Opinion: Steve Bannon claims to be a nationalist but has no idea what America stands for

To the editor: Where oh where do I begin? (“On ‘60 Minutes,’ Steve Bannon strikes at his long list of enemies and raises specter of GOP fratricide ahead,” Sept.10)

First, thank you to CBS News’ Charlie Rose for tolerating former White House advisor Steve Bannon long enough to interview him for “60 Minutes” and for him to reveal himself as a person who claims to have been born, bred and educated in America but has no idea what this country stands for.

When a person works in the White House, he works for the American people, not the guy who got elected president. He is not President Trump’s “wingman” like they’re out at some meat-market disco.

And what attention should the American people pay to someone who declares “war” on members of Congress? The Legislature and the president should work together for the good of the people.

Bannon made some crack about the American tradition of people coming to this country and assimilating being a left-wing myth that he claimed was “beneath” Rose for him to accept as fact. Then he made some remark about himself behaving a certain way because he’s “Irish.”

I hope Bannon’s path to complete obscurity is swift and permanent.

Nicholas Orchard, Long Beach

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To the editor: Observing Bannon’s clenched jaw up close on television revealed a lot about his M.O. as a really hostile individual. He said defiantly that any follower of Trump must remain “loyal” no matter what — personal integrity be damned, evidently.

Seeing Bannon reveal his true colors did not surprise me, but it was deeply concerning. He projected the image of the archetypical mobster, the perfect sycophant to his very own godfather, Donald Trump.

Bannon must be watched closely. After his interview on “60 Minutes,” I believe his influence on Trump could prove more dangerous than previously thought.

Sylvia Lewis Gunning, Thousand Oaks

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To the editor: If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan and other establishment Republicans want to retain control of their party, they must make it clear to everyone that Bannon, Trump and their followers do not speak for the GOP.

The Republicans cannot keep Bannon from speaking out or Trump from exercising his executive powers, but they can excommunicate them from the Republican Party. By making Congress the leading force in government, they can create future success for their party.

Everyone has freedom of speech, but no one has the right to declare himself a member of a political party and then take it over against the will of the establishment.

Leroy Miller, West Hills

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