**JULY 8, 2020**

Kuttner on TAP

Steve Bannon Gets His Wish

When Steve Bannon impulsively phoned me three years ago and said some
incautious things about his boss, he got fired as White House political
director when the

**Prospect** published my interview. The most revealing thing
he said was this:

The Democrats-the longer they talk about identity politics, I got
'em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is
focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we
can crush the Democrats.

This was the essential Trump ploy. Use thinly disguised racist messages,
get the Democrats to stand up for rights in response, and use race as
the wedge issue to win the election. It also helped Trump and Bannon
that the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, was not using pocketbook
issues to bridge racial gaps.

Well, a funny thing happened this year. Bannon got his wish.

Democrats are talking about race. Hell, almost everyone is talking about
race. But this time, not with the impact Bannon hoped for.

Thanks to four years of Trump egging on America's worst instincts on
race, compounded by escalating police violence, most white Americans are
not doubling down on racism. They are saying, enough is enough.

We've emerged into a moment where America at long last supports
radical change and healing on race, and Trump's racism is wildly out
of fashion. It took a kind of five-way bank shot:

Trump stokes racism; the cops conclude it's open season on Blacks;
most Americans respond with disgust; the COVID epidemic shines a further
spotlight on structural racism and Trump's cynicism-and racial
justice becomes a winning issue for progressives and Democrats.

History sure works in strange ways. Someone called this dynamic a
dialectic. Thank you, Brother Bannon.

~ ROBERT KUTTNER

Follow Robert Kuttner on Twitter

Robert Kuttner's latest book is
The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy
.

[link removed]

How a Biden Adviser Got a Gig With Uber

Jake Sullivan's side hustle BY JONATHAN GUYER

Two National Crises, the Pandemic and Police Violence, Have One Common
Thread

The common thread is a national failure to protect. BY PAUL STARR

How New Jersey Became a Vote-by-Mail State

Forced into action by the coronavirus, the Garden State mailed ballots
to all eligible voters. Here's how the largest county handled
operations. BY BRITTANY GIBSON

Native Americans Hail Oil and Gas Pipeline Decisions

In three separate cases, pipelines planned to go through or near Native
lands have been either delayed or stopped. BY GABRIELLE GURLEY

Unsanitized: COVID-19 as a Bucket on a Swivel

Abdul El-Sayed talks about the crisis moment. Plus, more on the PPP
witch hunt. This is The COVID-19 Daily Report for July 8, 2020. BY
DAVID DAYEN

To receive this newsletter directly in your inbox, click here to
subscribe. 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION SUPPORTS INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

Copyright (C) 2020 The American Prospect. All rights reserved.
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

The American Prospect, Inc., 1225 I Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC xxxxxx, United States