The novel begins on Election Day 2008. Slerd realizes he needs to hurry to take his mother Eustacia to vote. It takes them a while, and Eustacia is not shy about letting her opinions be known.
Like many white Southerners, she began life as a Democrat. But in 1968 (the year Slerd was born), most of them felt that the Republicans spoke to their needs, so the Solid South shifted to Richard Nixon and never looked back.
Eustacia will vote for John McCain although she considers Sarah Palin to be trash. Palin represents a shift in the GOP from the Establishment to a more populist voice. Barack Obama disgusts her, not in a racist way, but she is not interested in what he has to offer.
Joe Ed Crudup is a local right-wing radio host who goes off on a tirade about Obama. All of Joe Ed's demons line up against him. In a blistering broadcast, Joe Ed claims that Obama is a Muslim terrorist who will abolish Christianity.
Later that night Slerd watches the election returns with his family. He offers some insight and commentary. The next morning, Jessica Cavendish, Slerd's lover, finds an unsettling reaction to the election at Southwood High.
When Obama was elected many, including myself, thought that the United States had put some of the past racial prejudice into the past. I thought the Tea Party would sputter out and go back to the fringes.
My wife and I waited almost three hours to vote in November 2008. The Botleys' wait is not atypical. There was a massive turnout, especially among African Americans.
Sadly, I was wrong. After Mitt Romney failed to unseat President Obama, the Tea Party along with others took over the GOP, and Donald Trump rode and manipulated that wave to the White House. Whatever unity Obama forges has been shattered almost beyond repair.
I have faith in America, and we will weather the storm. It is not over by any means, but regardless of what happened, Election Day 2008 remains pivotal.
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