TV writer Stevens gets tough in political novel

He paints a none-too-flattering picture of GOP

LOS ANGELES, July 20, (RTRS): Four years ago he was at the center of the presidential circus, as the some-time chief strategist behind Mitt Romney’s run for the White House. Today, he’s hundreds of miles away from Cleveland and the Republication National Convention, living and biding his time at his home in Vermont. But Stuart Stevens is still scripting an outrageous outcome: A convention dominated by a right-wing populist, who gains momentum after a string of bombings overshadows the convention.

That’s just the fictional part, cooked up by Stevens in his seventh book and second novel, “The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear.” Released just days before the GOP gathering in Cleveland, it paints a none-too-flattering picture of a party beset by infighting and intrigue. But the long-time political consultant and sometime television writer (“Commander in Chief,” “Northern Exposure” and “I’ll Fly Away”) has just as caustic observations of the real-life GOP, views he expects to be sharing this week on outlets including MSNBC and Fox News.

Unqualified

“Donald Trump is uniquely unqualified to be president,” says Stevens. It’s a view he has shared regularly on Twitter. And he hopes Republicans will soon be disabused of the notion that Trump will make a sudden turn toward more “presidential” bearing. “If you have a friend who is about to marry a guy who is 70 years old and he promises he will change, what would your advice be?” Stuart muses. “No one changes at 70.”

Stevens said in an interview that he finished “The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear” a year ago, and that, while not modeled on the candidacy of Donald Trump, or any other candidate, it’s hardly

Sword Ardah (Folkloric Arabian dance). (KUNA — Ghazy Gafaf)