Sunday June 11 2017
US President Donald Trump makes his way to board Air Force One before departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on June 9, 2017. PHOTO | MANDEL NGAN | AFP
The Roark character is an architect, a breed of professionals Trump came to know well and work with as a real estate developer.
He came to power claiming affinity with the American working class, not the elites.
The top honchos of the Donald Trump administration have a particular writer they ardently worship.
She is none other than Ayn Rand, a Russian immigrant who made a name in America as a novelist and fringe philosopher. Two of her novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead attracted a cultic following in her day. They still do.
Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, says Atlas Shrugged is his favourite book.
Mike Pompeo, the boss of the CIA, calls Rand a major inspiration. And Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, famously required his staff members to read Ayn Rand as part of their job description.
Trump himself says he is a Rand fan and that he identifies with Howard Roark, the protagonist in The Fountainhead.
The Roark character is an architect, a breed of professionals Trump came to know well and work with as a real estate developer.
Roark dynamites a building he had designed because the builders did not follow his blueprints. That is the sort of action Trump would admire.
At some point in our lives, Rand was the kind of writer who would leave us drooling.
We would strut around with her books with a superior air when other colleagues were reading unremarkable West African novellas with cheap themes.
Rand has a very powerful mind and a very compelling way of writing that leaves a deep impression in everybody who reads her.
But once her novelty wears off, you discover you are dealing with an arrogant polemicist peddling a dangerous philosophy.
It is a philosophy which exalts the cult of so-called superior individuals who invent things and run big corporations which produce the goods that the world relies on. These are the people Rand praises as the brains of the world while the rest of humanity are dismissed as second-raters and third-raters who just consume what the supermen produce.
This lower hierarchy of humankind, Rand preaches, are of little consequence in the direction of world history. Such ideas, when you think about them, are outright crazy.
I get puzzled by adults who dont overgrow Rand.
One such was former US Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan.
Most people I know went through her as an infatuation during a particular phase of their lives, not as a lifelong obsession.
I dont know about Trump, but Bill Clinton has a very mature and wide-ranging reading list, from historians like David M. Kennedy to biologists like Stephen Jay Gould.
He even fell for Philip Gourevitchs masterpiece on the Rwandan genocide, We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families.
Trump remains a big contradiction even in his professed love for Rand.
He came to power claiming affinity with the American working class, not the elites.
But again, one can never be sure with Trump. This professed affinity for the ordinary Joe is probably fake. His real aim seems to be to ensure the rich make even more money. Just look at the billionaires who fill up his cabinet.
Trumps economic nationalism would repel Rand, who thought differently on this score. But his proposed budget cuts on non-military spending and his war on Obamacare would gladden her heart. (It threatens to strip health coverage for 24 million low-income Americans.)
I wouldnt know what some of our leaders read. Once upon a time, I read somewhere of Uhuru Kenyatta praising the book titled From Third World To First, authored by Singapores founding leader Lee Kwan Yew.
I too admire Lee but, like with most political tracts, books by politicians tend to veer to the self-promoting and are not always riveting.
Lee was a greater leader than he was writer. Anyway, he never pretended to be otherwise.
As for Raila Odinga, I have no clue the titles he most prefers in his personal library. Still, his unabashed adoration of Nelson Mandela has remained constant.
He has plenty of company there, not least Barack Obama.
In fact, Obama is one of the better writers among contemporary world political leaders, as his book Dreams From My Father amply attests.
However, I do recall a recent American critic who felt parts of it were a bit contrived.
Trump remains a big contradiction even in his professed love for Rand.
According to the Economic Survey 2017, there were 2,720,600 students who enrolled into secondary
Millers have been accused of hoarding the subsidised maize.
Continue reading here:
I find Donald Trump contradictory going by his preferred reading list - Daily Nation
- Atlas Shrugged - cliffsnotes.com - December 12th, 2016 [December 12th, 2016]
- Atlas Shrugged Quotes by Ayn Rand - goodreads.com - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- The reverse Atlas Shrugged scenario - The Washington Post - January 5th, 2017 [January 5th, 2017]
- About Atlas Shrugged - cliffsnotes.com - January 5th, 2017 [January 5th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Quotes by Ayn Rand - January 20th, 2017 [January 20th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged - January 24th, 2017 [January 24th, 2017]
- Humor: School book club loses funding after asking Ayn Rand to come speak - The Aggie - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- What does Paul Ryan stand for? - The Week - The Week Magazine - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Trump's cabinet: No fear of the best | Valdosta Today - ValdostaToday.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 5 Reasons Kevin Sorbo Should Play John Galt - Huffington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Making Ayn Rand Relevant in the Era of President Trump - Huffington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged | Ayn Rand | Conservative Book Club - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Apply Today for Maryland Taxpayers Scholarship - Bay Net - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Go Ahead, Women's Marchers, Strike. Nobody Will Miss You - The Federalist - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- The Narrative Gap - Huffington Post - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Why Ayn Rand Would Have Opposed Donald Trump - PanAm Post - PanAm Post - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Audiobook | Ayn Rand | Audible.com - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Right Turn: Q&A with gay Republican Anthony Rek LeCounte - Metro Weekly - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Jim Brown, new Ayn Rand Institute CEO: 'Culture and society out there can look pretty irrational. Just look at the ... - Los Angeles Times - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Uber Is Doomed - Jalopnik - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Whittaker Chambers: Crusading Journalist | The Liberty Conservative - The Liberty Conservative - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Strikes, Capitalism and Trump: A Review of Atlas Shrugged - The Boar - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- ALFA BOOK STORE NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 7 THRU MARCH 11 - Alpine Sun - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Superman v Objectivism: Forget Lex Luthor and Brainiac; Could Ayn Rand Be Superman's Biggest Enemy? - Bright Lights Film Journal (blog) - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Ayn Rand is dead. Liberals are going to miss her. - Washington Post - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- A wry squint into our grim future - MyDaytonDailyNews.com - MyDaytonDailyNews - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Washington Post Op-ed: Ayn Rand is dead. Liberals are going to miss her. - Salt Lake Tribune - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Jennifer Burns: Randian philosophy losing cachet among modern conservatives - Norwich Bulletin - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Will: Novel posits scary view of current course - The Columbian - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- George Will: A wry squint into our grim future - NewsOK.com - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Jennifer Burns: Ayn Rand is dead liberals are going to miss her - WatertownDailyTimes.com - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Is Ayn Rand still relevant 35 years on from her death? - The Adam Smith Institute (blog) - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- George F. Will: Slouching into dystopia - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Trump's 'libertarianism' endangers the public | GantNews.com - Gant Daily - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- How Conservatives Begat Trump, and What to Do About It - The ... - The Objective Standard - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Meredith Jorgensen - KCCI Des Moines - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Doctor Who: Is Regeneration a Fundamentally Abusive Act by The Doctor? - Houston Press - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- A vision of a grim future - Bluefield Daily Telegraph - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's Morality of Egoism - The Objective ... - The Objective Standard - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Will: A wry squint into our grim future - Daily Commercial - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- What Is Wrong In Washington? - CleanTechnica - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- A wry squint into our grim future | Columns | mtstandard.com - Montana Standard - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Getting to know: Bill Robbins, with WealthForge - Richmond.com - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Front seat on a nostalgia trip - The Hindu - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Readers Write (March 12): Fishing fees, teacher shortages, urban/rural divide and culture, Uber discounts and ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- Gilbreth column: Disturbing concerns about artificial intelligence - Charleston Post Courier - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- How Ayn Rand's 'Elitism' Lives on in the Trump Administration - AlterNet - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Prentiss Smith: Paul Ryan ought to be ashamed, should work to fix Affordable Care Act - Shreveport Times - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- The Hidden Link Between Hillary's Emails and Atlas Shrugged - Houston Press - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Trump Administration Embraces Ayn Rand's Disdain for the Masses - Newsweek - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Crawford: American politics declining into profiteers vs. moochers - Hattiesburg American - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- American politics declining into profiteers vs. moochers - Meridian Star - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Best and Worst Political Cameos in Movies and TV - LifeZette - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Pat Grady on Atlas Shrugged, Sleep Deprivation, and Spud Webb - FeedFront Magazine (blog) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- The Fountainhead: New York, New York - Patheos (blog) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- BILL CRAWFORD: American politics declining into profiteers vs moochers - Mississippi Business Journal - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Roland Martin Goes Off on White House for Saying Trump Isn't a Liar - Independent Journal Review - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Climate Characters: Skeptical engineer questions government motives - The Daily Climate - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Northern Exposure Cast Could Make Time In Busy Schedules For Revival - Bleeding Cool News - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Dynamics 365 A Familiar Minefield - SYS-CON Media (press release) - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- PBOC Loses Control Of Yuan Peg, Setting The Stage For A Global Currency Catastrophe - SilverSeek.com - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- Interview: David Le'aupepe of Gang of Youths talks his uncompromising devotion to beautiful lyrics - Grimy Goods (blog) - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- Ayn Rand's Controversial Play Gets a Queer Makeover - ? - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- We Don't Need Uber - Motherboard - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Movie Review & Film Summary (2011 ... - Roger ... - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Supreme Court Confirms The Bill Of Rights Is Just About Making ... - Above the Law - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Summary - Shmoop - Shmoop: Homework Help ... - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Paul Ryan's passionate call to cut taxes on the wealthy and corporations - Washington Post (blog) - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Thomas Edison inspires Navicure Chief Growth Officer Kermit Randa - Atlanta Business Chronicle - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Where's Ayn Rand when you need her? - Spectator.co.uk - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- The Fountainhead: Hooray for Unions - Patheos (blog) - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- Richard Kyte: Institutions can bring people together - La Crosse Tribune - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Republicans, inspired by Ayn Rand, and Democrats, sticking up for trees, join forces to kill billboard bill - The Progressive Pulse - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Richard Kyte: Institutions can bring people together - Chippewa Herald - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- WATCH: Sam Bee brutalizes Paul Ryan for 'jerking it to poor people ... - Raw Story - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- 'The literal definition of fake news': late-night hosts on Trump's Time cover - The Guardian - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Love Him Or Hate Him, There's Nobody Making Movies Quite Like The Director Of Netflix's 'Okja' - WBUR - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- The net neutrality Day of Action counter-protest is a complete joke - Mashable - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Reflection from Aspen Ideas Fest: Collective Action in the Land of Rugged Individualism - Skoll Foundation - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- As a Guru, Ayn Rand May Have Limits. Ask Travis Kalanick. - New York Times - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]