: Richard S. Sloan
: A Novel Approach to the American Dream
: BookBaby
: 9781543964714
: 1
: CHF 7.60
:
: Krimis, Thriller, Spionage
: English
: 238
: kein Kopierschutz
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
A Novel Approach to the American Dream tells how thirteen former presidents work together to avert an existential threat to the nation they once led. That threat is an end to our experiment in self-government and the beginning of the American nightmare. Meeting in the Blue Room of the White House, one floor below the Oval Office, they review the origins the American dream, reflect on their colleagues' use of the phase and try to devise a more futuristic, more vigorous version of the dream. Bound by a pledge to tell the truth and only act with unanimity, they must put aside their personal animosities, hyper-partisanship and deep policy differences. And yet, even as they reach unanimity, they face the wrath of the man upstairs: Donald J. Trump. Intent on being part of a global kleptocracy, this raging narcissist envies the kings and tzars of centuries past. And everyday Americans are meant to be the subjects, servants and serfs of his American nightmare. Impossible? Probably. Surreal? Certainly. But then what steps would YOU take to preserve our representative democracy? To prevent an American nightmare? Maybe, just maybe, this novel is your first step towards preserving the American dream for generations to come.

Chapter One

“Jack said this once before, but it bears repeating: ‘I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone,’” offered Barack, to open the evening’sdiscussion.

“Seated around the table are thirteen giants of American politics, men who achieved the pinnacle of power, whose agendas shaped the world, whose strengths and weaknesses drove current events and set the trajectory ofhistory.

“Now the global powerhouse we built is being dismantled. The wars we fought are forgotten; the institutions we relied upon are under constant attack; the alliances we forged are rusting away; the doctrines we announced are ignored; and the sacrifices of the millions we sent into harm’s way aredismissed.

“Here at home, the isms of the 1930s—fascism, militarism, communism, national socialism—are rising from the ashes of defeat. The isms that Franklin, Harry, Ike, Jack, Lyndon, Dick, Gerry, Dutch, and George fought against are dividing our nation into warring camps. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which Jimmy, Bill, W, and I fought against, are ravaging the land we love. Disease, gunfire, hunger, and death stalk our nation’s children and deny them theirbirthright.

“To each one of us, this is an American nightmare. Otherwise, we would not have taken the extraordinary steps required to come together. Securing permission to return here and disrupting the ebb and flow of history. Pledging to tell the truth may prove more uncomfortable than the circles some of us have left behind. Agreeing to act as one, if we believe action is required, may require the intercession of our better angels. Unanimity is easy when the stakes are low; it is nearly impossible when the stakes are as high as they are now. But truthfulness, unanimity, and speed are the conditions we set. And wiselyso.

“For our country faces an existential threat. The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Barack paused momentarily for emphasis, “is the antithesis of the chief magistrate our Founding Fathers created in Article II of theConstitution.

“That term—‘chief magistrate’—never appears in its text. But it was used by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Monroe. Monroe, for example, said that ‘the duties of this office, the great interests of the nation are placed, in their most important branches, under the care of the Chief Magistrate.’1 The term is also found in letters from citizens to Jefferson, Adams, and Madison. And one historian has argued that Washington and Hamilton relied on ‘inherited, English legal traditions’ to broaden the powers of Article II.