Taft 2012: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

William Howard Taft's presidency was wedged between that of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and he became one of the forgotten leaders of the USA.
Jason Heller manages to inform the reader of what Taft's leadership was all about, tickle the funny bone and make some critical points of how politics is changing and the influences both positive and negative on this country's leaders.
Taft becomes a modern day Rip Van Winkle when he wakes up 100 years after the day he is to hand off the Presidency to Woodrow Wilson to find himself in the dizzying era of 2012. The only links he has to the past are his great granddaughter who is a current congresswoman and an elderly lady in a nursing home who has a tentative connection to him but plays a key role in this novel.
As Taft tries to sort through the technology of today while expressing his strong belief in his expectations of yesterday, he finds himself becoming a hot celebrity with his own "Tea Party" type group of followers who think that his style may be what this country needs at this time. He suddenly finds himself torn between his principles and ambition. One learns so much about why Taft became President in the first place and why he walked away from his job after a single term in office. Do the principles of 1912 make any sense in 2012? Heller provides some fascinating perspective while not making his book too heavy.
Heller has a lot of fun dealing with Taft's physical size and eating habits. In fact, food is major element in the plot line of this story. Taft is accompanied and befriended by a Secret Service agent who actually shoots him in the beginning of the novel thinking he is an intruder in the White House. Their relationship as they become "road buddies" is charming as they explore bars, booze and music together.
This novel will keep the reader guessing and surprised often even up to the very final page. A particular long speech by Taft near the end of the book requires a second reading to appreciate the message being sent by Heller through his lead character.
So if you want a quick read, loads of laughs, some challenging thinking, and enjoy politics, pick up this fun novel and hang on for a great ride.

Okay, let's get the ridiculous part of the book out of the way. Yes, Taft 2012 is based entirely on a silly premise: What if William Howard Taft disappeared from history the day Wilson was inaugurated and arrived in the year 2011 and fired up everyone's imagination to run for president again in 2012? But, setting that aside, what if Taft were alive and well today? What would he think of the United States 100 years after it rejected him for his re-election bid?

If you love The Twilight Zone or those Harry Turtledove time-traveling books and you are interested in politics, this one will satisfy.

I liked the book because I liked Heller's characterization of William Howard Taft. It's not hard for this overweight reviewer to sympathize with our fattest president (he got stuck in the presidential bathtub, a fact that embarrasses Heller's interpretation of Taft to no end - he cannot believe that people still remember that about him) who eats when he's under stress. But, Heller makes him understandable, likeable and gets us to sympathize with him. Taft's wonder at modern gadgets is short-lived (although his attempts to use Twitter are funny) but his amazement at the changes in American society such as the clothing, relations betweens the sexes and the freer interaction among the races continue to throw him throughout the book. At times, Taft is a man adrift, at times he is a man who knows he has been given an extraordinary second chance.

As a groundswell builds for a "draft Taft" to run for president in 2012, Heller introduces the political world and political issues of 2012. His portrayal is a bit simplistic but this is a short book. Taft becomes a single-issue candidate and the issue is not very well explained (giant corporate food interests) except that Taft gets an upset stomach when he eats too much processed food. It's almost as though Heller assumes that everyone is already sold on the issue and they will just go along with him so he makes very little effort to explain except for one creepy scene in a restaurant.

But, this is still an enjoyable book and I am pleased that I started out the New Year by meeting and sharing and adventure with Mr. Taft.

Defeated in his 1912 re-election bid, William Howard Taft falls asleep en route to President-elect Wilson's inauguration and wakes up in November of 2011 in time to barge into an Obama press conference. This unlikely and largely unexplained development becomes the vehicle for an agreeable and brief political satire in Taft 2012.

The returning ex-president is at times disappointed in his brave new world. While he enjoys virtual golf on a computer, he observes that addiction to electronic communication has allowed Americans to become vicious, petty and sarcastic because they don't have to look at each other as they speak. Taft is disappointed that medicine has not become "a veritable marvel of equity and efficiency" and is scandalized that the intent of TDR's Pure Food and Drug Act has been undermined by lobbyists. He compares the "misguided and ineffectual" War on Drugs with Prohibition.

Taft has conflicting feelings about 2012 but modern Americans are unmixed in their reactions to the ex-Prez. Mobbed as a rock star, copies of his mustache sold on line, Taft is the darling of cable news channels, citizens groups and Allen the Electrician (a thinly disguised Joe the Plumber.) Taft is portrayed as self-deprecating, thoughtful, uninterested in power, averse to confrontation and essentially honest. When he finally consents to run again for office, the former chief executive pushes his handlers aside as they advocate a negative campaign: "We are not running to bring down politicians...We are running to lift up a people." The candidate is not averse to using Twitter to reach voters but he adamantly refuses to dumb down his message.

I won't spoil the plot but will mention that there is a scene later in the book that comes directly from Frank Capra's Meet John Doe. This may be appropriate since the novel carries a message similar to that of the movie: One election result doesn't matter; it is all elections together or the process that is important. The critical precondition for an "honest test of thoughtful discourse", argues Taft 2012, is authenticity.

This is a short book, well-told and enjoyable to read. William Howard Taft's character is both three-dimensional and engaging. He begins to peek out from under the long shadow of Teddie Roosevelt. In fact, the book suggests that what we need today is more Taft humility and less TDR hubris. While the political satire in the book is not profound, it is targeted, convincing, and important. Its lesson about the primacy of character will resonate with readers. Unfortunately, there are few qualities more lacking in our times than personal authenticity and I don't think Taft, or his ilk, is going to walk through that door any time soon.