This time was different.

The mainstream media and the Democrats brought every weapon they had to the fight against Stephen K. Bannon — and, by extension, Donald Trump, and 61 million deplorables.

For the first 24 hours, they had total control of the debate, and near-total control after that. They defined Bannon, and Breitbart, as antisemites, white nationalists, neo-Nazis. Who could survive that?

And yet Trump did not waver, and the Republican Party did not bend, and the conservative media did not break.

This time, there were no betrayals — no political leaders who tried to help themselves by abandoning the victim of an entirely false and unjustified attack.

Even most of Bannon’s critics and rivals in the conservative media declined to condemn him.

They understood: these were lies. And they knew: if we yield now, they will never stop.

J. Christian Adams noted at PJ Media:

Twenty years ago, the conservative media landscape looked very different. Bannon and others have ushered in nothing less than a revolution.

The Washington Post hardly matters at all anymore, and those legacy conservative forums matter far less. Is it a coincidence that some of them are hosting the most toxic attacks on Bannon? Perhaps.

But you can’t help but wonder if this is more about competitive advantage being sought by the publications who mattered a lot more before Steve Bannon and other conservative media sources supplanted the dominant players from two decades ago.

What changed? What brought sudden unity and courage to a movement that had been fractured, just days before, by grudges and promises of retribution?

Was it the glow of victory after Election Day? Was it Trump’s example, repeated so often in the campaign, of never giving up in the face of media attacks? Was it the bare-knuckle fight-back of Breitbart News? Or was it the silent, steel resolve of Bannon himself?

Whatever the reason, it is clear that there is a new spirit in the Republican Party and the conservative movement.

The GOP elephant — loud and mighty, but frightened by mice — has begun to learn from the honey badger.

The honey badger, you see, does not care. The honey badger will fight through venom, prey on predators.

Welcome to the age of the honey badger.

We. Never. Quit.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. His new book, See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Can’t Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.