Oh, thank heavens for jackal Dorothy Winsor for bringing this book to my attention. It’s on my kindle now. If only for the laughs.
The New York Times Best Seller
“[Hope Never Dies is] an escapist fantasy that will likely appeal to liberals pining for the previous administration, longing for the Obama-Biden team to emerge from political retirement as action heroes.”—Alexandra Alter, New York Times
Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama team up in this high-stakes thriller that combines a mystery worthy of Watson and Holmes with the laugh-out-loud bromantic chemistry of Lethal Weapon’s Murtaugh and Riggs.
Vice President Joe Biden is fresh out of the Obama White House and feeling adrift when his favorite railroad conductor dies in a suspicious accident, leaving behind an ailing wife and a trail of clues. To unravel the mystery, “Amtrak Joe” re-teams with the only man he’s ever fully trusted: the 44th president of the United States. Together they’ll plumb the darkest corners of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America’s opioid epidemic.
Part noir thriller and part bromance, Hope Never Dies is essentially the first published work of Obama/Biden fiction—and a cathartic read for anyone distressed by the current state of affairs.
And shame on you if you knew about this and didn’t email me immediately.
Open thread.
Doug R
But is it any good?
SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal
Barack and Joe! Be still,
my out-of-control heart!
Heidi Mom
I heard about this today and ordered it. The cover alone is worth the price.
Tim C.
Does the right have anything as whimsical as we do? Or is it all racist jokes and paintings of jesus with an assault rifle?
TenguPhule
@Doug R:
Depends on if you like MST3K movies in written format.
TenguPhule
@Tim C.:
Hot Cheney on Rumsfield action.
trollhattan
@Heidi Mom:
That they’re in Onion Joe’s TransAm shows the artist is aware of all internet traditions. I’ll skip the book, bring me the poster!
Fair Economist
It’s gotta be strange for Obama or Biden to see things like this. Too favorable to be offensive and too weird to be flattering. I suppose it’s nice, in a way, to see fanfiction about real things, as opposed to ever-increasing obsession with things that don’t exist.
JustRuss
Awesome cover. I had a buddy who had one of those TAs, complete with T-Tops. Truly a ride worthy of Diamond Joe.
SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal
@Tim C.:
Where have you gone, Jon McNaughton? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Woo hoo hoo.
PenAndKey
With a cover like that does it really matter?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Fair Economist: I imagine if it’s done with some humor, they’d enjoy it. They did a lot of gag reels kind of along those lines, IIRC.
In the meantime, I knew as soon as I saw “Town Hall with Michael Moore” I would have to skip the Hayes show tonight
Mary G
I put this in the last thread by mistake, but messed up the formatting and want people to read it, so here’s a do-over.
If you’re not reading “women’s magazines,” you’re missing a lot of good political writing. Vogue profiles Tammy Duckworth:
Durbin had second thoughts, because she had to do the announcement with an IV in her arm, but she didn’t quit. She also didn’t win, but kept trying.
The closing paragraph:
There’s lots more that shows she’s as badass as Subaru Diane.
Fair Economist
You could do some interesting running gags with this material:
Repeated about once per chapter, with occasional amusing variations where he’s mistaken for somebody else or has to pretend he’s not.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
You haven’t seen his latest, of trump confronting Mueller? Your for only $29.99!
patrick II
I would have loved to have seen Obama’s reaction when he first saw this.
schrodingers_cat
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Look at the doll hands compared to Mueller’s paws.
Mnemosyne
@trollhattan:
I’m also in for a poster if the publisher makes them I love that they put them in Onion Joe Biden’s Trans-Am.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
I always thought they’d make a great cop-buddy movie ( ie 48 HRS., Lethal Weapon, Cotton Comes to Harlem)
PenAndKey
@Mnemosyne: Ditto. If they made that same cover in poster size and took out the book marketing details I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
Ken
But who is Obama telling Biden to run over?
Dan B
Love the book cover!
Nit humorous but Kavanaugh has many gay couples, especially p.o.c. and those with kids, talking about exit strategies. At the same time latinx people are afraid of being deported. Puerto Rican refugees are tilting towards the GOP. The disconnect is strong.
Dan B
@Dan B: Not humorous. Not Nit, Sigh.
opiejeanne
@schrodingers_cat: Ha! And isn’t Mueller a big guy?
SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal
@Mary G:
You spelled “FYWP” wrong.
Adam L Silverman
@SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal:
Fixed it for you.
opiejeanne
@Dan B: Why on Earth would PR refugees tilt to the Right?
TenguPhule
@Ken:
Jeff Sessions.
TenguPhule
@opiejeanne:
They’re not. Instead, most of them aren’t bothering to register to vote.
Mnemosyne
I’ll drag my romance novel recommendation from a previous thread up here:
I have to say, one of the romance novels I just finished reading on someone else’s recommendation has one of the best opening lines I’ve ever read:
The book is called Bohemian, by Kathryn Nolan. It’s very well-written, but be warned that it’s also VERY dirty and has some light BDSM in it, which is not for everyone. I don’t usually like that stuff, but the author didn’t use a heavy hand and kept it based in the characters, so it worked.
SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
O
M
F
G
Omnes Omnibus
@Doug R: It exists; therefore, it is good.
TenguPhule
@Mnemosyne:
Traditional or did they decide to be daring and have the woman be the S?
TenguPhule
@Omnes Omnibus:
By this logic, clowns are good.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@opiejeanne:
and Nelson, according to what I’ve read elsewhere, is just kind of waiting for them to come to him
schrodingers_cat
@opiejeanne: He does look tall in the photos I have seen of him.
Omnes Omnibus
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: WTeverlovingF?
TenguPhule
@Omnes Omnibus: That’s from awhile back, isn’t it? There was a post and everything here.
Darkrose
First traditionally published Obama/Biden fiction. I give you the Archive of Our Own Joe Biden/Barack Obama tag (Some NSFW). Also, the fact that Ted Cruz/Marco Rubio fanfiction exists may have just made me lose my will to live.
Speaking of fan fiction, I meant to comment on Major^4’s post about the EU Articles 11 and 13. The Organization for Transformative Works, the fan organization behind the AO3 and the academic journal Transformative Works and Culture has been sounding the alarm about this for months. Their concern is that some versions of the legislation lack a fair-use exemption or any provision to allow not-for-profit use of copyrighted material, and that restrictions on copyrighted material on for-profit sites like YouTube and Tumblr will make fan works more difficult to find.
I’m not happy about this as a fan fiction writer, and someone who enjoys consuming fan fiction, art, and videos. As a librarian, the lack of fair-use protections also concerns me. (I also think the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom should focus on issues like this instead of dying on the hill of supporting the right of hate groups to meet in public libraries, but that’s another rant.)
Jeffro
Darkest corners of Delaware, hmm?
Seaford? Or Elsmere?
?
Omnes Omnibus
@TenguPhule: No. Flying cars would be good if they existed. Herpes Simplex 78 would not be good if it existed. It depends on the fucking concept, doesn’t it?
Jager
@JustRuss:
I hope he read the fine print in the owners manual, something about, : “Always secure the T-Top panels when changing a tire”
Joe would know that right?
Omnes Omnibus
@TenguPhule: Fuckifino.
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Apparently Michael Moore has a history of not paying his bills. And then he goes after the people he owes when they try to get paid.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Adam L Silverman:
That sounds… familiar….
Jeffro
@Adam L Silverman:
Why how very…Trumpian of him
TenguPhule
@Omnes Omnibus: Found it.
Commentor linked, not a front page post.
TenguPhule
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Michael Moore is fat.
Donald Trump is…fat.
Has anyone ever seen the two of them in the same room at the same time?
J R in WV
@Mary G:
I contributed mucho bucks to Tammy Duckworth when she first won office, and am proud to have done so. She’s a heroic superstar in my book!!
And a great Senator as well, also too!!!
Omnes Omnibus
@J R in WV: The fact that she publicly said that she is lucky that her husband is an ass man is also proof of her awesomeness.
Adam L Silverman
@opiejeanne: @TenguPhule: Rick Scott has been working the Puerto Rican community hard for a year. As soon as Maria came through, he started making trips to Puerto Rico leading assistance teams from the State of Florida. He made sure he got lots of good pictures and videos and has made sure they’ve made it into the Puerto Rican press and the Florida press and other media outlets.
Patricia Kayden
@Ken: Lol!! He’s orange. That’s the only hint I can give you to avoid a spoiler. /s
Mnemosyne
@TenguPhule:
This one is traditional, but in the next book in the series that focuses on the secondary romance, Landslide, the heroine is the dominant one. That’s not quite as well-written, but still pretty good.
Steve in the ATL
@Adam L Silverman: lol
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman: The new reports back in June were that Puerto Ricans weren’t registering, despite best efforts of local Democrats to get them to.
Raven
@Adam L Silverman: I’ve got a NewYorican friend who insisted Hillary and Trump were the same. I haven’t talked to him since the election but he’s a dumb fucking Jar Head in my book.
TenguPhule
U.S. Plans to Pay Mexico to Deport Unauthorized Immigrants There
FTFNYT link.
Onion throws up hands, resigns.
Steve in the ATL
@Adam L Silverman: fucker is all over the tv down here talking about “Washington has a corruption problem” while conveniently ignoring his own massive, staggering corruption.
Mnemosyne
@Darkrose:
G was telling me about the uproar regarding the hate groups thing. He agrees with you that maybe defending the rights of hate groups shouldn’t be at the top of the ALA’s priorities right now,
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: It is, essentially, a tied race. If Nelson wins it will be because Gillum’s voters pull him across the line. Senator Nelson is a decent person and senator, but he and/or his campaign staff seem to be fundamentally incapable of recognizing that the Florida electorate has vastly changed over the past decade. That the baby boomer retirees down here that supported him because his being an astronaut are now either dead or outnumbered by the hard core, revanchist, herrenvolk curious, Trump supporting retirees in places like the Villages. They could care less that he was an astronaut. And they all vote.
TenguPhule
Detention of Migrant Children Has Skyrocketed to Highest Levels Ever
FTFNYT link.
12,800 children in American Concentration Camps.
TenguPhule
@Darkrose:
Sound argument for partial human extinction.
p.a.
@SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal:
Lapassionara
@Adam L Silverman: This. Nelson needs to learn how to campaign.
NotMax
@TenguPhule
Additional helpful info about the particulars of registering, polling and educating recent arrivals from Puerto Rico on how the political system is designed on the mainland here.
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: @Jeffro: Yep and yep.
TaMara (HFG)
@Adam L Silverman: I have met and spent a charming evening with Mr. Maltin and his daughter. They are the most genuine, kindest people I’ve met in LA.
And the rusty pitchfork, feel free to use it on MM.
Adam L Silverman
@TenguPhule: Yep. I saw those. Allegra Kirkland at TPM just did deep dive reporting on this from Florida.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/puerto-rican-vote-florida-senate-race
Adam L Silverman
@Raven:
M(uscles)
A(re)
R(required)
I(ntelligence)
N(ot)
E(ssential)
Adam L Silverman
@Steve in the ATL: Yep. He’s corrupt, a congenital liar, and creepy, but he’s consistent.
Adam L Silverman
@Lapassionara: If he manages to win this time, he needs to be primaried for 2024 if he doesn’t retire.
Shana
@SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal: Just noticed your new enhanced name. Love it.
Patricia Kayden
@Dan B: Puerto Rican refugees are leaning towards the GOP? Wow. Wasn’t expecting that.
Omnes Omnibus
@Shana: I am waiting for her first solo jump.
Shana
@Jeffro: Rehoboth Beach. Duh.
Adam L Silverman
@TaMara (HFG): The thing with Moore is that he’s not bad at diagnosing the problem, however his prescriptions to fix it would kill the patient. Karl Marx had the same problem.
Major Major Major Major
@Darkrose: oh boy yeah that’s gonna fuck up fan stuff royally. (It passed today by the way, though there’s one final vote in January I think)
khead
Yes. SATSQ.
Mnemosyne
@Patricia Kayden:
See Adam’s comment at #51 — Rick Scott has been courting their votes since the day they started to arrive, which is smart but pisses me off.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I read somewhere that Collins will be watching King’s vote because he’s more popular with two key parts of her coalition than she is, Indies and Democratic women. And Rachel Maddow just did a segment on Alaska’s native community holding Murkowski’s feet to the fire. I’m keeping hope alive in spite of myself
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Adam L Silverman: also the frequently screeching, emo self-righteousness that sometimes seems like he’s performing for an audience of one, himself.
Lalophobia
@TenguPhule:
Well, I mean, if there were ever two people who deserved each other…
I can’t lie, I’ve actually been wanting something like this book since the whole Obiden bromance went memetic. Just the whole idea amuses me greatly.
Shell
Biker bars,eh? Do insurance to’Tequila?’
Adam L Silverman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s just science!
Shell
Curses. It was dance to Tequila.
Mnemosyne
@TaMara (HFG):
I work with someone who has worked with Maltin for a couple of decades and, yeah, Maltin is a very nice guy. This is like Mr. Rogers going on Twitter to denounce Moore.
Also, I’ve met some long-term Hollywood people who I will bet are even nicer than the Maltins — email me and I’ll name-drop. ?
randy khan
I know it’s wrong to want this book so badly, but I can’t help myself.
NotMax
Sadly, it sometimes Hicks. //
Major Major Major Major
@NotMax: boooo
BruceFromOhio
Total gas that they’re riding in a 1980 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM COUPE BANDIT EDITION.
ahem.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Major Major Major Major: Don’t boo… Vote!
BruceFromOhio
@Shell: This, regrettably, is a completely understandable sentence to me.
Major Major Major Major
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I boo and vote
PJ
@Jeffro: The darkest corner of Delaware is actually across the PA border in Marcus Hook.
Aleta
A little information about animal shelters getting ready for Florence, at WaPo. (Some animals are being transported out. Shelters expect to run out of room.)
jackmac
Just loaded Hope Never Dies on my tablet. Can’t wait to read it!
Starfish
@Adam L Silverman: I unsubscribed from the MoveOn mailing list today because Michael Moore should never send me emails. His liberalism for condescending white men can go sit in the back seat.
Luthe
@TenguPhule: Putin/Trump fic. Nuff said.
meander
Another work of Obama (and Biden) fiction is “The Obama Inheritance”, a collection of short works by different authors.
I heard about it from a glowing review on Fresh Air in late 2017. I got a copy in December and read the first few, but it didn’t work for me. YMMV. Here’s a bit from the Fresh Air review to give you a sense of its contents:
Citizen Alan
@Adam L Silverman:
In the Best Timeline, Bill Nelson retired from politics after serving eight years as Al Gore’s vice president.
father pusbucket
@Fair Economist:
Haha! Has a nice Police Squad cadence, even thought it’s a different joke.