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Minnesota resident Vince Flynn's first novel, Term Limits, begins with a quote from Thomas Jefferson that certain characters in his book actually take seriously:
Flynn's theme is reminiscent of John Ross's controversial 1996 novel, Unintended Consequences. In Ross's book, violations of our Second Amendment right to self-defense lead Henry Bowman and his friends to institute (literally) another bit of advice from Jefferson:
While Ross's characters work to restore political respect for the private ownership and use of guns, Flynn's actors are motivated to practice assassination when our national politicians refuse to reduce a five-trillion dollar national debt. To demonstrate their resolve, the conspirators single out two members of Congress and two Senators who exemplify most egregiously the excesses of power and corruption. These four "statesmen" are killed with cool precision and zero regret.
Naturally, the political brethren of these slain "martyrs" are shaken to the core with the realization that someone actually means to hold them accountable for their wanton violations of the Constitution. The very thought that certain citizens will not kowtow to them and will even go so far as to threaten death leaves our elected officials scurrying for cover.
Since the assassins go to considerable effort to avoid innocent deaths, the public is less than heartbroken at the demise of their wayward leaders. Indeed, even a select few in Congress are not sorry that the lives of these four men were terminated. Congressional freshman (and the book's hero), Michael O'Rourke, is happy that such poor examples of humanity no longer plague us. Nevertheless, he experiences a twinge of guilt at the chain of events that has been initiated. He strongly suspects that a confidence he shared with a friend may have set the stage for these murders.
The killers relay a series of demands that must be implemented. They require that Congress: control spending, create no new or increased taxes, eliminate unneeded federal programs, establish means testing for Social Security and Medicare, cut military spending, pass a national crime bill focused on keeping violent criminals in jail, and set-up a two-percent national sales tax devoted solely to bringing down the national debt.
While not precisely libertarian in intent, even these modest proposals would be an improvement over our current situation. Despite present claims of debt reduction, the reality is that spending continues to rise. Also, our actual debt -- when considering unfunded future retirement and health care obligations -- leaves us closer to ten to fifteen trillion dollars in the hole than to five.
In any event, with typical political trickery, the president and certain cohorts decide to "have their cake and eat it" by juggling the books and establishing the appearance -- rather than the reality -- of a smaller budget. Even O'Rourke's mentor, Minnesota Senator Erik Olson, is initially involved in this duplicitous agreement. For him, the rule of law is paramount. Individual citizens taking violent action to alter the political landscape is intolerable. Such "terrorists" cannot be allowed to "circumvent the democratic process." (p. 298)
In a discussion with Congressman O'Rourke's grandfather, Seamus, Senator Olson says:
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. I mean, I know you don't like politicians, Seamus, but you can't really believe those men deserved to die."
"I do... [says Seamus.] The system has become too complicated and corrupt. Every single candidate lies to get elected and then sells his soul to the parasite special-interest groups who gave him the money to run his campaign. The two-party system has made change impossible. No one's willing to face the real problems and do what's right." (p. 298-299)
(Sound familiar?)
Flynn's portrayal of the maneuverings within and without the White House establish the reality of Seamus's assessment in no uncertain terms. The verbiage spewed forth by the politicos is too distressingly common. Politicians seem determined to drown -- or at least stun -- us in an avalanche of words, nice-sounding phrases, and meaningless locutions. While hardly original with the current crop of power-mongers in Washington, D.C., such machinations are all the harder to avoid in this electronic age.
For example, Stu Garret, the president's chief of staff, relies unrepentantly upon blackmail, spin, lying, threats, and media manipulation in order to twist the citizens' perception of reality. He single-mindedly seeks to achieve his primary goal: the perpetuation of power via the re-election of his boss.
In order to handle earlier scandals, he advises President Jim Stevens to "act hurt, betrayed, and keep your distance" (p. 28) from the public and the reporters covering the White House beat. "Documents were shredded, people were paid to keep quiet or lie, and everything was emphatically denied and denounced as a ploy by the opposition to smear the president." (p. 28) Anyone familiar with contemporary history will find this description resonating with the recent administration that promised to lead us with ethical superiority into the Twenty-First Century.
Indeed, a recurrent motif in Term Limits is depicting politicians who sound reasonable. They are unsurpassed experts at talking of "compromise for the good of the country" while their decisions and actions are the exact opposite of what they pretend to support.
While Mike O'Rourke edges closer to a fuller comprehension of precisely what is happening, who is responsible, and what the implications are of these assassinations, he must contend with other people who have their own agendas. His girlfriend, Liz Scarlatti, is a reporter who shares many of Mike's feelings towards the political establishment. Still, she wishes to reveal the facts that Mike cautiously discovers.
Another prime player in this thriller is Skip McMahon, the FBI agent in charge of the immediate investigation. He and others in the FBI and Secret Service reveal their contempt for the attitudes, bullying, and interference radiating from the White House staff. However, when fellow agents are killed while protecting their charges, McMahon and his colleagues begin to lose sympathy for the assassins' methods and stated objectives.
Term Limits is generally well-plotted. There are sufficient twists and doubts established to keep one reading to the end. Also, the notion of a best-selling writer successfully advocating the murder of politicians has a certain visceral appeal. Most of us believe (rightfully so) that those in power are so well-entrenched in their bastions that the vast majority of them are immune to any efforts to unseat them through the electoral process. (Witness the 90+% reelection rate for incumbents.) Taking direct action against those who enslave us -- and having it actually achieve positive ends -- echoes the kind of attraction found in movies such as "Dirty Harry," "Death Wish," and "The Terminator." Ultimately, such pinpoint precision in terms of cause-and-effect is more fantasy than reality, but vicariously experiencing a sense of efficacy is a virtue in any work of fiction.
A politician who exhibits both integrity and honor reinforces this idea. Again, one would be hard-pressed to find such a mythical creature in our day-to-day existence. Michael O'Rourke, however, is a man who not only holds himself and others to the highest of standards but who is also willing -- and able -- to go nose-to-nose against those spouting the political-eze polluting the air. (His unapologetic confrontations with various White House minions are deliciously satisfying. Think schoolyard bully getting his comeuppance.)
Two minor stylistic quibbles: Flynn sometimes has oddly placed point-of-view shifts that disrupt the flow of the narrative. Also, many of his characters seem enamored of the word "ahold" rather than simply saying "hold," as in, "get hold of him on the phone." Perhaps in his subsequent novels, he has corrected these small flaws.
While not a great novel, Term Limits is definitely a refreshing change of pace and well worth reading. A book that tackles totally un-PC themes in an engaging manner with admirable characters is a far cry from your typical best-seller. Flynn's second novel, Transfer of Power -- dealing with a terrorist attack on the White House -- is also available in paperback. His newest book, The Third Option -- examining the assassination of a foreign leader -- continues Flynn's use of characters introduced in his earlier stories. Perhaps he will take up the mantle previously worn by Allen Drury whose novels -- such as Advise and Consent -- created an alternate universe following the exploits of related players.
At a minimum, we can hope that Term Limits and its sequels will help widen the market for more novels friendly to freedom, integrity, and an adherence to principle.
