Dark Politics

By Jeff Nix
Tulsa World
July 20, 2008

Ralph Reed's novel tells a grim election tale

"Dark Horse" by Washington insider Ralph Reed could well be the best political novel of the era the "era," that is, that spans the presidential terms of Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush.

Set in present-day Washington, D.C., the novel covers the period from a presidential primary convention to a few weeks after a presidential election. The Republican candidate in this contest is Harrison Flaherty, the sitting vice president seeking an upgrade in status; his running mate is David Petty, an African-American war hero turned Cabinet secretary.

The Democrats have put up a quintessential back-room political manipulator in Salmon Stanley, pairing him with Gov. Elizabeth Hafer.

Adding to the intrigue is another governor, Bob Long of Texas, who believes Stanley stole the Democratic nomination from him and enters the race as an independent. But Long is not the typical third-party egomaniac or spoiler seen in times past. He is a well-known and truly popular governor of a major state.

Author Reed certainly knows his way around the Beltway. He worked for George W. Bush George W. Bush in two campaigns, and has advised many other candidates for state and national office, although he is perhaps best known to the public as the fresh-scrubbed face of the Christian Coalition.

Given his ties to Republicans, and to the Religious Right, he is surprisingly even-handed in creating three-dimensional characters from both political parties, their handlers and confidantes, as well as movers and shakers from the Religious Right.

All are presented as having more warts than skin. All are portrayed as shifty power grabbers with outsized egos and only a faint desire to do any good for the country and its people. Perhaps once they get into power, they will promote the general welfare and work for a common good. But until then, they will do whatever is necessary to get into power. And we mean, whatever is necessary!

The author further stirs in a measure of terrorism, straight from the pages of today's newspapers. Vice President Flaherty is assassinated by "Arab terrorists," so Secretary Petty becomes the nominee.

So, with a presidential race made up of white male politicians, a black Cabinet secretary and a white female governor, what major group is left out and looking for someone it can support? The Religious Right.

So the Religious Right and independent candidate Long quickly realize they need each other. Of course the independent candidate "has to make a few changes to his 'message' " to fit in with the Religious Right's agenda, but hey getting him elected is their common goal.

Add a scandal regarding delegate votes at the Democratic Convention that implicates Democratic nominee Stanley, and the sitting Republican president beginning to mumble something about invading Iran, and you have the Perfect Political Storm. As in a symphony, the plot themes merge together for a time, then break off into their own variations. And Reed is a maestro who credibly weaves all of the plots together into the grand finale: the presidential election.

"Dark Horse" is one of those novels that fascinates even though there is really no character one can root for because of what goes on in the world of Washington politics. None of the characters is particularly noble or likeable. Some characters are "better" than the others, some are "worse." But there is no good and no evil. There is only "in power" and "out of power."

Each presidential candidate "dark horse" gets the "base" from his constituency. About one-third vote Republican, about one-third vote Democrat, and about one-third vote for the candidate of the Religious Right.

So the race goes to the House of Representatives, and there is yet another round of political wrangling that might further tax an already-exhausted reader.

But stick with "Dark Horse." It is politics at its best which is politicians at their worst. Sounds cynical, but author Ralph Reed knows whereof he speaks.

Jeff Nix is a Tulsa attorney.