Don Surber advised me that this book was coming and I have been checking Amazon with hope that the day would be "Der Tag"
and now it is here. For all who suffered the insufferable like Nate Silver, Harry "forecaster" Enten at Fivethirtyeight, Philip Bump,Chris Cillizza,Dana "I'll eat my column if Trump is the nominee" Milbank, in fact the entire Washington Post "press" and all the egg on their faces MSM who got Trump 100% wrong may they enjoy their permanence in history with such as "Dewey Defeats Truman". This is a delight to savor
and now it is here. For all who suffered the insufferable like Nate Silver, Harry "forecaster" Enten at Fivethirtyeight, Philip Bump,Chris Cillizza,Dana "I'll eat my column if Trump is the nominee" Milbank, in fact the entire Washington Post "press" and all the egg on their faces MSM who got Trump 100% wrong may they enjoy their permanence in history with such as "Dewey Defeats Truman". This is a delight to savor
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Top Customer Reviews
By paul s damus,md on July 2, 2016
Format: Paperback
1 Comment 21 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuse
I do not believe any book like this has ever existed in the literature of politics or its history, certainly not of the press per se. It is written with an easy style, deceptive in its seeming simplicity and innocent humor, devoid as it is of the sneering hostility common to its protagonists, the pundit press, that renders it hard to put down as a book, all the more admirable in its message that truth is more than a match for the arrogance of the false prophet unfairly ordained. Surber has mined and quoted, without truncating in the least, the extensive column footage of political "experts" predicting the fall and humiliation of Donald Trump, often for years prior to his nomination bid. Whether you love, fear, or hate Trump, there is much to learn and even enjoy for all sides in this smoothly written and often delightful little book. The Chapter "Peak Trump" is worth the price of the book by itself and someday it will be considered a required classic for the educated journalist or connoisseur of political satire. The press itself and its monolithic motivation to rule popular opinion is examined in some detail, not in a polemic by the author, but by the press itself in its own indelible words.
Surber is a blogger now but was the political analyst of a small town newspaper for decades. He correctly called several National elections, missed others. He has the humility that gives power to his views, never blatant, always informative, always surprising. This book is a masterpiece.
Surber is a blogger now but was the political analyst of a small town newspaper for decades. He correctly called several National elections, missed others. He has the humility that gives power to his views, never blatant, always informative, always surprising. This book is a masterpiece.
By Laurence F. Sheldon, Jr. on July 7, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuse
Dense.
Interesting word.
On the one hand it describes well the targets here, the "press". So dense that no amount of "obvious" can penetrate.
On the other hand, it describes the book itself, where every word on every page conveys the story to the reader.
Another reviewer describes it as "a new political classic" -- I think it may be a new genre -- one that not only explains what happened, but also provides the whole back drop so the reader can see WHY it happened.
The whole book is important and should be read in-sequence, but be prepared for some chapters to hit harder than others, I think there were a half dozen like that--particularly 34, 41 and 44.
These special chapters triggered Aha! moments for me, where with great clarity I saw for the first time things I should have seen before.
Interesting word.
On the one hand it describes well the targets here, the "press". So dense that no amount of "obvious" can penetrate.
On the other hand, it describes the book itself, where every word on every page conveys the story to the reader.
Another reviewer describes it as "a new political classic" -- I think it may be a new genre -- one that not only explains what happened, but also provides the whole back drop so the reader can see WHY it happened.
The whole book is important and should be read in-sequence, but be prepared for some chapters to hit harder than others, I think there were a half dozen like that--particularly 34, 41 and 44.
These special chapters triggered Aha! moments for me, where with great clarity I saw for the first time things I should have seen before.
By William P. Woodall on July 6, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuse
A new political classic!
This delightful book contains hundreds of quotes from the pundits, opinion 'leaders' and political 'experts' who all failed to comprehend the rise of Trump. "What fools these mortals be" was the Bard's line, but it also applies here.
But it's not just quotes; Surber's acerbic wit and analysis are also present, as in this passage:
"Only someone as entrenched in the federal government (as Witcover became after decades of covering Washington) would dismiss Trump's forty years as a chief executive officer as making him "conspicuously unqualified" to be president, especially while a community organizer with less than a term in the Senate sat at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office."
This volume should be required reading for all those studying political 'science' or journalism. Great fun!
This delightful book contains hundreds of quotes from the pundits, opinion 'leaders' and political 'experts' who all failed to comprehend the rise of Trump. "What fools these mortals be" was the Bard's line, but it also applies here.
But it's not just quotes; Surber's acerbic wit and analysis are also present, as in this passage:
"Only someone as entrenched in the federal government (as Witcover became after decades of covering Washington) would dismiss Trump's forty years as a chief executive officer as making him "conspicuously unqualified" to be president, especially while a community organizer with less than a term in the Senate sat at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office."
This volume should be required reading for all those studying political 'science' or journalism. Great fun!
By Arnold F. Williams on July 18, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuse
I haven't enjoyed a book quite like this one EVER. In punchy, tightly written chapters, Don Surber reviews the GOP primary process, from announcements, to primaries, to majority delegate position for Donald Trump, and has a blast with the conventional wisdom of the press and the pundits (who in general performed abysmally) who got to see their predictions fail in a short time, again and again. For those of us whose humor revolves around a line that gets more meaningful over time (think of Marc Anthony's "honorable men"), this is a collection of essays and chapters not to be missed.
You want it. This is worth buying.
You want it. This is worth buying.
By Z Regime on July 4, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This is first rate writing. I consider Don a friend (and fellow Mountaineer!) but even if he wasn't, there is no doubt about his literary skills. The man knows how to make a case for his beliefs without being preachy or overbearing. WHEN - not if - Trump wins, this book will be looked at as one of the most sagely and prescient books in modern presidential political history.
