Howard Dean has a simple definition for Steve Bannon: ‘Nazi’
"It's a big word and I don't usually use it unless somebody is really anti-Semitic, really misogynist, really anti-black."
Describing the so-called “alt-right” and Steve Bannon’s relation to the loosely-defined movement has been a fraught, nuanced debate since Donald Trump’s election.
Howard Dean has a more direct approach.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Toronto-based CTV News, Dean described Bannon, the former Breitbart chairman and newly appointed White House chief strategist, as “a Nazi.”
“He’s anti-Semitic, he’s anti-black, and he’s anti-women,” said the former Vermont governor and Democratic National Committee chair, when pressed on his use of the term.
“It’s a big word and I don’t usually use it unless somebody is really anti-Semitic, really misogynist, really anti-black,” Dean continued. “Go look at Breitbart News and make up your own mind.”
For those so inclined, here’s a link to Breitbart News and here’s a link to a story The New York Times recently published that documents Bannon’s own descriptions of his political philosophy, as well as stories published on Breitbart during his tenure.
Bannon has described himself as an “economic nationalist” and as part of the aforementioned “alt-right,” which The Associated Press recently encapsulated as…
…a loose group espousing a provocative and reactionary strain of conservatism. Heavily influenced by the shock-based rhetoric of internet chat boards, the alt-right includes strains of white nationalism and aggressive anti-feminism.
The alt-right’s mainstream apologists describe those themes as a demonstration of free speech rather than a full-throated endorsement of prejudice.
Dean is among a number of candidates running for his old—and currently vacant—position of DNC chair.
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