Presimetrics: What the Facts Tell Us About How the Presidents Measure Up On the Issues We Care About
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.97 (600 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1579128351 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 304 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-09-08 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
In Presimetrics, Kimel and Kanell take a fresh look at modern politics by gathering data from numerous government sources in order to compare and rank presidential performance on critical issues, from employment and health care to taxes and family values. The authors cut through party bias to present the quantifiable facts about how modern presidents have performed on critical national issuesPoliticians and the media spend a lot of time telling Americans how the presidents and their administrations are performing, but this analysis always skews along party lines. The results frequently defy expectations: ? Reagan, godfather of neoconservatives, increased the federal workforce more than any president since LBJ ? Clinton, a hero to Democrats, cut funding for the NEA by a larger percentage than any other president ? Nixon/Ford outperformed all administrations on Democratic issues like Federal spending on social programs The lively text clearly explains how various policies of each administration affect the data, and fascinating information graphics lend even greater depth to the discussion, showing at a glance how multiple administrations stack up.
Michael E. Kanell is an economics writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has appeared on television and radio, including CNBC, NPR, and various local stations across the country. He has a bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University and a law degree from Boston University, where he was also adjunct
L. Fischman said 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 typic. Dr. Proboscis said Great insight into the true facts. As much as politicians throw "facts" around, this book dispels the skewed "truths" that are used for the discussions and arguments for political issues. How has "trickle down" really helped--NOT--the US economy? Democrats increase big government? Not as much as the Republicans have (check out Reagan and "W" Bush). Who is best for the majority of Americans, the middle class? This should be used in classrooms from high school to college and beyond.. "The numbers speak for themselves with startling results" according to R. Riis. 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.
Kanell is an economics writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has appeared on television and radio, including CNBC, NPR, and various local stations across the country. He has a bachelor's degree in history from Princeton University and a law degree from Boston University, where he was also adjunct professor of the College of Communications. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.. About the AuthorMichael E