Book excerpt: Pizza kings, mama bears, fake PAC ads, and obscene tweets: Today's politics seem to have grown crazier--and more contentious--than ever. But is it really any weirder now than it ever was? In a world filled with corruption, lies, and illicit affairs, where the news regularly serves up politicians' gaffes, crimes, and screwups, it's hard to imagine things were ever stranger. Well, guess what? America has a long history of bizarre politics... and it's all here! We invite you into the political loony bin, where you'll encounter dozens of really unlikely candidates, follow campaign trail madness, meet far too many contenders with foot-in-mouth disease, and learn about a host of false promises and lies meant to lure (presumably gullible) voters.