I know it’s August–the “silly season” for political news stories when most of Washington is on vacation–but it seems to me that this year’s dive for political trivia is much more minute than in past years.
Just to take one example: President Obama’s book purchases during his vacation at Martha’s Vineyard and a list of books he took with him (as detailed by White House aides). Together these constitute his “summer reading list”, and that list has generated a greater volume of criticism across a wider political spectrum than I’ve ever seen for a president.
From the right we have Tevi Troy at the National Review, speculating that Obama’s choice of bookstore doesn’t afford him the benefit of hearing from conservative pundits (yes, Obama misses out on such gems as Laura Ingraham’s Of Thee I Zing and Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism. There’s also Mickey Kaus at the Daily Caller, whose detailed analysis of the list leads him to conclude Obama is “intellectually uncurious”. And there is even criticism from the left, with Robin Black complaining that Obama’s current list–while containing more female authors than in the past–is still overwhelmingly masculine (I was shocked, shocked to learn that she herself is an author, and that she’s willing to send a copy of her latest collection of short stories to the White House upon request).
Anyway, I’d like to write this off as the usual “nothing else to talk about in August” drivel, but IMO it seems a lot more prevalent this year than in the past. Do you agree, and if so, what’s the reason? Could any of this so-called “analysis” be (gasp) correct, or is this hyperfascination indicative of something else?
And yes, the irony of starting a thread anaylyzing the fact that X is already over-analyzed is not lost on me. Blame it on the month:-)
I hadn’t noticed the scrutiny on his reading, and I don’t think I can be bothered to care. As news stories go, this is somewhere between gossip and flat-out filler. I’m a little surprised if Obama hasn’t read Brave New World before, but it’s a great book. And yes, some Google searching reveals that the press looked into Bush’s vacation reading lists as well.
Yeah, it’s been commented with other Presidents. But when GWB came along the matter was intensified somewhat by how ever since the campaign there was much harping about that he was lacking in intellectual curiosity (the role of target of this contention was taken over in September of '08 by Sarah Palin); OTOH now with the current chief, as contrast, we have some people who don’t miss a chance to describe Obama by using the word “professorial”. So a segment of pundits on both sides has made it a point to look upon this to support or debunk a narrative about whoever’s the guy in charge being Dull v. Erudite, or Down-to-Earth v. Elitist, you chose.
On the more negative, darker side of the issue, there’s the whole tiresome meme/mythology of Obama as having some sort of “unknown mystery” about where’s he coming from, and thus let’s nitpick his reading list to see if he accidentally reveals some nefarious influences (or if he’s craftily manipulating the published list so as to seem something else).
In the end, there’s another obvious important factor: Critics like to seek to enlist the seal of Presidential approval upon what each of them thinks should be in every right-thinking American’s reading list (or conversely, opposing critics seek to get the Inverse Seal of Disapproval, by which if he likes it it must be bad, if he doesn’t it must be good). Let’s face it, the WH Press Office is every probably also playing at this when publishing the list.
Some people are also just interested in what the president is reading and what it says about his character and state of mind. That’s true whether they think he’s an idiot, genius, secret Muslim, or other.
Reason #1,127,042 why I Will Never Be President: If I were President of the United States, I would be so tempted to tell everyone that this summer my reading list will consist of Machiavelli’s The Prince, all of the Harry Potter novels, The Satanic Verses, The Satanic Bible, the Koran, The Communist Manifesto, Mao’s “Little Red Book”, Mein Kampf, and To Serve Man.
I’m not 100% certain of this, but I thought I heard on the news the other day that BNW was for his daughter-- required reading for her class or something.
Does anybody actually read the bundle of books they drag around on vacation? Maybe 1 book if it doesn’t suck the life out of the purpose of vacation which is to relax.
uh huh. I guess all those photo’s of the President (pick one) playing golf are a thinly disguised plot to … I got nuthin. Face it, people who spend all day reading like to get out and smell the roses, not read about them.
If it wasn’t for W reading My Pet Goat aloud, I wouldn’t believe the turd could actually read. As for Obama, I suppose he must read, but I don’t care what he reads. Maybe a book about invertebrates.
I dunno why this thread should remind me, but for some reason I flashed on a 1980 episode of WKRP in Cincinnati that was a blatant Christmas Carol ripoff, part of which shows station manager Arthur Carlson being taken to a Christmas Past in 1954 to see a younger version of himself when he was sales manager. A young Les Nessman (news director in 1980, an office boy in 1954) excitedly tries to convince the 1954 news director that he has a “really important” story - Eisenhower just played a round of golf in Philadelphia (probably not likely in December, but whatever) and “shot an 84!”
The 1954 news director, more interested in stories about McCarthy, dismissed the information, but I figure banal Presidential trivia has always been good for news filler.
My GF emailed me this morning with the following reading list for Obama that the Tea Party would have him read. She said it was from Salon.com but I cannot find it for a proper cite here.
I had no idea there was fuss over this so without context I just thought it was mildly humorous. Makes more sense now though.
Obama’s reading list the Tea Party would propose:
-How to win friends and influence people by throwing a tantrum
-The heroic billionaire next door
-Seven habits of highly deluded people
-All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten (literally)
The last thing that goes in my suitcase before I take off is a book or two, and I usually come home with more books than I left with. And they’ve been read.
Whatever. I do most of my reading on vacation in the evening. I’m past the age of wanting to spend the evening bar-hopping around strange bars in a strange city, especially given my taste in bars. Maybe if I had the Secret Service coming with me . . .
Sure I am all for going and doing things. Be it scuba diving or swimming or a hike or exploring historical sites and so on. Still there are times in there where I want to sit on the beach with an umbrella drink or sit at a European cafe and a glass of wine and just chill with some reading.
Not to mention the actual travel (plane, train, bus, etc.) and waiting for said conveyance is a great time to have a book handy.
Well you’re not reading enough then. Book stores are dropping like flies. I would be surprised if someone who has nothing but briefs shoved under his nose all day would want to read to relax.
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