Dear Mr. Stone:
I am a fairly recent (2015) arrival in Boston who regularly reads your column in the Sun. I find what you say often thought-provoking, if not always easy to agree with.
This week you expressed discomfort with the style of Senator Elizabeth Warren, whom you regard as too ideological. The Senator has made herself a point spokesperson for the “loyal opposition” and sees it as her job to defend the rights and well-being of ordinary Americans (the majority of whom did not vote for Mr. Trump) by resisting the new administration’s efforts to roll back rights, protections and benefits that we may have come to take for granted. In this role she makes herself a prominent lightning-rod for criticism. Yours seems to be based on her style and its likely impact on the effectiveness of her efforts, more than substance, and that is certainly reasonable and fair commentary.
Since you are concerned about ideologues in positions of power I would like very much to know your impressions of Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, two of Mr. Trump’s closest political advisors. Their ideologies have been well defined both in their own speeches (I encourage you especially to seek out and listen to or read in their entirety Mr. Bannon’s speeches and interviews) and by other journalists; see for instance http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/stephen-bannon-miller-trump-refugee-ban-islamophobia-white-nationalist; and https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/how-stephen-millers-rise-explains-the-trump-white-house/515652/.
I believe these two (among others) are rigid ideologues by anyone’s definition. In my opinion Senator Warren is about as dangerous as a Sunday School teacher compared to the men who now have the ear of the President. I would be very interested to read your impression of these two key unelected power brokers. If they don’t scare the bejesus out of you, I would be surprised.
Thank you for your attention.
Edward Groth III
455 Beacon St., Apt 6
Boston 02115
February 10, 2017