The History Book Club discussion

This is the thread for the buddy read of the Woodward book: Fear: Trump in the White House.

by Bob Woodward



I plan to take my time and the discussion will be going on for the next couple of months. But since we will be using the spoiler html - anybody can join when they want to without any issues.

About the Author:
Bob Woodward is an American investigative journalist and author. The author was born in Geneva, Illinois in March 1943. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971. Woodward started as a reporter and is now an associate editor of The Washington Post. He teamed up with Carl Bernstein in 1972 and the two did much of the reporting on the Watergate scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Woodward went on to author 16 books about American politics, of which 12 have become best sellers. He graduated from Yale University and would help The Washington Post receive two Pulitzer Prizes. Woodward has won the Heywood Broun award, the Sigma Delta Chi Award, the George Polk Award, the William Allen White Medal, and the Gerald R. Ford Prize. He spent more time with President George W. Bush than any other journalist and interviewed him six times for about 11 hours total. Woodward keeps his phone number listed in the Washington, D.C. directory.

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Fear: Trump in the White House

by Bob Woodward

Synopsis:

THE INSIDE STORY ON PRESIDENT TRUMP, AS ONLY BOB WOODWARD CAN TELL IT

With authoritative reporting honed through eight presidencies from Nixon to Obama, author Bob Woodward reveals in unprecedented detail the harrowing life inside President Donald Trump’s White House and precisely how he makes decisions on major foreign and domestic policies. Woodward draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand sources, meeting notes, personal diaries, files and documents. The focus is on the explosive debates and the decision-making in the Oval Office, the Situation Room, Air Force One and the White House residence.

Fear is the most intimate portrait of a sitting president ever published during the president’s first years in office.

This is a single thread discussion and on a buddy read since it is even more free flowing than our BOTM reads - where you can only discuss the chapters that are assigned on the non spoiler thread - here we insist that you use the spoiler html in order not to ruin the book for anybody else coming along later - so be careful.

You can copy and paste below to get your spoiler right:

(view spoiler)[Put Text Here (hide spoiler)]

All, we do not have to do citations regarding the book or the author being discussed during the book discussion on these discussion threads - nor do we have to cite any personage in the book being discussed while on the discussion threads related to this book.

However if we discuss folks outside the scope of the book or another book is cited which is not the book and author discussed then we do have to do that citation according to our citation rules. That makes it easier to not disrupt the discussion.

Table of Contents

Epigraph
Author’s Personal Note
Note to Readers

* Prologue
* Chapters 1 - 42

Photographs
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Source Notes
Index
Photography Credits

Reviews:

“A harrowing portrait of the Trump presidency . . . Again and again, Woodward recounts at length how Trump’s national security team was shaken by his lack of curiosity and knowledge about world affairs and his contempt for the mainstream perspectives of military and intelligence leaders.”—Phillip Rucker and Robert Costa, The Washington Post

“A damning picture of the current presidency.”—David Martin, CBS News

“An unprecedented inside-the-room look through the eyes of the President's inner circle. . . . stunning.”—CNN

“A devastating reported account of the Trump Presidency that will be consulted as a first draft of the grim history it portrays . . . What Woodward has written is not just the story of a deeply flawed President but also, finally, an account of what those surrounding him have chosen to do about it.”—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker

“In an age of ‘alternative facts’ and corrosive tweets about ‘fake news,’ Woodward is truth’s gold standard. . . . explosive . . . devastating . . . jaw-dropping.”—Jill Abramson, The Washington Post

“Woodward's latest book shows the administration is broken, and yet what comes next could be even worse.”—David A. Graham, The Atlantic

“[Woodward] is the master and I'd trust him over politicians of either party any day of the week.”—Peter Baker

“Woodward . . . depicts the Trump White House as a byzantine, treacherous, often out-of-control operation . . . Mr. Woodward’s book has unsettled the administration and the president in part because it is clear that the author has spoken with so many current and former officials.”—Mark Landler and Maggie Haberman, New York Times

“The more heartening message from FEAR is that we still have institutions and individuals, including Bob Woodward, who will continue checking the most destructive instincts of Donald Trump.”—Joe Scarborough

“You can trust that Woodward has gone to inordinate lengths to get to the best obtainable version of the truth.”—Mike Allen, Axios

“I wonder how many journalists have arrived in Washington over the years dreaming of becoming the next Bob Woodward . . . Though his books are often sensational, he is the opposite of sensationalist. He’s diligent, rigorous, fastidious about the facts, and studiously ethical. There’s something almost monastic about his method . . . He’s Washington's chronicler in chief.”—Nick Bryant, BBC

“No, Bob Woodward is not a Democratic operative. He’s a highly respected journalist who has a track record of writing meticulously detailed books about presidents with an uncanny knack for getting behind-the-scenes details.”—POLITICO Playbook

“He’s got tapes. That’s what the Trump White House really did not understand until today, if they understand it even now.”—Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC

“I think you’ve always been fair.”—President Donald J. Trump, in a call to Bob Woodward, August 14, 2018

Remember the following:

Everyone is welcome but make sure to use the goodreads spoiler function if you get ahead of the assigned weekly pages.

If you come to the discussion after folks have finished reading it, please feel free to post your comments as we will always come back to the thread to discuss the book.

The rules

You must follow the rules of the History Book Club and also:

First rule of Buddy Read discussions:
Respect other people's opinions, no matter how controversial you think they may be.

Second rule of Buddy Read discussions:
Always, always Chapter/page mark and spoiler alert your posts if you are discussing parts of the book that are ahead of the pages assigned or if you have become expansive it your topics.

To do these spoilers, follows these easy steps:

Step 1. enclose the word spoiler in forward and back arrows; < >

Step 2. write your spoiler comments in

Step 3. enclose the word /spoiler in arrows as above, BUT NOTE the forward slash in front of the word. You must put that forward slash in.

Your spoiler should appear like this:
(view spoiler)

And please mark your spoiler clearly like this:

State a Chapter and page if you can.
EG: Chapter 24, page 154

Or say Up to Chapter *___ (*insert chapter number) if your comment is more broad and not from a single chapter.

Chapter 1, p. 23
(view spoiler)[I know everything now about chapter one and I am going to post it here - oops I better place this in a spoiler alert so I do not ruin the book for others (hide spoiler)]

If you are raising a question/issue for the group about the book, you don't need to put that in a spoiler, but if you are citing something specific, it might be good to use a spoiler.

By using spoilers, you don't ruin the experience of someone who is reading slower or started later or is not reading the assigned pages.

Thanks.

All, we do not have to do citations regarding the book or the author being discussed during the book discussion on these discussion threads - nor do we have to cite any personage in the book being discussed while on the discussion threads related to this book.

However if we discuss folks outside the scope of the book or another book is cited which is not the book and author discussed then we do have to do that citation according to our citation rules. That makes it easier to not disrupt the discussion.

You can copy and paste below to get your spoiler right:

You can copy and paste below to get your spoiler right:

(view spoiler)[Put Text Here (hide spoiler)]

Count me in, Bentley. I ordered it today.

Great Tom - it has been sold out at Barnes and Noble -
Just downloaded the Kindle version from Amazon

I’m in. Started reading 9/12 @ 2 am by iBook. Facts matter.

Bentley wrote: "Great Tom - it has been sold out at Barnes and Noble -
Just downloaded the Kindle version from Amazon"

Amazon appears to be out as well. I have Amazon Prime which offers free 2-day delivery and my order is showing a delivery between 9/25 and 10/3. Ah well. That should give me time to finish Strange Fruit and do some catching up on The Federalist Papers.

Tom we never close the threads so you are fine. Like I said we will be sending out the event notification but we go real slow and give everybody plenty of time to go at their own pace.

That is why I downloaded the Kindle version - I am surprised actually that more available books were not anticipated.

Don't forget the proper citations - examples below.

by Alexander Hamilton

by Lillian E. Smith

Howard wrote: "I’m in. Started reading 9/12 @ 2 am by iBook. Facts matter."

Great Howard.

This article may explain why we are all looking for hardcopies:

https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/12/medi...

Hi, Bentley. Please count me in. I’ve read the Intro and have set this PM and tomorrow aside for Mr. Woodward.

i AM 20% INTO THE BOOK SO FAR...aw nuts, sorry for the caps. --Jen from Quebec :0)

I pre-ordered the hardcover copy from Amazon Prime, as I felt this is a book worth owning. I still haven’t received the actual book from Amazon.

I also pre-ordered the iBook version from Apple, for the convenience of reading on my iPad, and I’m glad I did. I was up the early morning of September 12, listening to the Audible version of James Clapper’s book, when at 2:00 am EST I rec’d a notification that Fear was now available for download - which I did immediately.

For members having trouble finding a copy of Fear, it is available at Apple in their iBook format.

BTW - This is my first Buddy Read discussion on Goodreads. Please forgive me if I have not followed the process 100%. I would appreciate help as to Goodreads rules on posting.

If picked up a kindle edition and have started reading:)

Jen from Quebec :0) wrote: "i AM 20% INTO THE BOOK SO FAR...aw nuts, sorry for the caps. --Jen from Quebec :0)"



That is good but any comments make sure to use spoiler html.

Howard wrote: "I pre-ordered the hardcover copy from Amazon Prime, as I felt this is a book worth owning. I still haven’t received the actual book from Amazon.

I also pre-ordered the iBook version from Apple, f..."

Howard - we will give you the help you need - try to practice the spoiler html when we get started to ensure that folks coming along do not have the book spoiled for them. And we are here to help.

Doreen wrote: "If picked up a kindle edition and have started reading:)"

Great Doreen - we will set up a recommended but not mandatory reading schedule.

One thing that I noticed is that the table of contents is kind of vague - so I will divide the reading based upon pagination.

Folks the ones who ordered audible or kindle -

On this one folks we are using spoiler html straight through - so put your title at the top in bold which is the Chapter and page if you like - Chapter and number would be fine and put whatever you have to say in spoiler html. The book is too new and too popular so we do not want to spoil it for folks who follow us. Normally if you stay with the assigned reading we do not have to use the spoilers but in this case we do because of the above.

For example:

Introduction
(view spoiler)[This is where your comments go (hide spoiler)]

Spoiler html is just like bolding or underlining - the only difference is that instead of a b or a u - you use the word spoiler.

Remember the following:

Everyone is welcome but make sure to use the goodreads spoiler function if you get ahead of the assigned weekly pages.

If you come to the discussion after folks have finished reading it, please feel free to post your comments as we will always come back to the thread to discuss the book.

The rules

You must follow the rules of the History Book Club and also:

First rule of Book of the Month discussions:
Respect other people's opinions, no matter how controversial you think they may be.

Second rule of Book of the Month discussions:
Always, always Chapter/page mark and spoiler alert your posts if you are discussing parts of the book that are ahead of the pages assigned or if you have become expansive it your topics.

To do these spoilers, follows these easy steps:

Step 1. enclose the word spoiler in forward and back arrows; < >

Step 2. write your spoiler comments in

Step 3. enclose the word /spoiler in arrows as above, BUT NOTE the forward slash in front of the word. You must put that forward slash in.

Your spoiler should appear like this:
(view spoiler)

And please mark your spoiler clearly like this:

State a Chapter and page if you can.
EG: Chapter 24, page 154

Or say Up to Chapter *___ (*insert chapter number) if your comment is more broad and not from a single chapter.

Chapter 1, p. 23
(view spoiler)[I know everything now about chapter one and I am going to post it here - oops I better place this in a spoiler alert so I do not ruin the book for others (hide spoiler)]

If you are raising a question/issue for the group about the book, you don't need to put that in a spoiler, but if you are citing something specific, it might be good to use a spoiler.

By using spoilers, you don't ruin the experience of someone who is reading slower or started later or is not reading the assigned pages.

Thanks.

All, we do not have to do citations regarding the book or the author being discussed during the book discussion on these discussion threads - nor do we have to cite any personage in the book being discussed while on the discussion threads related to this book.

However if we discuss folks outside the scope of the book or another book is cited which is not the book and author discussed then we do have to do that citation according to our citation rules. That makes it easier to not disrupt the discussion.

You can copy and paste below to get your spoiler right:

You can copy and paste below to get your spoiler right:

(view spoiler)[Put Text Here (hide spoiler)]

Folks - those of you joining the buddy read for this week - read the Introduction, Chapter One and Chapter Two.

a) Introduce yourself
b) Indicate why the book interests you
The above does not have to be in spoiler html

c) Then please give your first impressions of these initial chapters and what surprised you the most. (place this in spoiler html:)

d) Then describe your impressions of the quotes at the beginning of the chapters. (of course place your responses in spoiler html)

And finally as a r>eminder - there is a glossary thread (the glossary thread is a spoiler thread) where I am adding the interviews that have been publicized that I can get a copy of - but beware these can be major spoilers.

Syllabus and Suggested Reading Schedule:

Epigraph
Author’s Personal Note
Note to Readers

* Prologue

Week One - September 17 - September 23
Chapters 1 - 5

Week Two - September 24 - September 30
Chapters 6 - 10

Week Three - October 1st - October 7th
Chapters 11 - 15

Week Four - October 8th - October 14th
Chapters 16 - 20

Week Five - October 15th - October 21st
Chapters 21 - 25

Week Six - October 22nd - October 28th
Chapters 26 - 30

Week Seven - October 29th - November 5th
Chapters 31 - 35

Week Eight - November 6th - November 12th
Chapters 36 - 42

Week Nine - November 13th - November 19th
Book as a Whole - Final Thoughts

Photographs
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Source Notes
Index
Photography Credits

Folks, do not worry about any end date above - I have it scheduled through the end of December so that you can join in as you can.

But make sure to use the spoiler html so that folks who come after you can enjoy the book and the discussion after you.

This is just a recommended reading schedule which I will follow to move things along

Count me in, too. Just got it on kindle

Glad to have you join us Randi

This is the first week's reading syllabus:

Syllabus and Suggested Reading Schedule:

Epigraph
Author’s Personal Note
Note to Readers

* Prologue

Week One - September 17 - September 23
Chapters 1 - 5

Chapter Overviews and Summaries:

Chapters One, Two, Three, Four, Five

(view spoiler)[Chapter One:

The year was 2010 and Dave Bossie takes Steve Bannon to meet Donald Trump to discuss a potential run for the White House.

Chapter Two:

It is now July 21st, 2016 and Donald Trump has now accepted the Republican nomination for President.

Chapter Three:

It was 85 days until the election and Steve Bannon is headed to work at campaign headquarters in Trump Tower. The place is virtually empty except for Andy Surabian.

Chapter Four:

This chapter discusses the reports of Russian interference and the NSA and the FBI had picked up Russian digital intrusions in voting records, etc. The White House received the information concerning the Russians in their daily briefings. However, another story took precedence.

Chapter Five:

Bannon arranges a figurative kill shot at the debates. The Trump victory which Trump himself had no idea how he won. Priebus and Bannon share power. (hide spoiler)]

Folks, also please introduce yourself as we kick off the buddy read - just tell who you are, where you are from - city/state or country and why this book has interested you?

My name is Bentley and I am the Group Founder and leader of the HBC. I am from the Metro NYC area as well as New England. Welcome to the buddy read. We are kicking off on September 17th.

We will have to use spoilers for the obvious reasons on this one - it is a single thread - people are still getting their books and we do not want to ruin it for anybody who is still waiting for their library copy which may take them awhile.

So let us be courteous and respectful of everybody's varying circumstances.

In the meantime - I jumped right into this week's reading - I had no choice as a moderator. And I posted my initial impressions which I would love to hear from you about and I placed my initial impressions in spoiler html above. It is in another posting.

I am reading this book because I believe that Bob Woodward has done his homework and is a diligent - well sourced journalist. He also has the tapes of his interviews. Additionally, I would like to hear what he has to say so that I can judge for myself the veracity of his sources and whether there is anything new to glean from what we already know or has been reported.

Everybody should make up their own mind and judge the book for themselves. All opinions are valued but we must remain civil and respectful of those opinions which do not mirror our own.

Reflection is key.

I purposely made sure that there were no spoilers in my introduction and welcome so I did not have to use spoiler html. If you discuss first impressions of the book - that has to be in spoiler html.

Welcome all.

One thing that I will mention is that this book flies. So for those of you on library waiting lists - you should move up in the queue fast.

On this one folks we are using spoiler html straight through - so put your title at the top in bold which is the Chapter and page if you like - Chapter and number would be fine and put whatever you have to say in spoiler html. The book is too new and too popular so we do not want to spoil it for folks who follow us. Normally if you stay with the assigned reading we do not have to use the spoilers but in this case we do because of the above.

For example:

Chapter One
(view spoiler)[This is where your comments go (hide spoiler)]

Discussion Topic:

First Off - what are your initial thoughts - place them in spoiler html. What has surprised you the most so far? Thank you for that in advance.

My Initial Thoughts (do not give impressions beyond Chapters 1 - 5)

(view spoiler)[ This book flies. Each chapter appears to be a scene at a particular time in the pre campaign, campaign, election and so on. It is quick moving. The snapshots in time are quite revealing and I personally see a lot of Bannon in these renditions. One thing that becomes clear is why Chris Christie did not fare better with Trump ultimately. I am not sure how I feel about this approach but I trust that Woodward has the goods in the form of the tapes. What are your impressions and what surprised you the most? (hide spoiler)]

Folks, we have kicked off the book and the discussion. Just jump right in but make sure to use the spoiler html. Refer to messages 25, 26, 27 and 28 for details regarding spoiler html.

Epigraph

(view spoiler)[“Real power is — I don’t even want to use the word — fear.”

Presidential candidate Donald J. Trump in an interview with Bob Woodward and Robert Costa on March 31, 2016, at the Old Post Office Pavilion,
Trump International Hotel, Washington, DC (hide spoiler)]

Discussion Questions:

1. What are your thoughts on the title of the book and the rationale for it?
2. Do you think that the quotation reflects anything about the man himself who stated this definition? Why or why not?
3. When you saw this quotation used as the epigraph - what were your initial thoughts? Any?

Please make sure to place your responses in spoiler html.

Note to Readers

Discussion Questions:

(view spoiler)[1. What are your initial thoughts about the deep background journalistic approach used by Woodward? Does this approach make you comfortable or uncomfortable? Why or why not? (hide spoiler)]

Please make sure to place all responses in spoiler html. You can place the header in bold for what specific section you are discussing and your response or comments in spoiler html.

Prologue


Rob Porter Presenting Document to President Trump

Discussion Questions:

(view spoiler)[1. What are your impressions of Gary Cohn, Rob Porter and General Mattis after reading the Prologue?

2. What are your thoughts about the President and his plan to leave KORUS?

3. Did you have a visceral reaction when you learned about the purloined draft letter and other documents? Or what was your inner response and reaction if it was not horror and apprehension? Did this amount to an administrative coup d'erat and does this kind of behavior warrant any kind of response from the White House?

4. How is this President functioning if his staff believes that they are saving him from his worst inclinations? Is the President really in charge or are the so called "adults in the room" obstructing him for what they contend are "valid reasons to protect the country"? Is that what our democracy dictates? Or are these staff members overstepping their bounds? What checks and balances should be in place?

5. Is the President just surrounded by yes men and women? Are there men and women who are not afraid to speak truth to power working in the White House? Who do you think they are? What are your thoughts on the President not missing these documents and knowing that they were not still on his desk? (hide spoiler)]

Gary Cohn

Gary David Cohn (born August 27, 1960) is an American investment banker who served as the 11th Director of the National Economic Council and was the chief economic advisor to President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2018.

He was formerly the president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs from 2006 to 2017. Cohn is a registered Democrat, but has donated extensively to Republican politicians, as well.

Cohn was considered one of the most influential voices in the Trump administration. On March 6, 2018, it was reported that Cohn planned to resign from his position in the coming weeks. He left the White House on April 2, 2018, after his replacement, Larry Kudlow, took up his post.

Remainder of article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Co...



Wealth Advisor:

https://www.thewealthadvisor.com/arti...

More:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/...
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/11/trump...

The reading of this book is so far excellent and delightful experience for me

Thank you Asif - where are you reading this book from? You do not have any spoilers in your response above but when you do start talking and posting about the book itself make sure to use the html spoilers code which is easy to use.

You are welcome. Okay i will do that. I am reading it on my desktop through ebook.

Chapter One


A Populist Belief

Discussion Questions:

(view spoiler)[1. What were the first impressions of Trump that Dave Bossie and Steve Bannon had?

2. How does the account of Trump mangling the word "populist" and lying about his voting record seem "pure Trump"?

3. How do you account for the fact that President Trump seems to lie about even the most mundane things that can even easily be fact checked.

4. What is your take on Bob Woodward's interpretation of this presidency and White House as having a "nervous breakdown"? What do you think he means by that and how is that relevant to our democracy? Or is it relevant at all?

5. Why do you think that Trump's supporters appear to turn a blind eye to the inadequacies of the President in terms of intellect and moral integrity? What if President Obama had exhibited these proclivities - what do you think might have happened to him?

6. Isn't it dangerous and reckless to want to rip up trade agreements and start a trade war? Where do you think Congress is on all of this and are they doing too little, too much or just enough in your estimation to rein in the executive branch? Or is the executive branch calling the shots? What are your thoughts? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter Two


Trump and Bannon

Discussion Questions:

(view spoiler)[1. Why do you think Bannon found it necessary to call the Mercers?
How do you think they influenced the election and got Trump elected?

2. How was Paul Manafort portrayed in this chapter? Do you think it was a fair or an unfair characterization? Why or why not? Does this portrayal smack of Bannon?

3. Did you find it odd that Bannon shows up for a meeting and Trump is out golfing somewhere and hadn't even told him that he would not be at Trump Tower?

4. How effective do you think the Priebus approach was to "Maximize aggression to conceal vital weakness"? Does it appear that this is what the White House has been doing right along?

5. For a person to lie and continue to do it - they must have been doing it all of their life and gotten away with it. Why do you think that someone would lie about everything and think that there was nothing wrong with it?

6. Do you think that Bannon painted a picture to Woodward of someone who saved the day and got Trump elected? If so what evidence do you see in this chapter?

7. Did Kellyanne know how to play Trump in terms of saying to him that she would never think of herself as his peer and would never call him by his first name? Did you find that an odd statement from someone who was just asked to be a campaign manager?

8. Did anybody else reading this chapter have the feeling that Trump is like the candidate who is being "managed" by the people around him in order to acquire the presidency and the power that comes with it? How much credit do you give Trump in winning the election? Do you believe that he would have won it without Bannon and Priebus or the Mercers? Why or why not? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter Three


According to Slate - Paul Manafort was a quiet American

In this article Slate in the early days of the Trump candidacy - discusses Paul Manafort as a savvy and experienced political operative:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_an...

Source: Slate

Discussion Questions:

(view spoiler)[1. It is interesting to see and read about the many facets of Paul Manafort - we now have his first trial concluded, his second was about to start and he is now cooperating with Robert Mueller. And now we have this book. In reading the Slate article, it appears that Paul was not as flamboyant as the trial made him appear and to a certain extent not as flamboyant as Bannon's rendition of him in this book. Who do you think the real Paul Manafort is? Was he charged only to get to Trump and his associates? How did the article about his affiliation with Ukraine unravel Paul's life? What did Bannon see immediately that Paul failed to understand? Paul Manafort appears to be a conundrum and why they went after Paul remains to be seen - what were your impressions of the trial and the charges? Did you find the chapter interesting in hindsight to what actually just transpired?

2. What are your impressions of Jared Kushner from Chapter Three? Was Bannon impressed with Jared - why or why not? Who was running the show when Bannon showed up at campaign headquarters?

3. Where was Bannon getting his data? In other books, it was revealed that Bannon got his data from Cambridge Analytica. Was Bannon and the Mercers - two main reasons that Trump won? What did you think of Bannon's strategy.

4. Who do you think had input to this chapter? What sources do you think that Bob Woodward used? (hide spoiler)]