“ This dream, Bannon argues, is the core of American society, one that was gutted in 2008 when the Democrats decided to bail out the banks.”

This is perhaps the most dismaying “alternative fact” you can imagine. George Bush was president in 2008, he formulated and proposed the bank bailout that was passed with bipartisan support and opposition.

Steve Bannon is a politician. It is likely he simply invented this narrative about his father to create a compelling story. But that’s mostly what we have to work with from all news media, invented narratives with invented facts to create emotionally compelling stories that hold the interest of the target audience.