Hey look, profound constitutional flaws in our proportional representation and in keeping corruption out of politics all in one tweet https://t.co/biZetR1HZK
— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) October 8, 2017
There's somehow always a way for the Senate to get worse. https://t.co/mDcRqYQEuL pic.twitter.com/YfWBQRVKfy
— Taniel (@Taniel) October 8, 2017
With encouragement from Bannon, Erik Prince, Blackwater's founder, is considering a Senate challenge in Wyoming https://t.co/1Exm2oSwAQ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 8, 2017
Prince better have kept up his SEAL training, because when Liz Cheney finds out about his latest attention-getting stunt, she’s not gonna be hapy with him stepping on “her” turf. Steve Bannon’s got a high opinion of his own Chaotic Evil worth, but Liz’s daddy was corrupting public office when Stevie was just learning to set the bullies against the nerds in middle school:
… Over the weekend, Mr. Prince traveled to Wyoming with his family to explore ways to establish residency there, said one person who had spoken to him.
If he runs, Mr. Prince would face formidable obstacles in seeking to unseat Mr. Barrasso, a popular and genial but low-profile senator who will have the full backing of Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and the well-funded political committees loyal to him. Mr. Prince, who has never run for public office, has been a polarizing figure for years, as Blackwater faced a welter of ethical and legal problems over its work for the military in places like Iraq, including an episode in 2007 in which its employees killed 17 civilians in Baghdad…
Though Mr. Prince carries baggage, Republicans have privately said that a primary challenge against a lawmaker like Mr. Barrasso is the kind they fear most: an out-of-the-blue run by a renegade from the right against a senator whose sin is not a lack of conservative credentials, but an association with Mr. McConnell and other party leaders…
In 1997, Mr. Prince founded Blackwater as a private, for-profit force to aid the military, and he is wealthy enough to self-finance his race. For months this year, Mr. Prince — with Mr. Bannon’s support — pushed a plan to replace soldiers with contractors in Afghanistan. The proposal, which would have radically changed the way the fight in that country is conducted, was vehemently opposed by the national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, and the defense secretary, Jim Mattis.
Beyond his support of the use of contractors in war zones, Mr. Prince’s views on political issues are less widely known. He has been described as a libertarian. In 1992, he supported Pat Buchanan’s run for president.
Mr. Prince is emblematic of the type of parallel government apparatus that Mr. Bannon built inside the administration during his time as Mr. Trump’s chief strategist. Mr. Bannon, with help from the Mercer family, is now trying to build the same kind of parallel structure inside the Republican Party. And Mr. Prince is not the only candidate on his wish list…
Revealing that Erik Prince may run vs. Barasso in a state where he doesn't live, rather than Stabenow, an incumbent Dem, in his native Mich.
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) October 8, 2017
Between his sister Betsy and failed MI Gov. Rick Snyder, forecasts for the GOP in Michigan are not so great right now, which probably has something to do with Bannon trying to persuade him to up sticks to a place where the lands are larger and the voters fewer. Also, Debbie Stabenow is not exactly a pushover, as the deVos klan has reason to know.
Marcion
I’d rather have three Kid Rocks than one of this guy. Ugh.
gene108
Rich entitled asshole, who thinks he has something valuable to say just because he is a rich entitled asshole.
mai naem mobile
Barasso is an asshole and Prince is an evil piece or shitscum so I am rooting for injuries here. Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight to the death!
Millard Filmore
Any rich guy that hides his activities behind the government wall of “the corporate veil” and his wealth behind the government wall of “corporate bankruptcy” is not a libertarian. Maybe a socalist?
Kay
The intersection with “European right-wing” seems like it was inevitable but adds another layer. It’s not like that was secret- Trump openly supported them.
rikyrah
Wyoming???
So, he would be a carpetbagger
trnc
More baggage than the sex offender whom they elected prez or the senate primary winner who wants to outlaw being gay?
Barbara
Carpetbaggers are more likely to succeed in high population states with expensive media markets. Even Liz Cheney couldn’t pull it off the first time she tried.
RobertDSC-Mac Mini
Prince and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke dishonor their SEAL Tridents every single day.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Why would Prince want to be a senator, his later day Albercht von Wallenstien act getting dull?
Not to mention, sure Wyoming is a Red State, but “hired gun for the Muslims” isn’t going to be a positive with those voters.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Hmm reading the article it sounds like Bannon is using Trump to create chaos in the GOP so the GOP voters will reject the “establishment” so Bannon can establish his own base with tame politicians.
Chris
If you can’t be Viceroy of Afghanistan, I suppose Viceroy of Wyoming will have to do.
@gene108:
::gasp, double-take, pearl clutching, falling onto the fainting couch::
How could you possibly say that about a veteran. I’ll have you know that all veterans are the most selfless people who ever lived, and also the Most Valid Opinion holders on everything ever [unless they’re anti war veterans, or veterans at a BLM protest, or female veterans asking not to be raped, or… but that’s not important right now].
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
Don’t worry. It’ll be phrased as “hired gun against the Muslims.”
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
Yeah, that’s probably the most worriesome thing about this. Bannon et al realize that Trump alone isn’t the stuff that long-lasting coalitions are made of, so he’s looking to build his own political faction/infrastructure that’ll outlast the current useful idiot.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
I thought Prince was wanted in the US for war crimes? Isn’t he worried that if the administration changes they’d throw him in prison? If you made me President tomorrow I’d look into it.
comforter runner-up
Uh … that’s not really a “libertarian.” I think support for Pat Buchanan is all we need to know here.
Citizen_X
@Chris:
Hey, when you’ve seen one high, cold, primitive desert region, you’ve seen ’em all.
brettvk
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: He gave the impression of someone who buys senators, not someone who aspires to be one. I can’t imagine his generalissimo act adapted to the Greatest Deliberative Body in the World.
redoubt
@Citizen_X: Prinz Erik von Schwarzwasser zu Abu Dhabi