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Let’s finish the job.

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Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

You are here: Home / Books / Open Thread: Hope Never Dies

Open Thread: Hope Never Dies

by | 101 Comments

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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.

Reader Interactions

101Comments

  4. 4.

    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?

  6. 6.

    TenguPhule

    @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?

    Hot Cheney on Rumsfield action.

  7. 7.

    trollhattan

    @Heidi Mom:

    The cover alone is worth the price

    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!

  8. 8.

    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.

  9. 9.

    JustRuss

    Awesome cover. I had a buddy who had one of those TAs, complete with T-Tops. Truly a ride worthy of Diamond Joe.

  10. 10.

    SiubhanDuinne, Badass Jackal

    @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?

    Where have you gone, Jon McNaughton? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

    Woo hoo hoo.

  12. 12.

    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

    Charles P. Pierce @ CharlesPPierce
    This non-voter on Chris Hayes is making me want to pull out my eyeballs.

    Oh, good. Another person who wouldn’t sully her pretty vote with nasty old politics. Kill me now.

  13. 13.

    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:

    Politicians who want to bolster their military bona fides often visit Walter Reed to have their pictures taken while shaking a vet’s hand. Among soldiers, it is jokingly referred to as “the amputee petting zoo.” With her high cheekbones and long, jet-black hair, Duckworth would have made an appealing poster girl, but she was wary of being used. When Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wanted to visit her, she said no. She might be military, but she leaned liberal, a result of growing up a mixed-race child in Southeast Asia, where her father’s development work took them to Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. “Being Amerasian, post Vietnam War, people just assumed you were the child of a GI and a prostitute. I was so lucky my parents were married and I had an American passport. I saw kids spat upon, going through garbage, selling themselves, doing whatever they could to survive because they’d been discarded.” When the Duckworth family, including her little brother, moved to Hawaii, her father, who was then in his 50s and could trace his roots all the way back to the Revolutionary War, found it nearly impossible to get a job. To survive, the family went on food stamps, and Tammy, then in high school, took a series of low-paying jobs to keep the family afloat. At one point, she sold flowers from a plastic bucket on the side of the road, an experience that profoundly shaped her worldview. “I never worked as hard as when we were at our poorest,” she says. “So I felt if we could end up there, anyone could.”

    One day, a call came to Walter Reed from Illinois senator Dick Durbin, asking if there were any wounded veterans from his state who would like to attend the State of the Union. Duckworth volunteered. That night Durbin shook her hand, gave her his card, and said she should call if she needed anything. So she did. Again and again. Not for herself but for other veterans who needed things, like missing pension payments. Durbin was impressed by her tenacity but also by the way she carried herself. “When I did the math later on, I realized she’d been injured only twelve weeks prior,” he recalls. “I couldn’t believe what a positive attitude she had.”

    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:

    In the meantime, there’s dinner to think about. It’s one of the ironies people tend to overlook about politicians. They have a staff of dozens helping to implement their policy visions, but at the end of the day, they still have to go home and make dinner. (Her husband could do it, but then, she says, they’d be eating tacos every night.) I watch Duckworth and two of her millennial staffers engage in a passionate discussion of . . . couscous. Does she prefer Israeli or regular? “Whatever tastes good, cooks in five minutes, and costs $3 for two boxes,” she answers. Pragmatic, economical, and hopeful. What more could you want in a politician?

    There’s lots more that shows she’s as badass as Subaru Diane.

  14. 14.

    Fair Economist

    You could do some interesting running gags with this material:

    “Hey, aren’t you President Obama?!”

    “Ex-President actually. But that doesn’t matter now. I need some information. Have you spoken with this man?”

    Repeated about once per chapter, with occasional amusing variations where he’s mistaken for somebody else or has to pretend he’s not.

  19. 19.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    I always thought they’d make a great cop-buddy movie ( ie 48 HRS., Lethal Weapon, Cotton Comes to Harlem)

  22. 22.

    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.

  30. 30.

    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:

    “Allen Ginsberg once tried to levitate my grandfather,” I told the mourners, clearing my throat through the nervousness.

    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.

  35. 35.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @opiejeanne:

    Scott has sought to make inroads with those voters, traveling to the island seven times since Maria hit and promoting his relief efforts through Spanish-language ads. Both nominees have touted endorsements from high-profile Puerto Rican political figures.
    An August poll from a coalition of progressive Latino advocacy groups found Nelson leading among historically Democratic-leaning Puerto Ricans by only 7 points—a margin they found worryingly small.
    Scott’s ability to “chip away at his opponents’ base” is one of his greatest political skills in a state where the last two presidential and governors’ races were decided by one point, Florida Democratic strategist Steve Schale told TPM.

    and Nelson, according to what I’ve read elsewhere, is just kind of waiting for them to come to him

    Scott spokeswoman Lauren Schenone told TPM in an emailed statement that Scott is “committed to supporting the Puerto Rican community,” and that doing so “is not about politics.”
    The Nelson campaign did not provide comment.

  39. 39.

    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.)

  41. 41.

    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?

  42. 42.

    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?

  44. 44.

    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.

  45. 45.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman:

    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.

    That sounds… familiar….

  46. 46.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman:

    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.

    Why how very…Trumpian of him

  49. 49.

    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!!!

  51. 51.

    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.

  53. 53.

    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.

  56. 56.

    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.

  57. 57.

    TenguPhule

    U.S. Plans to Pay Mexico to Deport Unauthorized Immigrants There

    FTFNYT link.

    Trump has promised for years that Mexico would pay for a vast border wall, a demand that country has steadfastly refused. Now, in the Trump administration’s campaign to stop illegal immigration, the United States plans instead to pay Mexico.

    In a recent notice sent to Congress, the administration said it intended to take $20 million in foreign assistance funds and use it to help Mexico pay plane and bus fare to deport as many as 17,000 people who are in that country illegally.

    Onion throws up hands, resigns.

  58. 58.

    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.

  59. 59.

    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,

  60. 60.

    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.

  61. 61.

    TenguPhule

    Detention of Migrant Children Has Skyrocketed to Highest Levels Ever

    FTFNYT link.

    Population levels at federally contracted shelters for migrant children have quietly shot up more than fivefold since last summer, according to data obtained by The New York Times, reaching a total of 12,800 this month. There were 2,400 such children in custody in May 2017.

    The huge increases, which have placed the federal shelter system near capacity, are due not to an influx of children entering the country, but a reduction in the number being released to live with families and other sponsors, the data collected by the Department of Health and Human Services suggests. Some of those who work in the migrant shelter network say the bottleneck is straining both the children and the system that cares for them.

    12,800 children in American Concentration Camps.

  65. 65.

    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.

  76. 76.

    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.

  80. 80.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    RynheartTheReluctant @ TheRynheart
    ‘Sen. King says he’ll vote no on Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court’
    ‘Maine’s independent U.S. senator cites 5 reasons for his decision, and says the ‘stakes are too high’ to support President Trump’s nominee’

    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

  82. 82.

    Lalophobia

    @TenguPhule:

    Also, the fact that Ted Cruz/Marco Rubio fanfiction exists may have just made me lose my will to live.

    Sound argument for partial human extinction.

    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.

  86. 86.

    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. ?

  97. 97.

    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.

  99. 99.

    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:

    As editor Gary Phillips explains in his foreword, the idea for The Obama Inheritance was “a cumulative thing” born out of the fact there were so many conspiracy theories generated about President Obama. There were the “birther” stories, the suggestion that President Obama used secret weather machines to create Hurricane Sandy, and on and on.
    …
    A truly fabulous story kicks off this collection. Remember all those loud whispers, sparked by a fist bump, that Michelle Obama was a covert black power separatist? In “Michelle in Hot Water,” crime writer Kate Flora takes that conspiracy fantasy about the first lady and runs with it. [Michelle teams up with a group of women to take on pharma price gouging and etc.]

  101. 101.

    father pusbucket

    @Fair Economist:
    Haha! Has a nice Police Squad cadence, even thought it’s a different joke.

    “A hospital? What is it?”
    “It’s a big building with sick people, but that’s not important right now.”

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