Donald Trump’s populist campaign promise to “Drain The Swamp” was something that resonated with many on the right and the left.
But has he just rearranged the seats on the Titanic? And what influences the new members of ‘Team America?’
Let’s take a look at just a few of Trumps picks for cabinet. I decided on four key people whom I feel encompass the direction and vision which will change the political landscape for years to come. Trump claimed he will Drain the swamp, so what’s that look like?
Rex Tillerson — Secretary of State
Who’s Rex? After graduating from college this good old Texan started Exxon Mobile becoming it’s CEO in 1975. Rex was Confirmed on a vote of 56 to 43 February 1st 2017, to the Department of State with no government experience and only ever working at one job. Rex is also an Eagle Scout who served as a past president of the Boy Scouts of America.
Who’s possibly pulling his stings? It’s obvious, big oil is his major influence. Rex is a proponent of resource extraction and pipelines domestic and international. Vladimir Putin and Rex, worked on a $500 billion oil exploration partnership between Exxon and the Russian government’s oil company, Rosneft. The Obama administration blocked the deal when it imposed sanctions against Russia for its intervention in the Ukraine.
In 2012, Putin awarded him the “Order of Friendship” — a high honor in the Kremlin. This cant sit well with most of America’s politicians who have moved up through the ranks during the cold war with Russia.
On 4 April 2017 the Syrian government was blamed (By the US) for a chemical attack on its own people in the town of Khan Shaykhun. Days later Trump responded by launching 58 Tomahawk cruse missiles at the Syrian military base (mostly empty) thought to have launched the attack. Many have seen this as a PR stunt to gain Trump approval on the domestic front.
On April 10th State Tillerson solidified his position on ‘Team America’ while attending the G7 summit (Overlords) in Italy when he said:
“We rededicate ourselves [Team America] to holding to account any and all who commit crimes against the innocents anywhere in the world.”
Tillerson’s Net worth is $245 million (2016).
Betsy DeVos — Department of Education
Betsy is the illegitimate child of Ayn Rand — loved by corporations but hated by Teacher unions. Betsy main goal in life is to privatize public education.
The New York Times reported on her successful effort to kill legislation in Detroit, that would have imposed tougher accountability standards on private schools.
Who’s possibly pulling Betsys stings? It’s a simple, her ideology and money a re the driving force— to be honest she’s more of a string puller. Combined Betsy’s and her Husband Richard DeVos net worth was listed by Forbes in 2016 as having a net worth over $5.1 billion. Richard is the CEO of multi-level pyramid scheme marketing company known as Amway.
She’s solidly entrenched in the old school 1% establishment and has said she expects “a return on her investment.”
Steve Bannon — White House Chief Strategist “Propaganda Minister”
If Bannon, was a member of the Star Wars cast he would be the evil Darth Sidious (Sheev Palpatine). What makes Bannon so dangerous is his ideology and his ability to manipulate public opinion in order to create hate and division — Joseph Goebbels would be proud.
The Sith lords work experience includes: US Navy officer, a Goldman Sachs banker, a radio host, a research director, a film producer (Right wing propaganda)and then a media executive at breitbart.com.
Bannon, graduated from Virginia Tech in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and holds a master’s degree in national security studies and a Masters of Business Administration.
Bannon owns and runs the alt-right propaganda web site called Breitbart. It’s a reactionary web site that openly dismisses women's rights and is homophobic, trans-phobic, Islamophobic — you get the picture. Basically it hates on anyone who’s not a straight white male.
Bannon is open about his sites being a cesspool for white nationalists, xenophobia and antisemitism.
“Are there racist people involved in the alt-right? Absolutely,” he told Mother Jones at this year’s Republican National Convention. “Look, are there some people that are white nationalists that are attracted to some of the philosophies of the alt-right? Maybe. Are there some people that are anti-Semitic that are attracted? Maybe. Right? Maybe some people are attracted to the alt-right that are homophobes, right? But that’s just like, there are certain elements of the progressive left and the hard left that attract certain elements.”
Who’s possibly pulling his stings? Bannon, serves his fascist ultra-conservative ideological beliefs first and foremost.
He is a major influence of the Trump Crew and possibly the most dangerous. He even hates on libertarian conservatives moving the political spectrum into the authoritarian realm.
This “enlightened capitalism” has been replaced with a “disturbing” form of “libertarian conservatism…”
He’s all about propaganda and alternative facts which fit into his narrative of fuck everyone whose not a white Jedediah-christian nationalist, the lords of capitalism. His “movies” and so-called news sites have been a delicious source of alternative facts for white nationalist xenophobes, who dream of the good old days of American exceptionalism and were people knew there place.
April 2017, Forbes magazine stated Bannon’s Net Worth As Much As $48 Million. Not chump change but a far cry from the billion dollar club. What Bannon lacks in wealth (size) he makes up in propaganda (performance) as he has direct influence on the narrative in America and the west.
Kellyanne Elizabeth Conway — Counselor to the President
Conway was the first woman to serve as campaign manager for a Republican presidential candidate. She traveled with Trump throughout his campaign in its later months advising him, as well as appearing frequently on TV to speak on his behalf.
Conway 50, is a veteran political pundit, who’s spent the last three decades advising Republicans on how to appeal to female voters.
She studied at Oxford University, elected to Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious honors society, and later earned a law degree with honors from George Washington University Law School.
But somehow school smarts haven't transferred into political smarts as Conway seems to have developed some foot in mouth disease.
She appeared on Meet the Press on Jan. 22 to say that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer lying about the crowd size at the inauguration was just him presenting an “alternative fact.”
And it seems Kellyanna has stuck to her alternative facts when she made up a fake terrorist attack to justify Trump’s “Muslim ban.” Watch below 2:45–3:01.
There was no such massacre. But Conway claims that “most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.”
Who’s possibly pulling her stings? This is simple, Miss-information and alternative news. As seen in the above video She likes her alternative facts that support her ideology. And who’s the king of spin? Steve [Sidious] Bannon, the presidents Chief Strategist and owner of the number one misinformation propaganda website breitbart news.
Kellyanne Conway is poor in comparison to the rest of the crew with an estimated net worth of $4 million. That’s still more than most of us — and she’s got the presidents ear.
So…
The old the ideological strategies of neoliberalism/conservatism are still present as seen with Trump’s recent missile strike on Syria and the appointment Tillerson and establishment billionaire Devos.
America will continue as the worlds police and at the same time continue to place the financial and social burden of that on the backs of the poor. America will continue to place its own people against each other and its minorities on the bottom of the ladder.
So not much has changed in some aspects and it can be said that things might even roll back to those supposed good old days when America was “great.” (Like the 1950’s Jim Crow era?)
It looks like the top 1% have moved back in and set up shop. But there is a uncanny element — one that if you’re not a student of history its kinda tough to place. It’s the open divisiveness, reactionary hatred and loathing of others coupled with the willingness to disregard the truth. Sound familiar?
So some things in the swamp really haven’t changed. The 1% still hold the power and corporate interests take precedence over all. Neo-liberalism is still alive and well as seen with the proposed privatization of public education by good old Betsy. Yet there is a darkness growing in the swamp it’s strange yet familiar creature. We’ve seen this in the swamp before, the hatred and intolerance of others, the divisiveness, the false narrative of “our culture is best”.
In WWII our (great)grandparents fought against this plague (Fascism) and millions gave there lives. We owe it to them, ourselves and future generations to not just draw a line in the sand but to attack the beachhead straight on. Let’s start by calling these people what they are — fascists.