Stephen Bannon tells Alabamans that the Washington elite 'think you're a pack of morons'

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last updated 26 September 2017

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon told Alabamans on Monday night that the choice between incumbent Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore is akin to siding with the Washington elite or President Trump. Never mind that Trump, who is enormously popular in the Yellowhammer State, has actually joined forces with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in endorsing Strange in the Alabama GOP Senate primary — Bannon told attendees at a barn rally for Moore that "we did not come here to defy Donald Trump, we came here to praise and honor him."

While Bannon was supporting Moore in his speech, he was also declaring war on McConnell, Axios reports. "Mitch McConnell and this permanent political class is the most corrupt and incompetent group of individuals in this country," Bannon told the crowd. "They think you're a pack of morons. They think you're nothing but rubes. They have no interest at all in what you have to say, what you have to think or what you want to do."

Bannon spoke later with Fox News host Sean Hannity to nail down his point, Al.com reports. "[The Republican establishment] didn't come to Alabama to have a reasoned discussion with you or a debate with you," Bannon told Alabamans. "What they did was spend $30 million to destroy a man. Is that going to work? No." He added: "Alabama, tomorrow, gets to show the entire world ... this populist, nationalist conservative movement is on a rise." Read more about the Alabama Senate race, and watch a clip of Bannon's speech, here at The Week.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.