They called him....Irving.

[captainsblog]

I don't recall having any serious political discussions with my parents in my early years, yet I'm quite sure they influenced the views I began embracing even as a pre-teen and retain, mostly, to this day. Our home contained a fair amount of Liberal Propaganda (reg. ™ of Karl Rove Enterprises under license to Rush Limbaugh d/b/a Excellence in Overdosing Broadcasting Network). We had Profiles in Courage and other books about JFK's life and death; flattering biographies about Lyndon Johnson and unflattering ones about Nixon; and there was even a "Super-LBJ" Great Society comic book, which might have influenced my political thinking back in those campy-Batman days about as much as anything.

Also, the bookshelves next to the downstairs television contained a fanciful novel from 1964 by Irving Wallace, about a black man becoming President of the United States, a reality which took only the entire natural life of Shea Stadium to come to the brink of being possible:

As [the] novel, The Man — written before the 25th Amendment to the national Constitution — begins, the Vice-Presidency is vacant, because of the incumbent's death. Then, while overseas, the President and the Speaker of the House suffer a freak accident; the President is killed, the Speaker of the House dies in surgery. The Presidency then corresponds to Douglass Dilman, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, a black man earlier elected to that office in deference to racial tokenism.

President Douglas Dilman's presidency is marked by white racists, black political activists, and an attempted assassination. Later, he is impeached on false charges for firing the United States Secretary of State. Moreover, racially, one of his children, "passing" for white, also is targeted and harassed.

Sounds like McCain's recent campaign rallies, don't it?

The odder aspect of this "old" piece of fiction, to me anyway, is that nobody's talking about it. Irving Wallace was one of the most respected and prolific authors of his generation, and yet this prescient novel about the nation's first black president is, apparently, out of print.

Maybe, possibly, because his son is a neocon contributing editor to Fox News who wants Obama to gain no sympathy based on his father's characterization of such a man in the office?

Naaaaaaaah.

----

Speaking of fathers and sons: Christopher Buckley, son of conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr. and, until recently, a contributor to his dad's conservative bible, the National Review, felt compelled to resign from that publication following his recent off-reservation endorsement of Barack Obama. One should read his piece about this kerfuffle, if only to see just how nutty the right-wing nutjobs are when they feel the need to circle the wagons around their formerly Big Tent: Chris's fellow mostly-right-wing columnist, Kathleen Parker, "felt Sarah Palin was an embarrassment. (Hardly an alarmist view.) This brought 12,000 livid emails, among them a real charmer suggesting that Kathleen’s mother ought to have aborted her and tossed the fetus into a dumpster."

Fundamentalist Christianity, my ass.

Comments

Thanks for the memories...

[revmary.livejournal.com]

You reminded me of a record album (remember ole 33's) that my parents had. I can't remember the title of it. But it pictured caricaratures of political people and movie stars on the front. It was made in the late 1960's- early 1970's. I just remember playing it when I was age 6-7-8 and laughing. Yeah, my parents corrupted me with political comedy at at early age, precocious?

Maybe you heard of the record album?
It pictured Joey Bishop, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, Sammey Davis Jr., Carey Grant as president ( His JUDY JUDY JUDY line was in the record) along with tricky dickie, agnew and the politicans in gray in the background looking grouchy.

Wish I could remember the title, I bet I could find a copy of it on the net somewhere.)