THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA LIVES RENT-FREE IN STEVE BANNON'S HEAD, AND IT'S KILLING HIM

This chest-thumping is meant to intimidate, but in reality it's laughable:

Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s chief White House strategist, laced into the American press during an interview on Wednesday evening, arguing that news organizations had been “humiliated” by an election outcome few anticipated, and repeatedly describing the media as “the opposition party” of the current administration.

“The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while,” Mr. Bannon said during a telephone call.

Big tough man!

“I want you to quote this,” Mr. Bannon added. “The media here is the opposition party. They don’t understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.” ...

“The elite media got it dead wrong, 100 percent dead wrong,” Mr. Bannon said of the election, calling it “a humiliating defeat that they will never wash away, that will always be there.”

“The mainstream media has not fired or terminated anyone associated with following our campaign,” Mr. Bannon said. “Look at the Twitter feeds of those people: they were outright activists of the Clinton campaign.” (He did not name specific reporters or editors.)

“That’s why you have no power,” Mr. Bannon added. “You were humiliated.”

A couple of questions for you, Stevie. You want the mainstream media to "shut up" -- and yet you're asking the MSM to quote you. Isn't that a contradiction? Shutting up would mean not publishing anything, including your words of spittle-flecked rage. So which is it: Do you want to be quoted in the MSM or not?

And if you want to be quoted in the MSM, why, if you say the MSM has "no power"?

The answer is obvious: You still believe the MSM still does have power, and it's killing you. You've got this great gig, and the backing of the most powerful man on the planet, and still you just can't be happy, because you know you're under media scruitiny every day. If you had an adult's temperament, like the previous president and many of his aides, you'd just put your head down and do your job. But you can't, because the fact that you can't completely crush the media eats away at you.

Second-saddest thing about this?

The conversation was initiated by Mr. Bannon....

Really now? Bannon arranged to talk to someone he thinks has no power, because he wanted to be quoted in a medium he thinks has no credibility? Tell me another one, Stevie Boy.

Saddest thing about this?

Mr. Bannon mostly referred to the “elite” or “mainstream” media, but he cited The New York Times and The Washington Post by name.

“The paper of record for our beloved republic, The New York Times, should be absolutely ashamed and humiliated,” Mr. Bannon said. “They got it 100 percent wrong.”

Wait for it...

He added that he has been a reader of The Times for most of his adult life.

Pathetic.