Latest news with #RINOs'
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Steve Bannon headlines Greenville GOP convention, says foes 'out to destroy our country'
In his keynote speech to the Greenville County Republican Party convention on Monday, Steve Bannon told the gathering of delegates and other audience members that they have set an example for the nation. 'You grabbed power from the establishment and said, 'Go screw yourself!'' he said to an enthusiastic, sometimes raucous, crowd of about 800 inside the Greenville Convention Center. Bannon is host of the War Room podcast and a former advisor to President Donald Trump. His aggressively populist message pitting 'elites' against everyday Americans has made him a voice in the Make America Great Again – MAGA – movement. The recent history of the Greenville GOP is 'extraordinary,' Bannon said. Following a takeover in 2021, the party has been dominated by the polarizing 'America First' caucus. The faction is led by attorney Jeff Davis, who was elected on Monday to serve as county party chair. He held the position previously before being elected executive committeeman for the state GOP. Davis said his goal as chairman is 'hardening and growing our party' and to keep 'RINOs' – that stands for Republicans in Name Only – from power. In addition to Bannon, the slate of speakers on Monday included U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC 1st District), state treasurer Curtis Loftis, and WORD radio host Bill Frady. Several themes were at the forefront throughout the event: the unfounded claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump, that establishment politicians and business leaders have ripped off working-class and middle-class Americans, and that God is firmly on the side of Trump and MAGA voters. Mace, who was elected to Congress in 2020 and reelected twice since, said, 'South Carolina carried me. God carried me.' According to Bannon, God carried Trump, too. 'It was divine providence,' he said. It's also an article of faith among activists that Trump, not former President Joe Biden, was the rightful winner of the 2020 election. That belief helped to animate the grassroots fervor of Greenville's America First caucus, said Yvonne Julian, who served as party chair before being elected Monday to serve on the state executive committee. 'It motivated a lot of people,' she said. In a short interview before his speech, Bannon said voting machines may have been manipulated in favor of Biden. He pointed to a report by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that electronic voting machines may be susceptible to hacking. Otherwise, he presented no specific evidence. Allegations of systematic fraud in the 2020 election have been unproven. But onstage, Bannon made the claim central to his message. Early in the speech, he exclaimed, 'Trump won, right? They stole it, right?' 'Yes!' many in the crowd shouted back. The mood among attendees was largely celebratory. There were colorful shirts, jackets, hats, and jewelry displaying Trump's name or with MAGA branding. Vendors sold pro-Trump flags. People posed together beside a life-size Trump cutout. But there were darker undercurrents, too. The nation is in 'a battle between good and evil,' said Mace, adding that the political opposition is doing 'the devil's work.' Frady openly talked about political violence. "We don't want to go that way,' he said. 'But I fear it's not going to matter what we want. That's just something to be mindful of.' Bannon's speech hit his targets with an array of incendiary adjectives: 'sociopathic,' 'atheistic,' and 'neo-Marxist.' Bannon claimed that the country is in 'far greater danger' than at the outset of the American Revolution, the Civil War, or World War II. Economic elites and liberal politicians, he said, 'are out to destroy our country.' And that talk of a stolen presidential election in 2020: It has not only motivated MAGA Republicans to get involved in Greenville County party politics. It has some people angling for retribution. 'It's just a matter of time before we find out it was stolen,' said party secretary Angie Fisher. The people she thinks were involved in the theft 'are traitors to our country.' She added, 'Everybody knows what the sentence for treason is. They just never anticipated Trump would be back.' In a prepared statement, Greenville County Democratic Party chair Stacey Mars skewered Bannon and 'those with his beliefs' for 'hatred, division, and chaos.' A small group of protesters gathered outside the convention. Bannon's legal situation in recent years has been closely linked to Trump. In 2021, he received a pardon from Trump. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection to a fundraising effort claiming to support the building of a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico. The state of New York took up the matter, and Bannon pleaded guilty in February to one state felony charge. Bannon was found guilty in 2022 of contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a subpoena to appear at a hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 attack. He served a short prison sentence in 2024. Inside the hall on Monday, Bannon assured his audience that Trump isn't just back – he's on track for a third term. Bannon is unfazed by the wording of the 22nd Amendment – including that '(n)o person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.' In the interview before his speech, Bannon referred to 'Trump's Article II powers' and 'alternatives' to abiding by the commonly understood text of the 22nd Amendment. Asked what those alternatives might be, Bannon was unspecific. 'We haven't disclosed them yet," he said. "But I think other people have worked on it and come up with some ideas.' Mace's political future is a topic of much interest in the state. She is widely considered to have her sights on the governor's office. She didn't declare her intention to run Monday night, but she made sure to let attendees know that the 2026 race was on her mind. 'We have a lot of elections next year, including an election for governor,' she said. "It's important that we choose a candidate who actually has a record of implementing an America First agenda. Promise me you will make that happen.' This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Steve Bannon talks 2020 election, retribution at Greenville GOP event
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: From Dolton to Will County, municipal voters stood against drama and for moderation
In a time of intense polarization, voters in municipal elections that were held Tuesday around the Chicago area showed encouraging signs of exhaustion with politicians' drama. On both the left and the right. Look no further than the beleaguered overwhelmingly Democratic village of Dolton, which overwhelmingly drummed out its controversial mayor, Tiffany Henyard, after four years of chaos and governmental extravagance. And on the other side of the political spectrum, primary voters in Will County's Homer Township, a GOP stronghold, sent packing a slate of incumbents whose MAGA-style posturing and divisiveness prompted a challenge from another GOP slate of candidates promising moderation. To which we say: good! We are in great need of civility, moderation and simple competence in our politics. We hope that these early glimmers that a majority of voters want the same is repeated in the general municipal elections in April and next year and beyond. In Homer Township, the extremely conservative slate of candidates called the Will County Freedom Caucus, led by Supervisor Steve Balich, lost to a rival group of candidates that dubbed itself the Homer Township Reset slate. Typifying the tactics Balich employed, he posted last month on X that his faction was prioritizing holding 'fellow Republicans to conservative principles,' and castigated his opponents as 'RINOs' (Republicans in Name Only.) Homer Glen voters preferred the message of Balich opponent Susanna Steilen, a Homer Glen trustee, who emphasized fiscal responsibility, transparency and treating others with respect. In south suburban Dolton, Trustee Jason House thrashed Henyard, winning 88% of the vote. Henyard's record of poor governance is well-documented, but she also brought national shame to the village, as conservative websites relished her misadventures. Dolton's woes — sky-high property taxes among them — won't disappear along with Henyard, but at least a new leader can focus on the issues rather than the political circus around him. We wish Dolton well in its chance at a fresh start. Elsewhere, we saw more of the anti-incumbency strain that sunk the Democrats in the national election and returned Donald Trump to the presidency. In Aurora, voters seem to be tiring of two-term incumbent Republican Richard Irvin, who was the top vote getter but got just 38%. That doesn't bode well for his chances in the April 1 runoff, which will be a rematch of his 2021 race with Democratic Ald. John Laesch. Aurora — Illinois' second largest city, with Latinos as the single largest demographic but sizable white, Black and Asian American populations — is an interesting combination of suburban sensibilities and the diversity of a big city like Chicago. It's also long been a manufacturing hub, with lots of blue collar workers. Laesch's performance in the primary is a testament to Aurora's increasingly progressive political climate. Laesch is well to the left, focusing for example on social justice and the environment. Irvin's more moderate approach emphasizes public safety, economic development and business. And then there's Cicero, which is there to remind us that some things in Illinois never change. On Tuesday, a slate of incumbents swept the primary. The most notable win came from town President Larry Dominick, a former member of the Cicero Police Department who has held the position for 20 years. It's not just that Dominick emerged victorious; his entire slate, which calls itself the Cicero Voters Alliance, won. Still, mayoral challenger Esteban Rodriguez had a respectable showing, which is not the norm for Dominick, who ran uncontested in the 2017 and 2021 races. The race raised important questions about immigration in a town where 90% of the population is Hispanic. Challenger Rodriguez wrote in an opinion piece for the Tribune last month, calling for Cicero to adopt sanctuary city protections for immigrants and calling Cicero 'ground zero as the most vulnerable town in Illinois during immigration raids.' Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania said that criticism was untrue, pointing out in a letter to the editor that in 2008 Cicero adopted the Safe Space Resolution, adding, 'We treat documented and undocumented residents in Cicero the same.' Cicero continues to captivate spectators who don't live there. The city was home to a massive corruption scandal in the early 2000s, when former town President Betty Loren-Maltese was sent to prison for an insurance scam, convicted for attempting to steal $12 million from Cicero. Loren-Maltese was married to the late Frank Maltese, a convicted bookmaker involved in organized crime. It was Loren-Maltese's corruption scandal that led to Dominick's ascent in Cicero, where in 2005 he defeated her handpicked successor, Ramiro Gonzalez. Dominick's political survival skills in this predominantly Hispanic suburb are instructive. Loren-Maltese shared her thoughts on how he does it in a 2013 conversation with former Better Government Association President Andy Shaw. Her answer? Old school, Chicago-style politics. Turnout overall in Tuesday's primaries was predictably underwhelming. Election season never seems to end around these parts, we understand, but voters need to get educated before the April 1 general election and make their voices heard. We'll have endorsements in some of the biggest races next month. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@
Chicago Tribune
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: From Dolton to Will County, municipal voters stood against drama and for moderation
In a time of intense polarization, voters in municipal elections that were held Tuesday around the Chicago area showed encouraging signs of exhaustion with politicians' drama. On both the left and the right. Look no further than the beleaguered overwhelmingly Democratic village of Dolton, which overwhelmingly drummed out its controversial mayor, Tiffany Henyard, after four years of chaos and governmental extravagance. And on the other side of the political spectrum, primary voters in Will County's Homer Township, a GOP stronghold, sent packing a slate of incumbents whose MAGA-style posturing and divisiveness prompted a challenge from another GOP slate of candidates promising moderation. To which we say: good! We are in great need of civility, moderation and simple competence in our politics. We hope that these early glimmers that a majority of voters want the same is repeated in the general municipal elections in April and next year and beyond. In Homer Township, the extremely conservative slate of candidates called the Will County Freedom Caucus, led by Supervisor Steve Balich, lost to a rival group of candidates that dubbed itself the Homer Township Reset slate. Typifying the tactics Balich employed, he posted last month on X that his faction was prioritizing holding 'fellow Republicans to conservative principles,' and castigated his opponents as 'RINOs' (Republicans in Name Only.) Homer Glen voters preferred the message of Balich opponent Susanna Steilen, a Homer Glen trustee, who emphasized fiscal responsibility, transparency and treating others with respect. In south suburban Dolton, Trustee Jason House thrashed Henyard, winning 88% of the vote. Henyard's record of poor governance is well-documented, but she also brought national shame to the village, as conservative websites relished her misadventures. Dolton's woes — sky-high property taxes among them — won't disappear along with Henyard, but at least a new leader can focus on the issues rather than the political circus around him. We wish Dolton well in its chance at a fresh start. Elsewhere, we saw more of the anti-incumbency strain that sunk the Democrats in the national election and returned Donald Trump to the presidency. In Aurora, voters seem to be tiring of two-term incumbent Republican Richard Irvin, who was the top vote getter but got just 38%. That doesn't bode well for his chances in the April 1 runoff, which will be a rematch of his 2021 race with Democratic Ald. John Laesch. Aurora — Illinois' second largest city, with Latinos as the single largest demographic but sizable white, Black and Asian American populations — is an interesting combination of suburban sensibilities and the diversity of a big city like Chicago. It's also long been a manufacturing hub, with lots of blue collar workers. Laesch's performance in the primary is a testament to Aurora's increasingly progressive political climate. Laesch is well to the left, focusing for example on social justice and the environment. Irvin's more moderate approach emphasizes public safety, economic development and business. And then there's Cicero, which is there to remind us that some things in Illinois never change. On Tuesday, a slate of incumbents swept the primary. The most notable win came from town President Larry Dominick, a former member of the Cicero Police Department who has held the position for 20 years. It's not just that Dominick emerged victorious; his entire slate, which calls itself the Cicero Voters Alliance, won. Still, mayoral challenger Esteban Rodriguez had a respectable showing, which is not the norm for Dominick, who ran uncontested in the 2017 and 2021 races. The race raised important questions about immigration in a town where 90% of the population is Hispanic. Challenger Rodriguez wrote in an opinion piece for the Tribune last month, calling for Cicero to adopt sanctuary city protections for immigrants and calling Cicero 'ground zero as the most vulnerable town in Illinois during immigration raids.' Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania said that criticism was untrue, pointing out in a letter to the editor that in 2008 Cicero adopted the Safe Space Resolution, adding, 'We treat documented and undocumented residents in Cicero the same.' Cicero continues to captivate spectators who don't live there. The city was home to a massive corruption scandal in the early 2000s, when former town President Betty Loren-Maltese was sent to prison for an insurance scam, convicted for attempting to steal $12 million from Cicero. Loren-Maltese was married to the late Frank Maltese, a convicted bookmaker involved in organized crime. It was Loren-Maltese's corruption scandal that led to Dominick's ascent in Cicero, where in 2005 he defeated her handpicked successor, Ramiro Gonzalez. Dominick's political survival skills in this predominantly Hispanic suburb are instructive. Loren-Maltese shared her thoughts on how he does it in a 2013 conversation with former Better Government Association President Andy Shaw. Her answer? Old school, Chicago-style politics. Turnout overall in Tuesday's primaries was predictably underwhelming. Election season never seems to end around these parts, we understand, but voters need to get educated before the April 1 general election and make their voices heard. We'll have endorsements in some of the biggest races next month.
