The real reason O: A PRESIDENTIAL NOVEL flopped

So hey I stopped blogging about this book because I got busy and I didn't have time to finish it -- also it was slow and not very suspenseful -- but I finally finished. Now I know why this didn't become the 2011 PRIMARY COLORS, but in order to tell you why I'm going to spoil the end of this book.

If you don't want to know how O: A PRESIDENTIAL NOVEL ends, stop reading right now.

I mean it.

Well okay then! O: A PRESIDENTIAL NOVEL takes place over the 2012 election cycle in which Official Presidential Standin is running for reelection against Tom Morrison, a McCain-Romney hybrid (decorated war hero, former governor of a moderate Democratic-leaning state). Morrison is basically untouchable. Also, the economy and the war in Afghanistan are major issues -- not surprising. There is a passing mention of Sarah Palin, but nothing much. The main villain, at least as described here, is an Arianna Huffingtonesque new-media magnate named Bianca Stefani who pays bloggers almost nothing to report on scurrilous rumors.

The central plot twist in this book concerns one such scurrilous rumor of a cover-up on the side of the Morrison campaign that Stefani and the reporter/blogger assigned to the Morrison campaign amplify, to the potential detriment of the O. campaign. The O. campaign is approached with this rumor by a major donor a few days before Stefani publishes it, but decides not to do anything; unfortunately, because Stefani's site leans left, everyone blames the O. campaign for letting it get out. Then the campaign finds out that major donor had his own agenda for leaking that rumor and have to keep that quiet, as well. From there on it's all, idealists lose their steam, campaign staff sleep together sometimes, et cetera.

Here is why ultimately this book is not still making news: It doesn't have an ending! It literally ends on the day before the general election. After acting so shocked over all the corruption and bad behavior in politics, the anonymous author could at least have had the courage of his convictions to pick a winner. Why did I waste my time otherwise?! Oh, I am steamed. Well, hopefully I saved you the indignant anger.