Red And White

For anyone with a memory of the Cold War, it was ironic (to say the least) when red became the official color of the GOP. I've always taken adoption of that particular color as nose-thumbing, and as a manifestation of the psychological projection of notables like Grover Norquist (see, for example, his declaration of Leninist principles in the war against Commie-libs).

Bring on Trump, to make the "Red" literal, through his ties to Russia.

Campaign staff may have been reshuffled with Paul Manafort under new scrutiny, since the discovery of secret payments he received from Putin's former Ukrainian puppet. Manafort hasn't gone anywhere, despite media focus on the newly named figures (a "Campaign Manager"—and a "Campaign CEO," no less...)

Manafort's history as lobbyist is one of "stealthily reinventing the world's nastiest tyrants as noble defenders of freedom," in Franklin Foer's account. Foer notes that the original link between Trump and Manafort was through Roy Cohn; so much for anti-Communism...

As Foer notes, Manafort, who ran Reagan's southern campaign in 1980, was responsible for its opening in Philadelphia, MS. Everything about Manafort's history suggests his serving as a link to both Red and White; the usefulness of both is seen in Trump's campaign reliance on white supremacist themes derived from Russian disinformation sources.

But it seems Manafort's approach just wasn't blatant enough; white supremacist anti-immigration groups are celebrating Trump's new Breitbartian "Campaign CEO," Stephen Bannon.

It's quite a program for Trump: gaining access to classified briefings and stirring up the most violent of armed domestic crazies.

That's just for now. Until November, and whenever the expected Trump TV launch happens, it remains to be seen what is to be unleashed.