The 2012 Election: a novel

So I'm working on a novel – "Four More Years" – about the 2012 presidential election.

The opening line is: "Everyone knew in 2008 that, whoever was elected president, it would take him two terms to undo the wreckage left by the previous administration."

In that 2008 election, John McCain is elected president, barely squeaking past fresh, new, and popular Democrat Barack Obama because, as the political analysts opined, "Too many Americans just were not ready for a black president."

McCain's running mate was Mitt Romney, whose background as Massachusetts governor provided centrist appeal, which the analysts said was crucial to the ticket's victory. Dana Milbank of The Washington Post described Romney as "the perfect vice-presidential candidate."

McCain inherits several crises, including two disastrous wars, Wall Street greed and collapse, the crippling deregulated lending practices of banks that were "too big to fail," an auto industry nearing bankruptcy, the Bush tax cuts, the terrorism threat, and soaring health care costs.

McCain responds by enacting war phase-out timetables, a bank bail-out, an economy stimulus package, an auto bail-out, a call to end the Bush tax cuts, a successful strike to kill Osama bin Laden, and introduction of the Affordable Care Act, based on Romney's success as governor with a Massachusetts model.

Limbaugh Republicans are outraged. In 2009 they become organized, and the Tea Party is formed. A wave of Tea Party candidates rides the outrage to success in the 2010 elections and gives the G.O.P. a majority in the House of Representatives. Their pledge: to make John McCain a one-term president.

Congressional gridlock ensues. President McCain, when necessary, finds ways to maneuver around the gridlock, enacting needed programs on executive order.

By 2012, the Limbaugh Republicans are apoplectic. McCain-Romney is the incumbent ticket. Obama, with his Senate bipartisanship and oratory, emerges from a fierce primary over Hillary Clinton. The Tea Party looks at its choices and sees none. It initiates a third-party primary and selects Ron Paul as its presidential candidate. Paul chooses Paul Ryan as his running mate.

The campaign is nasty. Donald Trump claims the Navy has documents showing McCain was brainwashed as a POW by Hanoi Marxists. Rush Limbaugh calls Romney "a Ted Kennedy clone." On Fox, Sean Hannity asks Rick Perry, "Governor, by splitting the party, aren't you just handing the presidency to the liberals?" "Give me liberty or give me . . . uh," Perry responds.

On election night, McCain concedes at 7:45 Eastern time, Paul does not concede at all, and McCain goes home to a good night's sleep, knowing he did what he had to do.

In his inaugural speech, President Obama applauds President McCain for his service. "But you know, we still face the same reality that we did in 2008: 'Whoever is elected president, it will take him two terms to undo the wreckage.' I am not the same president, but I pledge to America today to complete the work of that second term, in the next four years."