Podcast Summary: Bannon's War Room – Episode 5148

Title: Democrat Party Continues To Lose Footing; Not Backing Down Into 2028
Airdate: February 17, 2026
Host: Stephen K. Bannon
Key Guests: Harry MacDougall, Richard Baris, Steve Stern, Michael Kunstler, Matt Mack
Theme: Deep-dive into the erosion of trust in US institutions, the radicalization of the Democratic Party, analysis of election integrity struggles, party base mobilization, and the grassroots path forward for Republicans in the build-up to primary season.

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on two intertwined topics:

• The perceived radical shift within the Democratic Party towards the socialist far-left, and consequential electoral implications.
• The sustained fight over the 2020 election, election integrity battles in key states, and strategies for Republican and MAGA grassroots mobilization heading into 2026 and beyond.

Steve Bannon and his guests dissect both these fronts by chronicling recent legal battles, polling, activism techniques, and specific threats they see to constitutional norms and conservative governance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Election Integrity and the Legacy of 2020 ([00:00]–[20:00])

• The Narrative of Widespread Fraud

  • Discussion on the persistence and source of allegations of widespread voter fraud, with Bannon questioning, “where is the evidence of the widespread voter fraud?” ([00:44])
  • Bannon and guests highlight right-wing influencers fueling conspiracy theories despite lack of evidence, and their direct involvement with the Trump administration.

• Influencers & Echo Chambers

  • “There’s this constellation of right-wing influencers that have been pickled in these lies now for six years... they are now basically running the playbook around whatever false claim they have been holding onto for six or seven years.” – Steve Bannon ([01:24])

• International Context: Breakdown of Transatlantic Alliances

  • Concerns that the “West” and global order, as traditionally conceived, is fundamentally ruptured as both US and European interests diverge, particularly over support for Ukraine. “In Europe now, there are more and more people saying we cannot trust the Americans any longer. And that's a fundamental shift.” ([05:24])

• Election Reforms & Voter Access

  • While discussing voter ID and security, Bannon notes: “It is dramatically easier to vote in the United States today than it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago.” ([05:41])

• Upcoming Key Election Battles (Texas & Georgia)

  • Texas: Kicks off early primary voting, with attention on intra-GOP battles as proxies for national trends, particularly if “someone who is more Trumplike” ousts a mainstream incumbent (Cornyn). ([06:03])
  • Georgia: Ongoing courtroom fights over seized ballots and election records, seen as crucial both for evidence and grassroots morale. “If they get those ballots back... it'll be a massive, massive, massive setback, particularly for people's motivation.” – Bannon ([14:12])

2. Martyrdom, Obsession & the “Big Lie” Dynamics ([06:09]–[09:30])

• Moral Framing and Biblical Allusion

  • Bannon (quoting Proverbs): “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it... among today's false prophets are the election deniers who indulge this president's obsession with overturning the 2020 election.” ([06:51])

• Pattern of Influence and Reward

  • “Trump makes a ridiculous claim… then someone… scurry to try to do something to backfill a claim… using government power to try to engineer concrete evidence.” – Steve Bannon ([07:49])

• Populist Rebellion

  • “This is the primal scream of a dying regime… pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people… the people have had a belly full of it.” – Stephen K. Bannon ([09:30])

3. Democratic Party: Ideological Drift and the Rise of Socialism ([20:50]–[27:00])

• Far-Left Ascendancy in Charts and Data

  • Steve Bannon presents survey results revealing 21% of Democrats now self-identify as “very liberal” while conservative Democrats have declined from 26% (1999) to 8%.
  • Notable stat: “42% of Democrats under the age of 35 think of themselves as Democratic Socialists.” ([22:41])
  • Richard Baris: “Democratic socialism comes in over 50% of the democratic identification every single month… When you combine (Dem. socialism & socialism), 6 in 10 Democrats identify with some form of socialism.” ([24:13])

• No Compromise, Only Revolution

  • “There's no debate with these people. They're not going to be… the issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.” – Stephen K. Bannon ([26:04])

4. Mobilization and GOP Challenges ([27:00]–[38:00])

• Democrats’ Ground game vs. GOP Lag

  • Baris notes the Democrats’ successful voter mobilization via progressive networks: “The right doesn't have anything like this, that kind of energy going on right now.” ([27:01])
  • Cautions against “moderation as electoral strategy” for Republicans: “That is always stupid... What are we doing here? We're going back to the Karl Rove playbook. This is crazy. You're not going to energize anybody.” – Richard Baris ([36:22])

• Role of Motivation in GOP Success

  • Baris: “About three points of the Democrats lead on the generic ballot right now… comes from motivation. It comes from enthusiasm… The only play I see Republicans have here is to juice their base.” ([31:59])

• Redistricting & Legal Fights

  • The courts' timeline on Voting Rights Act rulings may mean “it's too late for Republicans to be able to change the map in a meaningful way.” ([34:40])
  • “If Republicans, their enthusiasm does not get jacked up… then we do have to revisit how many seats Democrats could gain.” – Richard Baris ([34:40])

• Base Elections & Turnout Control

  • Baris: “If you don't motivate and excite your base, that will impact the margin from independence.” ([36:22])

5. Activism: Precinct Strategy & The Grassroots Reboot ([45:16]–[49:54])

• Precinct Project USA Launch

  • Steve Stern announces relaunch of the classic precinct strategy tactic, renamed “Precinct Project USA,” aiming to counter Democrats appropriating the model. ([46:15])
  • When asked why it matters, Stern says: “So what does precinct project mean… You attend meetings, you vote for candidates, you get candidates elected, you sign up voters, you canvas neighborhoods.” ([46:59])
  • 400,000 precinct slots nationally, half currently unfilled; major push in recruitment and organizing, especially targeting Louisiana and Virginia.

• Grassroots Techniques

  • Stern: New recruitment method involves “breakfast meetings with 20, 30 people but not telling them to come to be a precinct strategy person yet, getting their ideas as conservative… a month later they ask them to come to a meeting and they get them involved.” ([47:39])

6. Election Integrity and Voter Literacy Coalition ([50:28]–[52:00])

• Coalition Building
  • Matt Mack summarizes the Coalition’s formation and purpose: “A network of networks from Hawaii to Massachusetts, Alaska to Texas fighting for election literacy and election confidence… Everyday men and women who just want to ensure our elections are free, transparent and verifiable.” ([50:30])

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Right-Wing Conspiracy Ecosystem:
  “There’s this constellation of right-wing influencers that have been pickled in these lies now for six years... they are now basically running the playbook around whatever false claim they have been holding onto for six or seven years.”
  — Steve Bannon [01:24]

• On Democratic Party’s Shift:
  “Democratic socialism comes in over 50% of the democratic identification every single month… When you combine them together, 6 in 10 Democrats identify with some form of socialism.”
  — Richard Baris [24:13]

• On Mobilization:
  “The only play I see Republicans have here is to juice their base.”
  — Richard Baris [31:59]

• Warning Against ‘Moderation’ Strategy:
  “That is always stupid... What are we doing here? We're going back to the Karl Rove playbook. This is crazy. You're not going to energize anybody.”
  — Richard Baris [36:22]

• On The Nature of The Opposition:
  “There's no debate with these people. They're not going to be… the issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.”
  — Stephen K. Bannon [26:04]

• On the Precinct Project:
  “The Democrats stole our book, believe it or not... picking up our project. So what does precinct project mean and what does it do?... We have 400,000 slots available… we got 200,000 now.”
  — Steve Stern [47:01]

Important Timestamps

• Start of Episode & Framing the Problem - [00:00]
• Georgia Ballot Lawsuit Update - [12:23]
• Democrat Ideology & Polling Data Discussion - [20:52]
• Richard Baris on the Power of the Far Left - [24:13]
• Barris & Bannon on Mobilizing the GOP Base - [31:51]
• Base vs. Moderation Debate - [36:13]
• Launch of Precinct Project USA - [46:15]
• Matt Mack on The Election Coalition - [50:28]

Tone & Style

Throughout, the discussion is urgent, combative, and often apocalyptic—characterized by a sense of existential crisis facing ‘the republic’ and the conservative movement. The language is direct, sometimes biblical or martial (e.g., “primal scream of a dying regime”, “we’re going medieval on these people”, “spiritually broken president”). Speakers repeatedly use polling numbers, historical anecdotes, and dire projections to energize their base and frame 2026 as a now-or-never moment.

Conclusion

Episode Takeaways:

• The Democratic Party, in Bannon’s telling, has been overtaken by its radical socialist wing, with evidence in youth polling and activist energy.
• The GOP’s only plausible strategic path is radical grassroots mobilization, not moderation.
• Critical legal battles in states like Georgia could make or break movement momentum concerning 2020 election disputes.
• New organizing pushes (like Precinct Project USA) are seen as the grassroots arsenal needed to reclaim political ground.
• War Room guests urge listeners to get involved, stay vigilant, and resist complacency—framing November 2026 and 2028 as decisive contests for America’s future.

For more polling details:
Richard Baris: peoplespundant.locals.com

For precinct involvement:
Contact Steve Stern: sstern1054@gmail.com

For election literacy coalitions:
Contact Matt Mack via the show

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