The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't): Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game

by Alvin S. Felzenberg

Book Overview

It's a perennial pastime to compare U.S. presidents, but our current ranking systems are riddled with flaws. In The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't) , Alvin Stephen Felzenberg offers logical... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465002919
• ISBN13: 9780465002917
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
• Length: 442 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

This is an excellent analysis of Presidential behavior

The author identified historical circumstance and then reviewed the behavior of our Presidents. The author established an insightful ranking system based on CHARACTER, VISION, COMPETENCE, ECONOMIC POLICY, EXTENDING LIBERTY, AND NATIONAL SECURITY. It is fascinating to read how and why he ranked the effectiveness of each of our Presidents in these categories. In fact, some of our Presidents who were perceived as average were rated much higher according to this system. VERY INTERESTING READING!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!

Move Over, Arthur Schlesinger!

As Obama and McCain now move to rewrite Presidential history, it is a very good time to receive Al Felzenberg's very good new book that also does. The Leaders We Deserve sets a new and better standard for Presidential ranking surveys. Move over, Arthur Schlesinger! As a kid in 1962 I remember first seeing Schlesinger's Presidential ranking in the New York Times magazine. It surveyed 75 historians. It was and for some still is the summary snapshot judgment about Presidential governance. It shaped my presidential ranking perception for most of my life. Of course Lincoln was first and Washington second, as in any survey well they should be. FDR, hero of our fathers' generation, was unquestioningly ranked 3rd. "Progressive" Wilson was 4th, "philosophe" Jefferson 5th, and "democratic populist" Jackson 6th. By contrast, "stodgy" Eisenhower was down at 22nd. And "drunkard" Grant was a "failure". The Schlesinger ranking was a historical pronouncement presumed wise and well for a generation of American history students. When later in life I was unshackled from liberal shibboleths and began to think for myself, I questioned on what basis and by what criteria was Schlesinger's survey made. To my knowledge Schlesinger offered his 75 colleagues no standard or criteria for their choices. How could Hoover, who made such a bust of the calamitous Depression, be rendered a historical gentleman's C in his rank of 19th? How could Grant, the determined yet magnanimous commander in the Civil War and presidential guardian of African Americans rights during the difficult days of Reconstruction, be ranked last, while the traitorous Doeface Buchanan could muddle through at 29th? Felzenberg offers a objective approach, based on metrics established in six categories: character, vision, competence, economic policy, preserving and extending liberty, and defense, national security and foreign policy. Within each category the presidents receive scores of 1 (low) to 5 (high). Scores of all six categories are added and averaged. In each category Felzenberg ably compares and contrasts various presidents, allowing him to manifest his copious knowledge and comfortable writing style. In history, as in politics, objective measurement leads to unexpected (inconvenient?) conclusions. Despite his eloquent writings, a temporizing and dissembling Jefferson drops to 14th for his more than mediocre vision and competence as president. Wilson, the priggish absolutist whose rigidity torpedoed the possibility of the League of Nations, and whose righteous but racist personal views tried to keep blacks and women in their place, is downgraded to 14th. The forthright but obscure Coolidge finally receives a fairer assessment, rising from 27th to 12th. Grant finally ascends from presidential ranking hell to take a place he more deserves at 7th. Eisenhower, wiser now than then we knew, rises to 5th. And the criminally racist Jackson, cruel perpetrator of the Trail of Tears upon Native Americans, t

Fresh, unconvential take on presidential ratings

Reviews criticizing this book for its supposed conservative bias are off target. (For example, Lyndon Johnson, generally a conservative bete-noire, comes in for great praise for his role in civil rights.) Anyone who's read the book will know that its most original contribution is assigning credit and blame, where appropriate, to lesser-known presidents whose actions had an important impact on economic history, civil rights, etc. For example, the discussions of the civil rights accomplishments of oft-neglected presidents like Grant and Coolidge, or of the various failings of an oft-praised president like Madison, add much new to our generally facile understanding of these presidents. Of course, many readers may disagree with the author's characterizations of Reagan, which are probably the most controversial element of the book, but the sections on Reagan are neither hagiography nor polemic; they present facts in a measured fashion, and readers are free to interpret them differently than the author does. That does not detract from the overall value of this excellent and thorougly-researched book for readers of all political stripes. Finally, readers interested in US economic history will find this book a fascinating review of economic policy, especially the monetary system, from the early republic through the modern era of the Federal Reserve system. This book is highly recommended for readers of all political backgrounds. Though they may disagree with a few of the conclusions, the author's scholarship is undeniable, and Democratic-leaning readers interested in civil rights will find the book's discussion of those issues especially interesting.

To be read as an appetizer.

Comparing presidents from over two centuries may seem to require a ton of homework at best, if it's not an impossible task altogether. But this book succeeds because: 1) The US Constitution hasn't changed much, nor the American's desire for liberty and the pursuit of happiness; 2) Felzenberg has done his homework, is insightful and is a master of concision; 3) As primary reasons for success/failure of aspects of a presidency become apparent, the book's conclusion provides a natural, clear and coherent how-to-look-for-a-good-president guide. And heaven knows, all this matters. Like all the best history, this excellent book leaves me wanting to read more.

New Analysis Yields Brilliant Insight

Dr. Felzenberg creates a new and useful methodology for rating U.S. Presidents. Instead of one single grade as in previous surveys, he rates presidents on six criteria. The first three are internal characteristics that each president carries into the Oval Office: character, competence, and vision. The second three reflect presidential accomplishments: economics, protection of liberty and human rights, and defense and international affairs. Felzenberg uses his methodology masterfully to provide his readers with concise, intriguing, and often amusing portraits of all Presidents (except William H. Harrison, James A. Garfield, and George W. Bush). Felzenberg weaves recent economic and historical research into his vignettes to provide readers with new and sometimes surprising insights into many Presidents. For example, Felzenberg demonstrates that Ulysses S. Grant deserves a far higher rating, especially for his protection of the rights of the freedmen, than most historians have granted him. At the same time, Felzenberg convincingly proves that although Andrew Jackson was an extremely competent in achieving his policy objectives, his economic policies and his disregard for human rights were very damaging to the United States. Felzenberg brilliantly peers into the complex personalities of Lincoln, Wilson, both Roosevelts, Nixon, and Reagan. Unlike many other historians, Felzenberg's analyses of the economic policies and results of the Presidents are well grounded in sound economic reasoning and indisputable facts. This is a hard book to put down. Every reader will learn a great deal about the men who have served in the White House. Some readers may disagree with some of Felzenberg's grades for certain Presidents in one of the six criteria or another. However, all of Felzenberg's judgments are objective and based on thorough research. In summary, this thought-provoking book is a must buy and read.