--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Steve Bannon is clearly somebody who has…" description: "\"Steve Bannon is clearly somebody who has studied not-normal politics and the Constitution and the Electoral College. He is somebody who has studied Hit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/van-jones-984_authoritarians_steve-bannon-is-clearly-somebody-who-has_719988.png" --- # Steve Bannon is clearly somebody who has studied… ![“Steve Bannon is clearly somebody who has studied not-normal politics and the Constitution and the Electoral College. He is somebody who has studied Hitler and Lenin and a lot of people who have seized power and unleashed blitzkriegs from above and created tiny cabals of power concentrated in a…” quote by Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/van-jones-984_authoritarians_steve-bannon-is-clearly-somebody-who-has_719988.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/van-jones-984_authoritarians_steve-bannon-is-clearly-somebody-who-has_719988.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b5/van-jones-984_authoritarians_steve-bannon-is-clearly-somebody-who-has_719988.png) > “Steve Bannon is clearly somebody who has studied not-normal politics and the Constitution and the Electoral College. He is somebody who has studied Hitler and Lenin and a lot of people who have seized power and unleashed blitzkriegs from above and created tiny cabals of power concentrated in a tiny group at the top. That's what authoritarians do. It's right out of the playbook.” [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that authoritarian tactics follow a predictable pattern, drawing parallels between modern leaders and historic dictators who used concentrated power and aggressive strategies. **In simple terms:** Authoritarians follow a known playbook of concentrated power. Key Takeaway Recognize authoritarian patterns. Themes politics power authoritarianism history Mood cautious urgent Type political analytical When to use this quote - voting decisions - policy analysis - activism Key Concepts political science comparative analysis strategy Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a shift toward authoritarianism? - How can citizens counter concentrated power? A Different Perspective The comparison may oversimplify complex political contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authoritarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarians/) [Authoritarians Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarians-right-3689470/) [Bannon Clearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bannon-clearly-5661264/) [Cabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cabal/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Electoral college](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electoral-college/) [Group Authoritarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/group-authoritarians-5661265/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Normal Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-politics-5661266/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Playbooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playbooks/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Steve Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steve-bannon/) [Tiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiny/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Unleashed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unleashed/) ## Related quotes > [Somehow, when the authoritarians on the Right search for icons of manly warrior power to venerate, they find only those who like to melodramatically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/somehow-when-the-authoritarians-on-the-right-search-for-icons-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Audacity is the currency for authoritarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/audacity-is-the-currency-for-authoritarians/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [History has shown that the masses have been quite receptive to the promises of authoritarians which are rarely if ever fulfilled,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/history-has-shown-that-the-masses-have-been-quite-receptive-to-the/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Authoritarians tend to consolidate support by using fear, but more importantly by driving a wedge among the people that they want to control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/authoritarians-tend-to-consolidate-support-by-using-fear-but-more/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [The Constitution was definitely and specifically designed to hobble all people who are so foolish as to think themselves capable of leading others by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/the-constitution-was-definitely-and-specifically-designed-to-hobble/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [I have never said authoritarians are pathological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-altemeyer/i-have-never-said-authoritarians-are-pathological/) [Bob Altemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-altemeyer/) > [“When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/when-political-leaders-set-a-negative-example-professional/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [The behavioral scientist Karen Stenner has written very eloquently about people who have what she calls an authoritarian predisposition, a personality type that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-behavioral-scientist-karen-stenner-has-written-very-eloquently/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [The real division is not between conservatives and revolutionaries but between authoritarians and libertarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-real-division-is-not-between-conservatives-and-revolutionaries/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Conservatives without conscience do not have horns and tails; if they did they would be easier to identify. Many of them can be quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/conservatives-without-conscience-do-not-have-horns-and-tails-if-they/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [“Have these gentlemen ever seen a revolution? A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is an act whereby one part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/have-these-gentlemen-ever-seen-a-revolution-a-revolution-is-certainly/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [“Hitler and Mussolini were indeed authoritarians, but it doesn’t follow that authoritarianism equals fascism or Nazism. Lenin and Stalin were authoritarian, but neither was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/hitler-and-mussolini-were-indeed-authoritarians-but-it-doesn-t-follow/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Authoritarians have always been here. But the features of a given moment make that way of thinking more or less appealing. Germany in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/authoritarians-have-always-been-here-but-the-features-of-a-given/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Our effort to build stability through authoritarians in the Middle East for 60 years had given us neither democracy nor stability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/our-effort-to-build-stability-through-authoritarians-in-the-middle/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [The truth is that regimes of corrupt, personalist rule - in which authoritarians wield the state to reward friends, punish enemies and secure their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/the-truth-is-that-regimes-of-corrupt-personalist-rule-in-which/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) ## More by Van Jones > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ I learned more in those six months \[ in the White House\] than in the prior six years. I don't think that anybody who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-learned-more-in-those-six-months-in-the-white-house-than-in-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Most green-collar jobs are middle-skill jobs. That means they require more education that a high-school diploma, but less than a four-year degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/most-green-collar-jobs-are-middle-skill-jobs-that-means-they-require/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] is a horrible human being, but he ain't worse than Bull Connor. Fannie Lou loved Bull Connor and beat Bull Connor because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/donald-trump-is-a-horrible-human-being-but-he-ain-t-worse-than-bull/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [The government built the grid to favor one industry over others. But I don't hear any conservatives screaming about that. Folks don't understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-government-built-the-grid-to-favor-one-industry-over-others-but-i/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Keith Ellison is an organizer's organizer.He's one of the only Muslims in Congress, so you have a big statement there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/keith-ellison-is-an-organizer-s-organizer-he-s-one-of-the-only/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Everybody should be mad but anger only takes you so far. At some point, you'll have outrage fatigue and burn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/everybody-should-be-mad-but-anger-only-takes-you-so-far-at-some-point/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [We have to accept that some very toxic stuff was marbled into the Trump phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/we-have-to-accept-that-some-very-toxic-stuff-was-marbled-into-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All the big ideas for getting us onto a lower carbon trajectory involve a lot of people doing a lot of work, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-big-ideas-for-getting-us-onto-a-lower-carbon-trajectory/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm the guy that's trying to break up that monopoly to introduce free enterprise and competition to the energy sector.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-the-guy-that-s-trying-to-break-up-that-monopoly-to-introduce-free/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I think that America could not become America until it dealt with the disenfranchisement of women and African Americans in the last century. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-think-that-america-could-not-become-america-until-it-dealt-with-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I'm learning and changing all the time, and I expect to continue doing so my entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-m-learning-and-changing-all-the-time-and-i-expect-to-continue-doing/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) [Explore all 314 Van Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) ## More Authoritarians quotes > [History has shown that the masses have been quite receptive to the promises of authoritarians which are rarely if ever fulfilled,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/history-has-shown-that-the-masses-have-been-quite-receptive-to-the/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Our effort to build stability through authoritarians in the Middle East for 60 years had given us neither democracy nor stability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/our-effort-to-build-stability-through-authoritarians-in-the-middle/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Authoritarians have always been here. But the features of a given moment make that way of thinking more or less appealing. Germany in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/authoritarians-have-always-been-here-but-the-features-of-a-given/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Audacity is the currency for authoritarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/audacity-is-the-currency-for-authoritarians/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [“Hitler and Mussolini were indeed authoritarians, but it doesn’t follow that authoritarianism equals fascism or Nazism. Lenin and Stalin were authoritarian, but neither was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/hitler-and-mussolini-were-indeed-authoritarians-but-it-doesn-t-follow/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“Have these gentlemen ever seen a revolution? A revolution is certainly the most authoritarian thing there is; it is an act whereby one part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/have-these-gentlemen-ever-seen-a-revolution-a-revolution-is-certainly/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [“Conservatives without conscience do not have horns and tails; if they did they would be easier to identify. Many of them can be quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dean/conservatives-without-conscience-do-not-have-horns-and-tails-if-they/) [John W. Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-dean/) > [The real division is not between conservatives and revolutionaries but between authoritarians and libertarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-real-division-is-not-between-conservatives-and-revolutionaries/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The behavioral scientist Karen Stenner has written very eloquently about people who have what she calls an authoritarian predisposition, a personality type that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-behavioral-scientist-karen-stenner-has-written-very-eloquently/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [“When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/when-political-leaders-set-a-negative-example-professional/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [I have never said authoritarians are pathological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-altemeyer/i-have-never-said-authoritarians-are-pathological/) [Bob Altemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-altemeyer/) > [Somehow, when the authoritarians on the Right search for icons of manly warrior power to venerate, they find only those who like to melodramatically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/somehow-when-the-authoritarians-on-the-right-search-for-icons-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [The Constitution was definitely and specifically designed to hobble all people who are so foolish as to think themselves capable of leading others by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/the-constitution-was-definitely-and-specifically-designed-to-hobble/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [Authoritarians tend to consolidate support by using fear, but more importantly by driving a wedge among the people that they want to control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/authoritarians-tend-to-consolidate-support-by-using-fear-but-more/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [The truth is that regimes of corrupt, personalist rule - in which authoritarians wield the state to reward friends, punish enemies and secure their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/the-truth-is-that-regimes-of-corrupt-personalist-rule-in-which/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) [Browse all 24 Authoritarians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Steve Bannon is clearly somebody who has studied not-normal politics and the Constitution and the Electoral College. He is somebody who has studied Hitler and Lenin and a lot of people who have seized power and unleashed blitzkriegs from above and created tiny cabals of power concentrated in a tiny group at the top. That's what authoritarians do. 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