Althouse: "[P]erhaps the funniest aspect of 'Make Russia Great Again' is how calmly Herb conveys the craziness of the Trump administration."

July 7, 2020

"[P]erhaps the funniest aspect of 'Make Russia Great Again' is how calmly Herb conveys the craziness of the Trump administration."

"With the unruffled decorum of a five-star resort manager, he describes all the complicated maneuvers needed to entertain a president who does not read, who cannot concentrate for more than a few minutes and who will not listen to anything but soliloquies comparing him to 'Napoleon, or God.' The big rally that Trump wants in Testicle, Ohio, may strain the staff’s organizational expertise, but [White House chief of staff Herb Nutterman] is never anything less than brightly complimentary as he watches his boss strong-arm Sen. Biskitt into attending. 'I marveled at the president’s powers of persuasion,' he says. “Come with me to Testicle, Squiggly, is up there with "I have seen the promised land." I got goose bumps.'... There’s a Twain-like quality to this loyal naif who skewers without intending to. While 'Make Russia Great Again' rushes along from one folly to the next, Herb’s increasingly pained efforts to see only the bright side of Trump’s reign is the joke that keeps on winning."

From a review in The Washington Post of Christopher Buckley's new novel, "Make Russia Great Again." Buckley is the son of William F. Buckley Jr., and he was the chief speechwriter for Vice President George H. W. Bush.

55 comments:

Dave Begley said...: Good to know that Chris Buckley is a member of the GOPe and a Never Trumper. The Never Trumpers don’t realize that Trump is the only way we preserve the American way of life. Biden and the Dems will destroy America.; 7/7/20, 6:45 AM
Nichevo said...: From a review in The Washington Post of Christopher Buckley's new novel, "Make Russia Great Again." Buckley is the son of William F. Buckley Jr., and he was the chief speechwriter for to Vice President George H. W. Bush.

Who?

Who??

Who???

Talk about selling your birthright for a mess of pottage! Do all the old cons want to retire on a last frothy wave of NYT best-seller-list-spiking graft?; 7/7/20, 6:51 AM
Unknown said...: its are real as the other tell-alls; 7/7/20, 6:52 AM
doctrev said...: He's clearly inherited an excessive fondness for penis from his father. But the complete lack of many liberals to learn anything from their 2016 failure- indeed, they are wedded indissolubly to RUSSIA RUSSIA and the rest of their discredited agenda- means that 2020 is going to Keep America Great.; 7/7/20, 6:54 AM
Inga said...: “Herb’s increasingly pained efforts to see only the bright side of Trump’s reign is the joke that keeps on winning."

Yes, that is funny in a sad way. I’ve seen so much of that here in these comments sections.

“I was at ground zero,” Herb tells us from prison where he’s composing this memoir, like so many other members of the Trump White House Alumni Felon Association.

Herb notes that “the Ever Trumpers started showing up on Fifth Avenue with their bull’s-eye shirts saying, ‘Shoot me, Mr. Trump!’ . . . Politics is supposed to be a cynical business, but it warmed my heart to see such devotion.”

Hilarious.; 7/7/20, 7:02 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: The same sad stale “jokes” the monoculture has been feeding us ever since Trump shed the glorified heights of The Apprentice on big big broadcast behemoth NBC for the lows of The Swamp. Praised and held in high esteem one day. Pilloried and branded an irredeemable racist the next! Same “don’t read ain’t curious” bullshit we heard with RR and W. Et tu Buckley? How lame. This makes it even funnier if they insist he’s an illiterate ill-mannered cipher and yet HE KEEPS WINNING! Must be a very lucky imbecile, eh?; 7/7/20, 7:04 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Where’s the professional comedic analysis of WHY JOKES ABOUT TRUMP AREN'T REALLY FUNNY?; 7/7/20, 7:06 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: “I’m sorry Mt. Biden but your opponent is just so stupid that we can’t beat him!”; 7/7/20, 7:07 AM
narciso said...: Buckley who stepped out on his wife, who happened to be his boss's daughter don gregg, when did the Russians take over half of crimea, that was in the last administration,; 7/7/20, 7:12 AM
JPS said...: I read the review. Looks subtle.; 7/7/20, 7:14 AM
rehajm said...: You can bet all productive activity will stop so the lefties can get their top off of intellectual Trump hate out of this one...

...needed to entertain a president who does not read...

A President must be reading pages all day. With some down time the last thing I would want to do is pick up a book. I'd prefer a President who does work to benefit the American people rather than a fopdoodle that lies around on Martha's Vineyard in his sundress all Summer reading the works of other fopdoodles.; 7/7/20, 7:19 AM
John henry said...: I'm a fan of Christopher Buckley's books. I think I've read them all, I think.

I'll at least read the Kindle sample though it sounds like cb's tds may ruin it.

John Henry; 7/7/20, 7:20 AM
narciso said...: very funny,

https://spectator.org/roger-stone-the-corruption-of-justice-part-two/; 7/7/20, 7:33 AM
Narayanan said...: do we take Buckley's Tale about Trump literally or seriously; 7/7/20, 7:38 AM
Sebastian said...: "who cannot concentrate for more than a few minutes"

Except that the actual Trump, in his seventies, does hour-long stand-up routines in front of thousands.; 7/7/20, 7:49 AM
Sebastian said...: Now, I wanna see Buckley do a comic take on the craziness of O and Joe siccing the deep state on the Trump campaign and transition, followed by the craziness of senile Mueller investigating Russian "collusion." Should be hilarious.; 7/7/20, 7:55 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: Democracy Dies in Darkness!; 7/7/20, 7:58 AM
Josephbleau said...: Like with Bolton this is a book that has value only in "pithy" quotes for newspapers. No one will read it but it will be purchased in 10,000 book lots by various foundations to pay the writher.; 7/7/20, 8:19 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The collective left, see Inga as a fully paid member, laugh and laugh - while the democrat party becomes the mob. Is the mob.; 7/7/20, 8:26 AM
narciso said...: he's ruined medieval and colonial history with his hot takes, he forgets he's the third generation of a family of texas wildcatters, the patriarch having been kicked out of mexico, a little like col sternwood, from big sleep, who in turn was based on joseph doheny,; 7/7/20, 8:36 AM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: “I read the review. Looks subtle”

It was lame when the post-counter-culture did it in the ‘70’s. Imagine how tedious and heavy-handed it will be coming from the Establishment.; 7/7/20, 8:39 AM
JB71-AZ said...: Funny how there's all these 'insiders' who aren't actually anywhere near what they're writing about, being taken as totally trustworthy and truthful while making up garbage.

It's enough to make one not trust the NYTimes or the lauded authors in their pages...; 7/7/20, 8:39 AM
walter said...: "I’ve read Obama’s books, and they are first-rate. He is that rara avis, the politician who writes his own books. Imagine. He is also a lefty. I am not. I am a small-government conservative who clings tenaciously and old-fashionedly to the idea that one ought to have balanced budgets. On abortion, gay marriage, et al, I’m libertarian. I believe with my sage and epigrammatic friend P.J. O’Rourke that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take it all away.

But having a first-class temperament and a first-class intellect, President Obama will (I pray, secularly) surely understand that traditional left-politics aren’t going to get us out of this pit we’ve dug for ourselves. If he raises taxes and throws up tariff walls and opens the coffers of the DNC to bribe-money from the special interest groups against whom he has (somewhat disingenuously) railed during the campaign trail, then he will almost certainly reap a whirlwind that will make Katrina look like a balmy summer zephyr.

Obama has in him—I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy “We are the people we have been waiting for” silly rhetoric—the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for.

So, I wish him all the best. We are all in this together. "; 7/7/20, 8:49 AM
Bob Smith said...: “Buckley is the son of William F. Buckley Jr., and he was the chief speechwriter for to Vice President George H. W. Bush.”
Christopher’s goal in life going forward is to keep his place at the Washington trough. The alternative of a real job is just too horrible to consider.; 7/7/20, 8:50 AM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: https://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/t-coddington-van-voorhees-vii/; 7/7/20, 8:59 AM
Tom T. said...: It should be clear enough how the Never Trump stance is driven by class anxiety and disdain, rather than policy. William F. Buckley believed in ideas, but Christopher simply values his own place in society.; 7/7/20, 9:07 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: I came for the bitter comments. I wasn't disappointed.; 7/7/20, 9:11 AM
Howard said...: John Henry: it's Deranged Trump Syndrome... DTS.; 7/7/20, 9:11 AM
mikee said...: Now we have meta TDS! With actual, fictional reasons to hate Trump!; 7/7/20, 9:13 AM
GingerBeer said...: Buckley's "Thank You for Smoking" was absolutely hilarious. And the film adaption, while altered in several respects from the novel, was equally funny. Both are really worth the time.; 7/7/20, 9:16 AM
Biff said...: I've found Christopher Buckley to be an occasionally interesting writer, though it was obvious many years ago that he was "Republican" in the sense of being from a prominent Republican family, but not in the sense of having particular fealty to conservatism. The apple may not have fallen far from the tree, but it sure rolled pretty far down the hill.; 7/7/20, 9:19 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Stop! Stop! You are killing me!; 7/7/20, 9:21 AM
narciso said...: yes aaron eckhart perfectly captured the oily charm of the character, like real life lobbyists for russia, like vin weber, for mercury partners, jk simmons and robert duvall were also very good in it.; 7/7/20, 9:26 AM
GingerBeer said...: It cannot be said that a man who believes there are 58 states, that Austrian is a language, who believes the Maldives are in the South Atlantic, who cannot pronounce "corpsman," or spell r-e-s-p-e-c-t has a first-class intellect. Obama was gifted with the credentials of two Ivy League degrees. And ever since he has floated along with the knowledge he misheard or misunderstands. And being disinterested is not the same as possessing a sound temperament.; 7/7/20, 9:27 AM
Bilwick said...: "He was the chief speech writer for George W. Bush."

A regular T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII, if any of you remember that spokesman for the Better Class.; 7/7/20, 9:34 AM
Wince said...: I think a more interesting and funny book would center around a cocktail party where all the Never Trumpers were assembled.

It would be all about them and their inner need to be listened to and taken seriously.; 7/7/20, 9:40 AM
Michael K said...: ...needed to entertain a president who does not read...

I remember reading long ago, it might have been about Kennedy, that the President has no time to read and musty have done his reading, serious reading, before being in office. I know some read for relaxation. Kennedy read Ian Fleming novels. Eisenhower read westerns. There are all these left wing types, and Buckley is one, who are mind readers of Trump.; 7/7/20, 9:42 AM
Joe Smith said...: This is the laziest form of satire. He uses 'Russia' instead of 'America.' Get it? Isn't that clever and hilarious? It's like when people (on both sides of the aisle) use Drumpf, or Obummer, or Killary. Even an eight-year-old would find that tiresome.

Let's use names that above eight-year-olds might giggle at for people and places. Let's call it the oblong office instead of the oval office. How about he flies around in Crop Duster One instead of the big plane? You get the point...stupid.

Daddy is spinning in his grave wondering how he could have produced such a hack.; 7/7/20, 9:50 AM
Lucien said...: When Reagan was supposed to be the idiot the brains of the operation were supposed to be Don Regan, or James Baker, or Al Haig. When W. was supposed to be the idiot Dick Cheney was supposed to be the brains of the operation. When the idiot Trump was elected Steve Bannon was going to be the supposed brains of the operation. That fizzled early so since then the supposed idiot hasn’t had a brains of the operation, huh?; 7/7/20, 9:52 AM
Narayanan said...: hello - Buckley worshippers of the multi-syllabic words

William F. Buckley made sure, on his death bed, to deny this illegitimate grandchild a dime of his fortune. He called him out by name in the will!
In his will, William F. Buckley Jr. leaves the contents of his estate to Christopher and the two children he fathered with his wife - and leaves no doubt that Jonathan will get none of the money. "I intentionally make no provision herein for said Jonathan, who for all purposes ... shall be deemed to have predeceased me," wrote William Buckley, ...
----------============
"gramps" Buckley = "gramps" Biden; 7/7/20, 10:04 AM
Narr said...: WFB had his moments, and sonny boy can be funny, but this looks like "Will Steve Bannon Let Trump Have His Own Desk?" version 17.

I know a lot of people, smart and dumb, left and right, but the stupidest and least-informed are the ones who chortle loudest at how dumb Trump is.

Narr
I feel worst for Guild. JK.; 7/7/20, 10:09 AM
Nichevo said...: Walter, Joss Whedon treated this adequately in the script of Firefly:

The Operative: You know, in certain older civilized cultures, when men failed as entirely as you have, they would throw themselves on their swords.
Dr. Mathias: Well, unfortunately, I forgot to bring a sword.

Chrissypants Buckley seems the type who would have a sword.; 7/7/20, 10:09 AM
Drago said...: "The big rally that Trump wants in Testicle, Ohio, may strain the staff’s organizational expertise,..."
-- Christopher Buckley

That specific line is all you need to know about Christopher Buckley's perspective...and his real complaint against Trump.

My God, Trump is listening to people across the country and not listening to The Grand Legacies Who Were Anointed To Rule.

I must say, ARM and his pals gave up on that Bolton book awfully fast, didnt they?

I guess this one was the next one in the hopper.

For fun, try and figure out which Washington "insider"/trough dweller book will be launched later this week when the 24 hours alotted to this one burn out.; 7/7/20, 10:20 AM
n.n said...: The witch trials and warlock judgments progress through New York Times-stle close association.; 7/7/20, 10:33 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: Father supposedly was bisexual, and used Gay prostitutes.

And Father was a huge narcissist:
https://www.anonymousconservative.com/blog/william-f-buckley-a-case-study-in-narcissistic-personality-disorder/

Son came out for Obama and was disinvited from writing for the National Review.

2 children with first wife,
Child out of wedlock - paying child support of $3k per month
2nd marriage; 7/7/20, 10:35 AM
dbp said...: I read Christopher Buckley's Thank You for Smoking and it was really funny. I am reluctant to give this latest a go. TDS is where comedy goes to die.; 7/7/20, 10:39 AM
Mr. D said...: So Buckley is still full of himself, and full of excrement as well. Thanks for the update, Professor!; 7/7/20, 10:42 AM
dbp said...: IOWAHAWK had his number down a long time ago:

https://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/t-coddington-van-voorhees-vii/; 7/7/20, 10:45 AM
narciso said...: more ungrateful then a serpents tooth, he is, now he was vicious toward the huntress, in his chauvinist way, if she had been more like the atheist texan,; 7/7/20, 11:11 AM
JPS said...: Narayanan, 10:04:

I wasn’t going to bring that up, but yeah, that sucks.

My understanding is that “shall be deemed to have predeceased me” is a bit of stock legalese, not as cruel as it sounds. And it’s not my business what he left to whom.

But I happen to know a grandfather who believed at least as strongly as Buckley that illegitimacy was a real and growing problem. And when he came to have an illegitimate grandchild, he loved her with all his heart. Said Jonathan’s father, not he, is the one who screwed up. So I’m in agreement with the commenter who wrote, “Gosh, I hope his other grandfather is nice to him - maybe even takes him fishing, instead of deeming him dead.”; 7/7/20, 11:24 AM
RMc said...: I came for the bitter comments. I wasn't disappointed.

Funny, since ARM usually supplies the "bitter comments" himself...; 7/7/20, 11:34 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: Dbp- wow.

Obviously the target.

What’s sad is his real life is worse...; 7/7/20, 12:35 PM
Gunner said...: Wasn't this dope a NeverBusher and AlwaysObamaer as well?; 7/7/20, 1:18 PM
M Jordan said...: Christopher Buckley is a pompous ass. But then, so was his dad. I’m so over the Buckley side of conservativism.; 7/7/20, 3:07 PM
Not Sure said...: So great to hear from T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII again!

Especially during the cocktail hour!; 7/7/20, 7:12 PM