Tired of reading the latest liberal political bestsellers? How about a science fiction novel about American political campaigning, circa 2044?
That novel is
Distraction, by Bruce Sterling. The setting is East Texas, November 1944. The campaign manager of a newly elected senator, along with his campaign staff, are on a "vacation" to gently separate them from the senator now that the campaign is over. The campaign manager is angling for a Senate staff position, and sees an opportunity to make a name for himself by reforming a bio-science lab that is also desired by the megalomaniacal governor of Louisiana. Comedy ensues.
Here's an interesting quote from the book, which seems damned relevant to me now...
Let's get something straight right now. You people face a stark choice here. You can sit on your hands like prima donnas, and everything you've built will go down the tubes. Or you can stop being afraid, you can stop kneeling. You can get on your feet as a community, you can take some pride in yourselves. You can seize control of your own future, and make this place what you know it ought to be. You can organize.
So has anyone else ever read it?