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I thought it might be interesting for members to talk about the WR related books they are reading or have read.
Currently about half way done with Fire and Fury. It's pretty shocking, but it helps put some of the actions of the presidency in perspective. When you realize that Trump never really wanted to be president, some of the campaign trail shenanigans suddenly make a lot of sense. Refusing to release taxes or divest business interests before the election? Makes sense if he didn't really plan on winning anyway. The whole election is like "The Producers" where Trump was surrounded by a lot of opportunistic people who wouldn't have gotten roles on legitimate campaigns. Their plan was to have a good showing and then become talking heads on conservative media outlets, but they ended up winning and being utterly unprepared to actually run the government.
Also interesting is the power struggle between Priebus, Bannon, and Kushner for influence over the president. Each of them developed their own strategies to deal with the president and one another. Priebus is a whipping boy, but he takes advantage of the president's lack of interest in policy to get him to sign anything put on his desk. Bannon was both a true believer and an opportunist that latched onto anyone with money, but also had a keen understanding of how effective his brand of cynicism is at riling both supporters and opposition. Kushner has delusions of granduer, is often naive and over his head about politics, but is also surprisingly tenacious.
I don't normally read political books, but it has been a fascinating, if not frightful read so far. Looking forward to the second half.
Currently about half way done with Fire and Fury. It's pretty shocking, but it helps put some of the actions of the presidency in perspective. When you realize that Trump never really wanted to be president, some of the campaign trail shenanigans suddenly make a lot of sense. Refusing to release taxes or divest business interests before the election? Makes sense if he didn't really plan on winning anyway. The whole election is like "The Producers" where Trump was surrounded by a lot of opportunistic people who wouldn't have gotten roles on legitimate campaigns. Their plan was to have a good showing and then become talking heads on conservative media outlets, but they ended up winning and being utterly unprepared to actually run the government.
Also interesting is the power struggle between Priebus, Bannon, and Kushner for influence over the president. Each of them developed their own strategies to deal with the president and one another. Priebus is a whipping boy, but he takes advantage of the president's lack of interest in policy to get him to sign anything put on his desk. Bannon was both a true believer and an opportunist that latched onto anyone with money, but also had a keen understanding of how effective his brand of cynicism is at riling both supporters and opposition. Kushner has delusions of granduer, is often naive and over his head about politics, but is also surprisingly tenacious.
I don't normally read political books, but it has been a fascinating, if not frightful read so far. Looking forward to the second half.
