One of the most fun parts about writing a novel is getting to play God. You get to decide how you want the universe to work and you can impose divine retribution if you choose. Frustrated with the people who keep voting Republican yet are pro-choice, pro-environment, gay tolerant, and believe in separation of Church and State, I adopted the attitude, "Look what's going to happen to our country if you keep voting this way. Wake up! YOU'RE going to get a life you don't like either."
In my dystopian world of Doublethink, Jeb Bush succeeds his brother at President. When my editor, James O'Shea Wade, advised me to change Jeb's 2012 running mate from the omnipresent Cheney to Lieberman back in 2005, I couldn't bring myself to do it for reasons I'll explain below the fold. I've been furious with Lieberman's decision to not honor the results of the primary and when today in the New York Times, I read Paul Krugman's column, "Party Matters," I deeply regretted I had not listened to my editor.
Krugman wrote:
In a recent interview with The Hartford Courant, Senator Joseph Lieberman said something that wasn't credible. When the newspaper asked him whether America would be better off if the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives next month, he replied, "Uh, I haven't thought about that enough to give an answer."
Why wasn't this a credible answer? Because anyone with the slightest interest in American politics -- a group that obviously includes Mr. Lieberman -- is waiting with bated breath to see how this election goes, and thinking a lot about the implications. If the Democrats gain control of either house, no matter how narrowly, the American political landscape will be transformed. If they fail, no matter how narrowly, it will be seen, correctly, as a great victory for the hard right.
My story is a projection about what will happen to America if the hard right wins all the marbles. I believe these are scary guys who need to be stopped from turning this great country into a police state. Surely, no tax cut can possibly be worth that, even for traditional Republicans.
As I've mentioned before in comments on DKos, I had met Senator Lieberman at the home of a close friend who was taking an active role in his 2004 campaign. And while I never supported him for President because of his positions on many issues, he seemed like a nice man. He was friendly, didn't seem arrogant (at that moment), and was responsive to questions. I didn't think he had the charisma to get elected to that office, but he was good in a cocktail party setting. I spoke to him for about 20 minutes over the course of the event and he remembered my name when he called on me during the Q&A. I'm lousy at remembering names myself so I was impressed with that skill as well as his enthusiasm for fundraising events, that disgusting by-product of approach to campaign financing.
Jim Wade, formerly Executive Editor of Crown Publishers/Random House, and now with the Independent Editors Group, wanted me to change my version. (In that draft I had already taken out the part where Cheney had gotten the hearts from loyal Republican operatives who had died of mysterious brain tumors.)
Joe made a mental note to log on that morning and cast his vote at www.diebold.gov for the Bush-Cheney ticket. Jeb was a good man. It was incredible how old Dick was still hanging in there at 71 and two heart transplants later. He was probably going to outlast all of them, Joe chuckled to himself.
He brought in Joe for Veep and relegated Cheney to another role:
Joe made a mental note to log on that morning and cast his vote at www.diebold.gov for the Bush-Lieberman ticket. Jeb was a good man. It was his brilliant idea to choose the conservative and deeply pious Democratic Senator to be his running mate, to demonstrate that he wanted to reach out and unite the country. Tapped for the post of Secretary of State, Dick Cheney had become as much of a fixture in the capital as the Washington Monument. It was incredible how old Dick was still hanging in there at 71 and two heart operations later. He was probably going to outlast all of them Joe chuckled to himself.
I couldn't do it. How could I suggest that to someone who I had met, who seemed like a nice man would turn on his party that way? I turned to someone who had already proven his true colors. My attorney made me change the URL, too.
Joe made a mental note to log on that morning and cast his vote on the Diebold election site for the Bush-Breaux ticket. Jeb was a good man. It was his brilliant idea to choose the conservative and deeply pious former Democrat John Breaux to be his running mate, to demonstrate that he wanted to reach out and unite the country. "JB2 Unity Ticket " made a terrific bumper sticker.
I stand here before you today ready to admit, I was wrong and missed a great opportunity. If it turns out Jim called it right, please give him credit and remember, you read it here first.