# Alternative historical novels postulating dictatorship in the USA **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-historical-novels-postulating-dictatorship-in-the-usa/267571 "2004-10-04T23:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-historical-novels-postulating-dictatorship-in-the-usa/267571/41 "2004-10-11T11:51:58Z")
Um, in response to the OP: Is the Republican Platform 49 pages long? In some quarters, that’s the definition of a book. If it is, and since it’s apocolyptic fiction, I’d say it qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-historical-novels-postulating-dictatorship-in-the-usa/267571/42 "2004-10-11T20:36:12Z")
Well, it seems silly for me to scold **lissener** at this point, but … this is the second time I’ve had to yell at **lissener** for making gratuitous (and somewhat obnoxious) political insults in Cafe Society. Yes, I know, there’s a fine line between politics and art sometimes. And certainly works like Orwell’s 1984 inspire discussions that can get in grey areas. But this is clearly a thread about something very specific, and about art/literature not about politics, and **lissener** ’s remark is completely inappropriate. Since more dire action has been taken in the meantime, I’m pretty close to literally beating a dead horse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-historical-novels-postulating-dictatorship-in-the-usa/267571.md?page=2)