Stephen Bannon, Donald Trump’s campaign chief, poised for battle

NEWS AND OPINION:

As the new playcaller behind Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Stephen K. Bannon has drawn instant, nervous news coverage — already deemed a “street fighter” by CNN, a “right wing Rottweiler” by Vice, a “rogue and provocateur” by Politico, and “Trump’s latest Svengali” by Mother Jones.

Perhaps journalists are uneasy because Mr. Bannon is a media guy himself. He is a radio host, an independent filmmaker, and as Breitbart News chairman has steered that bustling group with insight and purpose. Mr. Bannon plans to return to his editorial kingdom “on the evening of Nov. 8,” according to the organization itself, which officially calls Mr. Bannon “a huge piece of manpower.”

He’s got history in the political arena and knows the landscape. Consider “The Undefeated,” Mr. Bannon’s 2011 feature-length documentary film chronicling Sarah Palin’s political career at a time when she was besieged by an unfriendly press and Hollywood mockery. Against industry odds, Mr. Bannon made sure the film got national distribution and selective screenings before important conservative and grass-roots audiences; he knew what was at stake.

“There is a battle for the soul of the conservative movement and the Republican Party,” Mr. Bannon said at the time. “It is most important to bring this film to these influential activist audiences.”

Now he emerges as a tough and strategically minded wingman for Mr. Trump as the nominee crosses from the land of political potshots and cranky journalists into an intensified battlefield, in an election considered historic, even by historians. And that election will be here in 82 days.

’A WINNING COALITION’

Richard Viguerie, a longtime conservative maven who has been privy to decades of ideological warfare, has sided with Donald Trump and his campaign hires — veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway and the aforementioned Stephen Bannon. Mr. Viguerie deems both “movement conservatives” and seems, well, hopeful.

“With Kellyanne and Steve at the top of the campaign, Mike Pence as vice president and Sen. Jeff Sessions at Donald Trump’s side, the Trump campaign is shaping up to be the most ideological campaign since Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign against Jimmy Carter,” says Mr. Viguerie, who praised Mr. Trump’s recent policy speeches covering the economy, the war against radical Islam, and law and order.

“Unlike the failed campaigns of Sen. John McCain and Mitt Romney, who took the advice of the GOP establishment consultants and the media and ’moved to the center,’ Donald Trump has moved right to bring movement conservatives into partnership with the conservative populists who won him the Republican primaries. This is a winning coalition,” observes Mr. Viguerie.

YES, IT’S A MEDIA PROBLEM

“Most voters still think the media is more interested in controversy than in the issues when it comes to the presidential race,” says a new Rasmussen Reports survey, which reveals that a tidy 74 percent of likely voters agree that the press prefers to create discord rather than actually report where the candidates stand on issues.

The partisan divide: 84 percent of Republicans, 80 percent of independents and 59 percent of Democrats agree with this. The divide grows greater elsewhere: 89 percent of voters who back Donald Trump believe the media is more interested in creating controversy than covering issues; 54 percent of voters who side with Hillary Clinton agree.

FOR THE LEXICON

“Chefs for Hillary:

— A new activist group composed of celebrity chefs who are sharing recipes with the public to demonstrate their support of Hillary Clinton — ironically, a candidate not known for dining in public. Among the chefs: Mario Batali, who contributed a recipe for “Grilled Swordfish alla Messinese,” and Katie Lee, who contributed “Patriotic Penne Pie.”

AND AT THE VINEYARD

Just in case you wondered, here’s the White House pool report detailing President Obama’s golf game on Wednesday, this from Gardiner Harris, White House correspondent for The New York Times:

The motorcade turned into Vineyard Golf Club, which bills itself as the only organic golf club in the United States. The club sits on 235 ’preserved’ acres (if it’s a golf course, is it really ’preserved?’), and is designed as a walking course with caddies. Carts are, presumably, frowned upon. Want to play here? Check the obits pages. There are currently no memberships available, but the club graciously provides a waiting list in case one of its members should experience a fatal accident or, worse, a bad run at the craps table.”

SOME SERIOUS TWITTER

Opponents of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are six times greater in number on Twitter than ISIS supporters. But those sympathetic to the group are more active on the social media platform, says a new study from the Rand Corp. Analyzing 23 million tweets posted in Arabic over a 10-month period, researchers found that ISIS supporters produced 50 percent more tweets than opponents on a typical day, although there is evidence that ISIS opponents are stepping up their activity.

The researchers suggest U.S. officials do more to support opponents of ISIS on Twitter, possibly offering some social media training.

“Organizations such as the U.S. military and the State Department looking to counter-message ISIS on Twitter should tailor messages and target them to specific communities,” says lead author Elizabeth Bodine-Baron. “The ISIS Twitter universe is highly fragmented and consists of several different communities with different concerns, so messages need to be aimed at specific audiences, rather than trying to craft a one-size-fits-all message.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 69 percent of registered Latino voters say the current U.S. immigration system is “mostly broken.”

• 60 percent describe themselves as Democrats, 21 percent as Republicans, 16 percent as independents.

• 53 percent say the term “illegal immigrant” is an accurate description.

• 41 percent say the term is offensive.

• 38 percent say the immigration system is not strict enough.

• 30 percent say it’s “about right”; 26 percent say it’s too strict.

Source: A Fox News poll of 803 registered U.S. voters who are Latino conducted Aug. 7-10.

• Polite applause, half truths to jharper@washingtontimes.com.