Why does this exist and who is responsible?

My name is Josh Fruhlinger, and I run a well-trafficked blog about newspaper comic strips that has, against all odds, made me mildly Pretend Internet Famous. (I also have a Tumblr and a Twitter; you can find out more about me here.) Among the things I love about my comics blog is that the people who post comments are generally funny, civil, and nice to each other, which distinguishes my blog from virtually every other site that exists on the Internet. However, in the days leading up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election, this civility broke down as a number of nasty political fights broke out.  In attempt to stave off further unpleasantness, I demanded that my readers funnel their political passions into Taft/Roosevelt slash fiction, because it was the only thing I could think of off the top of my head.  (Here’s a quick introduction to the concept of slash fiction, if you need it; James Chace’s excellent book 1912 gives insight into why the Taft/Roosevelt relationship was so politically and personally fraught.)

This worked better than I could have ever imagined, both in terms of stopping arguments and in producing legitimate masterpieces of Taft/Roosevelt erotica.  I was really struck by how hilarious and occasionally poignant they were (this one’s my favorite).  And so I always had in mind that, come 2012, I would return to the idea.  This site is that return.  You may find it depraved or insulting to great American statesmen; I consider it the only rational response to American political absurdity.  It’s also a site driven by reader submissions, so if you are moved to creat presidential slash of your own, please submit!