Althouse: James Taranto has a response to Ross Douthat's "You Must Serve Trump."

November 12, 2016

James Taranto has a response to Ross Douthat's "You Must Serve Trump."

It's a cookbook! https://t.co/lg38WkOAhy
— James Taranto (@jamestaranto) November 12, 2016

45 comments:

Bob R said...: I think Taranto has a Google alert on the word "serve."; 11/12/16, 5:38 AM
Kate said...: Someone in yesterday's comments posted a link to Megan McArdle also talking about those who would serve in a Trump administration. They shouldn't be shamed; Trump having good people around him is very important.

This attitude -- that people will be unwilling to serve -- is such a dash of cold water. Thinking about who Trump will put forward is like Christmas for me. It's a Fantasy Football team. If you have to be dragged into the administration, with your grim doing-my-duty face, go play somewhere else.

Ross has been the Never Trump voice of this election. He's usually so good at wearing someone else's shoes, but this time he's stuck in his loop.; 11/12/16, 5:42 AM
Saint Croix said...: Probably a paywall but you can find it here.

Douthat is my favorite NYT columnist, by far.

Can't wait for Thomas ("at last, one party rule!") Friedman to opine. You got your wish, one party guy! Friedman's idea of good government is to crush all opposition and never let them speak again.

Krugman and Friedman are like hubris and nemesis. Krugman brings the hubris and Friedman brings the nemesis. Way to keep rocking, shit for brains!

The only other NYT columnist I even bother with, sometimes, if I have nothing better to do, is Dowd, who is often funny. She's so funny people often ignore her. What I like about her is the honesty.

My dad likes David Brooks. That's all I got for you, Dave. But hey, Trump's got a nice suit, right?; 11/12/16, 5:45 AM
Original Mike said...: Classical reference in the title.; 11/12/16, 5:46 AM
rehajm said...: Trump is best served cold.; 11/12/16, 5:52 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Probably a paywall"... my links to the NYT get you past the paywall. That's why I subscribe to the NYT and not to the WSJ. They let links work.; 11/12/16, 5:55 AM
lgv said...: I wonder what percentage of readers get the reference. Imagine, if you will....; 11/12/16, 5:59 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: The left was so shocked by what happened, that they let their guard down and are showing their true colors to an extent that even the MSM can't hide.; 11/12/16, 6:05 AM
MayBee said...: Oh! It took me a minute.; 11/12/16, 6:08 AM
Curious George said...: From a NYT's commenter re: Trump having his kids on the transition team: "What is to stop them from using the government to enrich themselves?"

Amazing. I mean after the last eight years of Clinton this comment is amazing.; 11/12/16, 6:08 AM
MayBee said...: With the EPA employees crying at Obama's loss, we really really get to see what a money grubbing machine our government has become.

I wonder if they every cried about the lives they were making miserable with their ever more regulations.; 11/12/16, 6:22 AM
Big Mike said...: @MayBee, they didn't even waste a drop of sympathy for the Navajo Nation after polluting the Animas River, despite our treaty obligations.; 11/12/16, 6:36 AM
MayBee said...: Good point, Big Mike.; 11/12/16, 6:48 AM
iqvoice said...: If I could only have five minutes of Mr. Trump's times, i would try to emphasize the importance of Civil Service reform before any other attempt at reform. The civil service has become a politicized group of unaccountable and unpunishable slobs. And these are the people that are supposed to cooperate in implementing whatever reforms Mr. Trump wants to make. He needs to put the fear of God, or preferably the fear of the Devil, into them.; 11/12/16, 7:06 AM
Tank said...: rehajm said...

Trump is best served cold.

LOL.; 11/12/16, 7:12 AM
sane_voter said...: Hilarious that the NYT commenters think Trump and his family need to enrich themselves with the government. they were doing just fine before DJT ever announced his candidacy in 2015. Sounds like projection to me.; 11/12/16, 7:18 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: I'm going to die an old man, possibly, and yet never have a giant skull and be able to communicate telepathically, which is kind of a disappointment.; 11/12/16, 7:22 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Thinking about the forces and personalities arrayed again Trump, makes me appreciate his accomplishment even more:

Trump v. Hillary, Bill Clinton, President Obama, Michelle Obama, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, entire Bush family, Paul Ryan, John McCain, NYTimes, Harry Reid, the Mainsream Media, BLM, and nearly every College professor (except our Hostess).

This is going to be an interesting 4 years.The Left is going to be screaming a lot and wearing a lot of Safety Pins, as the swamp gets drained.; 11/12/16, 7:28 AM
hombre said...: The comments by NYT faithful to the Douthat article forestall any further pretext by the paper about the superior intellectual capabilities or tolerance of its readers. The only thing distinguishing them from the arsonists in Portland is distance.; 11/12/16, 8:04 AM
mikee said...: Where exactly is the line between serving in a Trump administration for the good of the country, and serving in a Trump administration as a destructive, evil, lying, corrupt bureaucrat secretly opposing the very administration that hired you and attempting to destroy it from within? Because it sounds like Douthat is proposing the latter. No, he is proposing the latter. And should be shamed for his suggestion. But won't be.

I don't recall similar appeals to conservatives to burrow into the federal government and destroy it when Obama was elected. To hell with the opposition, it is indeed not just wrong but evil.; 11/12/16, 8:22 AM
JAORE said...: Trump will be faced by layer after layer of federal employee that will stall, lie about and sabotage every attempted move. As we speak I suspect many political appointees are being transferred to the civil service roles. The nonsense that 30% will retire is as true as the Hollywood types that promised to move to Canada.

Civil service laws preclude the famous, "You're fired". But a transfer,for the good of the government, to an equal pay grade is not an adverse action.

Sooooooo.......

I would immediately erect yuuge metal buildings in (say) North Dakota and Death Valley. Fill it with tiny office cubicles and only allow one phone per building. Transfer hundreds of Feds to ND every winter, then Death Valley every summer.; 11/12/16, 8:23 AM
rehajm said...: Transfer hundreds of Feds to ND every winter, then Death Valley every summer.

This is a superb idea! Though I would suggest saving a bit of money by simply moving most of them out of Metro DC, which to a career government employee is equivalent to North Dakota or Death Valley...; 11/12/16, 8:31 AM
Wince said...: Gotta Serve Somebody

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
Indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high-degree thief
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be living in another country under another name

You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

Still, you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody; 11/12/16, 8:47 AM
Larry J said...: "Blogger iqvoice said...
If I could only have five minutes of Mr. Trump's times, i would try to emphasize the importance of Civil Service reform before any other attempt at reform. The civil service has become a politicized group of unaccountable and unpunishable slobs. And these are the people that are supposed to cooperate in implementing whatever reforms Mr. Trump wants to make. He needs to put the fear of God, or preferably the fear of the Devil, into them."

I couldn't agree with you more and have been saying the same thing for a long time. In reality, the judges and bureaucrats are the real federal government. They're unelected and largely unaccountable to anyone.; 11/12/16, 9:06 AM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: The election of Trump is a horrible act in our history. Yes, he's less bad than what a Clinton administration would have done. But less bad is still bad.

He's shown himself to be a cruel, ugly nasty man who likes to mock and ridicule people he thinks are beneath him.

This ugly nasty streak has to be watched. Yes, the hysteria of the left is risible and no one is surprised by it. That is who they are. Whatever Republican was elected would lead to this nonsense.

I want him to succeed. When he says and does things worthy of my support I will support him. But when he says and does unworthy things we as citizens have obligations to oppose him.

This is no longer a liberal tribe vs conservative, or elite tribe vs the people tribe. This is about self government.; 11/12/16, 9:14 AM
Jeff said...: Has anyone ever seen Ross Douthat and David Brooks in the same room at the same time? I'm just saying...; 11/12/16, 9:35 AM
grimson said...: In addition to all of the celebrities who were going to leave the country if Trump were elected, didn't 25% of federal employees say they would quit? These are exactly the people you would not want working in the federal government, a bunch of Lois Lerner wannabes.; 11/12/16, 10:06 AM
Seeing Red said...: I've been saying for years the Dept of the Interior should be moved to the interior.

Some may retire. Don't fill the spots.; 11/12/16, 10:18 AM
Seeing Red said...: And Ztrumps response could be Mrs Obama told the country we'd have to do more with less, and I thought that's a good philosophy to keep in place.; 11/12/16, 10:20 AM
Michael K said...: "What is to stop them from using the government to enrich themselves?"

And I saw a woman yesterday saying that the stories about Hillary and her corruption are "made up."

My wife had lunch with her. She quickly realized that political talk was off the table.

They are out there and have learned nothing. They are like Palestinian kids who memorized the Quran and can't read anything else.

Sad for a grown woman.; 11/12/16, 10:46 AM
rhhardin said...: Build a paywall at the southern border.; 11/12/16, 10:47 AM
Michael K said...: " As we speak I suspect many political appointees are being transferred to the civil service roles. "

I hope someone is studying the legality of this. I think you are correct.; 11/12/16, 10:48 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Does this Douthat even KNOW how to speak respectfully?; 11/12/16, 11:20 AM
Sam L. said...: I just read that story (Taranto's tweet) this month.; 11/12/16, 12:13 PM
rcocean said...: "He's shown himself to be a cruel, ugly nasty man who likes to mock and ridicule people he thinks are beneath him."

Yeah, and we love him for it.; 11/12/16, 12:35 PM
rcocean said...: Trump - mocking the mockable since 2015.; 11/12/16, 12:36 PM
rcocean said...: "He's shown himself to be a cruel, ugly nasty man who likes to mock and ridicule people he thinks are beneath him."

Yeah, and we love him for it.; 11/12/16, 12:36 PM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: "Yeah, and we love him for it."

So, the liberal elites who mocked you are horrible arrogant people but when your guy does it - and you too? - it's wonderful?

I'd say that's incredible hypocrisy but you'd probably take it as a compliment.

You guys are the same thing you say you're against.; 11/12/16, 12:48 PM
khesanh0802 said...: @ Steve Galbraith Take a deep breath and promise yourself that you are going to work on developing a sense of humor. You will need it during the next four years because there will be a lot to laugh at - from both parties! Trump does sarcasm really well. Like Sheldon Cooper you should try to learn how to identify it. Remind yourself frequently that he is a New Yahka bred and born. They have a more caustic take on humor and everyday life.; 11/12/16, 1:02 PM
khesanh0802 said...: Taranto has been one of the few sensible commenters (along with Ann) during the entire campaign. I admire him for it.; 11/12/16, 1:03 PM
khesanh0802 said...: And, Steve, liberals are not all horrible people but the ones currently bloviating make the list.; 11/12/16, 1:04 PM
Gahrie said...: "He's shown himself to be a cruel, ugly nasty man who likes to mock and ridicule people he thinks are beneath him."

So has Obama and every other elected Democrat in the country. You're just pissed because now you're the one being mocked.; 11/12/16, 1:53 PM
Alex said...: While being held back by a Kanamit guard, Patty cries: "Mr. Chambers, don't get on that ship! The rest of the book To Serve Man, it's... it's a cookbook!"; 11/12/16, 3:37 PM
Scott said...: Actually, why not get the bureaucrats to build those yuuge metal buildings?

Personally, I'd assign every member of the EPA who was involved with the Anamais river disaster to Arizona and tell them that they are going to clean that river up by shoveling out the contaminated sediment. You break it, you bought it.; 11/13/16, 3:15 AM
Jose_K said...: as soon is not spirit cooking; 11/13/16, 8:25 AM