Presimetrics: What the Facts Tell Us about How the Presidents Measure Up on the Issues We Care about

by Mike Kimel and Michael E Kanell

The authors cut through party bias to present the quantifiable facts about how modern presidents have performed on critical national issues Politicians and the media spend a lot of time telling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579128351
• ISBN13: 9781579128357
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

The numbers speak for themselves with startling results

Mike Kimel and Michael E. Kanell present the most surprising and interesting political book of the year by parsing the numbers and letting the chips fall where they may. It's quite astounding how many long-standing beliefs and cherished political myths are challenged and often upended when the data is measured and analyzed objectively. The mathematics is sound and the charts often speak for themselves. As a political/historical enthusiast and statistical wonk, I'm very glad I came across this book.

Finally, a data driven analysis independent of political bias

Anyone who wants to rely solely on their OWN internal belief system is NOT going to like this book. Drawing from a vast array of sources, the authors explain how presidents fared on a multitude of topics. They try to let the data tell the story. It's as simple as looking at the pictures, which are plentiful in this beautifully illustrated, multicolor work, which almost looks like a cook book! While numbers can be manipulated, you should get the impression that the statistics chosen were made deliberately simple, so hopefully underlying bias is reduced. The authors are not typical talking head ideologues: one is an economist at a Fortune 500 firm with no previous experience in the political realm, the other is a veteran journalist. You can look at the pictures and come to your own conclusions about how most post WW II presidents stacked up and by extension, their parties' policies. The authors back up their analysis through pictures with a lively and amusing text, which spans 50 years of history in trying to explain what the analyses show. While the work is occasionally a bit too sophisticated for a lay audience, the authors explain as they go, providing a great education on how things work. A warning: Republicans often do worse when compared against Democrats, but it's not as easy as that. On many topics the presidential results are mixed, and the reader is encouraged to question the data and the results. After having read this book, you will come away more educated and challenged, regardless of your belief system.