In a column “Taking a blowhard seriously” , Columnist David Brooks opines: “These supremely accomplished blowhards often some but also arouse intense loyalty in others…Thus, there has always been a fan based for the abrasive rich man. There has always been a market for books by people like George Steinbrenner, Ross Perot, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Bobby Knight, Howard Stern and George Soros…”
WATCHDOG: It is a rare lapse from good sense and civility on the part of Brooks when he lumps George Soros with the likes of George Steinbrenner, Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern. Soros is in the noble philanthropic tradition of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. Moreover, he is an outstanding patriot, having almost single handedly subsidize the incomes of Russian atomic scientists during the turmoil following the collapse of Communism, thus preventing mass exodus of skills and secrets to China and Mid-Eastern and North African countries. Furthermore his books accurately warned against the fianancial excesses of our times and predicted the economic collapse of 2007 / 2008.
We also think Brooks is being unfair to Ross Perot, who received almost 20% of the votes for President. His intentions were good and he inveighed against government waste and over spending.
Just because a person has shown the courage and the skill to amass a fortune should not preclude him or her speaking out and serving the country. (George Washington was one of the wealthiest men of his time, as was Benjamin Franklin.) Let’s not lump Soros with Donald Trump who was born with a gold spoon in his mouth and has spent a life devoted to self aggrandizement.
Growl!
