White House Political Adviser Steve Bannon appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday where he discussed the importance of American culture, among other things. But that didn’t sit well with some of CNN’s political analysts; particularly with David Gregory, who condemned Bannon on Anderson Cooper 360 claiming that “The language of the uniqueness of American culture is this kind of white nationalist language to me that harkens back to the kind of language we've heard before.”
Gregory asserted that it was a question Bannon needed to answer, while he immediately tried to distance himself from his fresh smear by stating, “I don't know him. I don't know what's in his heart.” But that didn’t preclude him from making some pretty heavy assumptions about Bannon’s “worldview:”
There is a worldview there that I think will trouble a lot of Trump opponents about the uniqueness of America somehow being separated from our -- the history of being such a multicultural society. A welcoming society and a society that assimilates outsiders really well. Assimilates immigrants really, really well there is a comparison to the vulnerability of Europe that somehow we are the same. And I think immigrants assimilate into America both economically, socially, and culturally much better than other countries as part of the greatness of this country.
Those comments by Gregory came after a fellow panelist continued to push the tired claims that Bannon himself was a white supremacist.
“The same person that has fostered, like, stoked these divisions this very extremist language when it comes to people of color, women, Jewish people, Muslims,” said Symone Sanders the former National Press Secretary for the Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign, “So, I think what Steve Bannon was getting to was his nationalist populism…”
“I still believe that we have put white supremacy in the White House with Steve Bannon. So it looked temperate on that stage today but –,” Sanders continued before being cut off by moderator Anderson Cooper, who pressed her on the veracity of her claims of white supremacy.
“When you say, that is that based solely on the one line that Steve Bannon said in an interview about Breitbart being the platform for the alt-right,” Cooper asked, “Because I mean in terms of his actual language, is there anything you can actually point to that says he is white supremacist?”
Sander’s response was a quick quip, “Alt-right is nothing but white supremacy dressed up in khakis in my opinion.” She went on to rant about Bannon’s time at Breitbart and falsely argued the news site was his “child” and “baby.” When, in fact, it was the brainchild of its namesake, Andrew Breitbart.
Transcript below:
<<< Please support MRC's NewsBusters team with a tax-deductible contribution today. >>>
CNN
Anderson Cooper 360
February 23, 2017
8:20:24 PM EasternANDERSON COOPER: One of the lines that Steve Bannon said, I want to get this right, “We are a nation with a culture and a reason for being.” I'm wondering how you interpret it, how you heard that.
SYMONE SANDERS: I mean, I go back to the Steve Bannon that said on the CPAC stage today someone that embraced that he was a conservative. It’s very jarring to me because this is the same person who waged war on conservatives and the Republican Party. People like Paul Ryan, traditional conservatives. The same person that has fostered, like, stoked these divisions this very extremist language when it comes to people of color, women, Jewish people, Muslims. So, I think what Steve Bannon was getting to was his nationalist populism, if you will. And we still -- I still believe that we have put white supremacy in the White House with Steve Bannon. So it looked temperate on that stage today but –
COOPER: When you say, that is that based solely on the one line that Steve Bannon said in an interview about Breitbart being the platform for the alt-right? Because I mean in terms of his actual language, is there anything you can actually point to that says he is white supremacist?
SANDERS: Alt-right is nothing but white supremacy dressed up in khakis in my opinion.
…
DAVID GREGORY: I do not know what's in his heart. The language of the uniqueness of American culture is this kind of white nationalist language to me that harkens back to the kind of language we've heard before. I think it's a question. And I don't know what the answer to that question is. I don't know him. I don't know what's in his heart. There is a world view there that I think will trouble a lot of Trump opponents about the uniqueness of America somehow being separated from our -- the history of being such a multicultural society. A welcoming society and a society that assimilates outsiders really well. Assimilates immigrants really, really well there is a comparison to the vulnerability of Europe that somehow we are the same. And I think immigrants assimilate into America both economically, socially, and culturally much better than other countries as part of the greatness of this country. That seems to be what he is challenging.
…
