I'm so excited about this book *and* this guest blog!
Robin Gerber's Eleanor Vs. Ike is a novel featuring real historical characters, which I know some of you aren't sure about, but just listen to the premise: it's 1952 and Eleanor Roosevelt is running against Dwight D. Eisenhower for President. Will she win?
If you can resist that, you're a better woman than me.
Carry on over the cut for a guest blog by Robin Gerber and the chance to cast your vote on gripping issues to win one of the three copies to give away!
Over to Robin...
For the first time in American history, a woman is the Democratic Party's candidate for President of the United States. This might happen in 2008, but in my novel, Eleanor vs. Ike, it happens in 1952 and the woman is Eleanor Roosevelt. Welcome to my fantasy!
There were a lot of parallels between 1952 and today. In 1952, America was caught up in a war in Korea that the public hated and wanted to end. There was fear of foreign infiltration by Communists, and civil liberties were curtailed because of that fear. The incumbent President, Harry Truman, wasn't running for reelection. There was an open primary with fierce competition for the Democratic and Republican nomination. And, similar to the looming fight over the Michigan and Florida Democratic delegates today, the Democratic nomination in 1952 came down to a fight over seating delegates. In the end, none of the candidates who ran in the primary got the nomination. Instead, Governor Adlai Stevenson was drafted to run at the Democratic Convention.
So, watch out! If the Democrats go to the Convention still fighting over Hillary or Barack, all bets are off. It's even possible that someone else could get the nomination. Perhaps Al Gore?
Of course, if Hillary Clinton pulls it off (and the odds are against her now), a former First Lady would be running against a respected military man, just like Eleanor vs. Ike. In the midst of war, could a woman be a credible enough Commander-in-Chief? In Eleanor's case, she had traveled the world, especially during WWII, visiting the troops and foreign leaders. She had fully supported Truman's decision to end the war by dropping the hydrogen bombs on Japanese cities, and had backed his decisions in Korea. But I doubt that would have been enough against Ike, the heroic General of WWII. In the book, Eleanor confronts this problem by saying she would make Ike her Secretary of Defense should she win the presidency.
I don't think Hillary Clinton would have to reach out to John McCain, as Eleanor does to Ike. Clinton has experience on the Armed Services Committee, is well-respected by military leaders and has had extensive foreign policy experience from her years as First Lady. Still, if U.S. security is threatened, especially by another attack on home soil, she will struggle with McCain's background as a war hero and leader.
I don't want to give away the ending of "Eleanor vs. Ike," but I will say that it's an exciting race, with lots of twists and turns, and an outcome that's hard to guess -- much like the Presidential race this year!
For the chance to win one of three copies of Eleanor vs. Ike, simply vote in one of the following two polls (created by Robin) and then leave a comment (don't forget to include your email address so we can tell you if you've won.
Everyone is free to vote and comment (we'd love to hear your thoughts!), but I'm afraid only US entrants can win a book.
POLL QUESTIONS
