Politics Unusual

By Patrick Lundrigan

Are you tired of the same old politics? Fed up with candidates slinging so much mud it puts thong-wearing lady wrestlers to shame? Have strategically-timed ‘gotcha’ videos turned you into a jaded cynic? Do you want fresh ideas to revive your interest in social narrative and public discourse gone stale? Do you want them in an easy-to-digest pamphlet size that’s no bigger but no less incendiary than Thomas Paine’s Common Sense? If so, then you won’t need terrabytes of polling data to figure out that Politics Unusual is the literary choice for you.

Join writers Patrick Lundrigan (L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future award-winning author), J. Monell, Brian Pedersen and Neil Morris as they spin tales of fantastic contests in the civic arena: in Patrick Lundrigan’s The Political Machine, a master of old-fashioned realpolitik must adapt to challenges posed by an artificially-intelligent candidate in a technologically disorienting virtual debate; negative campaigning gets a taste of New Age medicine in the battle for a young woman’s soul in J. Monell’s The Media Medium; Brian Pedersen’s Falling for a Presidential Hopeful features an ambitious wife grappling with the possibility that her nominee husband may not be of this Earth, while Neil Morris’ The Living Document pits an anthropomorphic United States Constitution against a Supreme Court Chief Justice in a debate over the most controversial issue of our time.

For readers, though, there’s simply no debate: whether you’re a nobody in the ninety-nine percent or a one percent patrician, Politics Unusual will leave you wholly entertained.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patrick Lundrigan
• Release date: Oct 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301421602

Book preview

Politics Unusual

A Speculative Fiction Anthology

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Are you tired of the same old politics? Fed up with candidates slinging so much mud it puts thong-wearing lady wrestlers to shame? Have strategically-timed ‘gotcha’ videos turned you into a jaded cynic? Do you want fresh ideas to revive your interest in social narrative and public discourse gone stale? Do you want them in an easy-to-digest pamphlet size that’s no bigger but no less incendiary than Thomas Paine’s Common Sense? If so, then you won’t need terrabytes of polling data to figure out that Politics Unusual is the literary choice for you.

Join writers Patrick Lundrigan (L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future award-winning author), J. Monell, Brian Pedersen and Neil Morris as they spin tales of fantastic contests in the civic arena: in Patrick Lundrigan’s The Political Machine, a master of old-fashioned realpolitik must adapt to challenges posed by an artificially-intelligent candidate in a technologically disorienting virtual debate; negative campaigning gets a taste of New Age medicine in the battle for a young woman’s soul in J. Monell’s The Media Medium; Brian Pedersen’s Falling for a Presidential Hopeful features an ambitious wife grappling with the possibility that her nominee husband may not be of this Earth, while Neil Morris’ The Living Document pits an anthropomorphic United States Constitution against a Supreme Court Chief Justice in a debate over the most controversial issue of our time.

For readers, though, there’s simply no debate: whether you’re a nobody in the ninety-nine percent or a one percent patrician, Politics Unusual will leave you wholly entertained.

Politics Unusual

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Edited by Alan Hostler

Published by Patrick Lundrigan at Smashwords

The Political Machine copyright 2012 Patrick Lundrigan

Falling for a Presidential Hopeful copyright 2012 Brian Pedersen

The Media Medium copyright 2012 J. Monell

The Living Document copyright 2012 Neil Morris

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

The Political Machine ~ Patrick Lundrigan

Falling for a Presidential Hopeful ~ Brian Pedersen

The Media Medium ~ J. Monell

The Living Document ~ Neil Morris

The Political Machine

by Patrick Lundrigan

Senator Jackson Dibble checked his hair before exiting the limo, noting that his touch-of-gray temples needed a touch up. He'd get them done at his next Botox. There was a fine line between old and distinguished and he'd been on that line for five terms, and he wasn't going to cross it now. His staff following like pilot fish around a shark, he strode into his headquarters and ignited the charm. He shook hands, cracked a warm and friendly smile, spat pleasantries, listened to the inane chit chat, commented on the banners and posters, ohh'd and ahh'd over a few desktop baby pictures. He didn't need to work for these votes, but it never hurt to keep in practice.

Traci herded the entire parade into the conference room and Senator Jackson Deadlock Dibble unbuttoned his jacket and sat at the head of the table. He silenced the room with a steely glare, then said: Let's begin.

Traci power pointed the walls, bringing up a bunch of bullet points. Thank you, Senator, we're all glad to have you back from Washington. I've assembled your entire re-election team here and —

Wait, where's Jeremy? It wasn't like his rough and tumble, kick-in-the-groin campaign manager to miss a meeting.

Traci looked startled for a second, then regained the composure that only years in Washington as an aide to the most powerful Senator could produce.

Mr. Rosenberg passed away last week, she said. We talked about this yesterday.

Oh, right. Did we send the family something? Jews like ham, don't they? He looked around the room for affirmation, found none and plowed on. You, he pointed to a young guy at the end of the table, send the family a ham and some flowers. The young guy's fingers flew over his tablet, and in a few seconds he nodded.

Continue.

Traci aimed her laser at a bullet point. Moving along, we've picked a team to advise your campaign —

Wait, before we get to that, have we set up the bus tour? I want to do another bus tour of the state. Up and down the Parkway and Turnpike. Get out there and press the flesh at every exit. We have a state fair too, with the balloons and farm animals and racing pigs. I got to get there. His stomach rumbled at the suggestion of corn-dogs, peanut brittle and deep-fried candy bars, but a few swigs of Maalox after leaving cow county and he'd be AOK.

Traci shuffled slides until she came to one with a dense forest of