FOR THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS, AND IF BANNON
IS SAYING DON'T DO THAT, WELL, HE'S GOT TO GO BECAUSE THE
RICH HAVE GOT TO GET RICHER.
>>ONE ITEM ACCORDING TO THIS REPORT THAT MCCONNELL SAID HE'S
ALMOST CERTAIN TO WORK ON HIS EASING REGULATIONS ON BANKS
IMPOSED BY THE DODD FRANK LAW.
THAT BILL HAS 12 DEMOCRATIC COSPONSORS.
>>IN THE HOUSE PAUL RYAN SAYS WE WILL CUT MEDICARE, SOCIAL
SECURITY, AND MEDICAID, AND IN THE SENATE MCCONNELL SAYS THAT'S
HIS NEXT TOP PRIORITY, IS TO HELP THE BANKS.
AND TO MY POINT
ABOUT THE DONOR CLASS ALWAYS WINS NO MATTER WHAT, 12
DEMOCRATS HAVE ALREADY SIGNED ON TO IT, BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT
THE SAME DONORS.