Presimetrics: What the Facts Tell Us About How the Presidents Measure Up On the Issues We Care About [Hardcover]

Mike Kimel (Author), Michael E. Kanell (Author), Nigel Holmes (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2010

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 Americans how the presidents and their administrations are performing, but this analysis always skews along party lines. 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 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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mike Kimel is an economic consultant who has built sophisticated statistical tools used by the military, NASA, and other government agencies.  He also taught economics and advanced statistics at Pepperdine University, ran the internal consulting group for a Fortune 500 telecom company, and worked for a Big 4 accounting firm.  He holds a Ph.D in economics from UCLA.  He lives in Akron, Ohio, where he works at a diversified regional energy company.  He is a contributing blogger on angrybear.com, one of the top economic blogs in the country.


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 professor of the College of Communications.  He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Nigel Holmes is an award-winning information graphics specialist.  His work has appeared in countless publications, including Time (where he worked as graphics director), Adweek, GQ, Details, Discover, Money, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, and more.  He lives in Westport, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (August 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579128351
• ISBN-13: 978-1579128357
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #811,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a data driven analysis independent of political bias August 31, 2010

By L. Fischman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The numbers speak for themselves with startling results September 10, 2010

By R. Riis VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight into the true facts July 26, 2011

By Dr. Proboscis

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Are you tired of listening to someone tell you how to think? January 2, 2012

By M. Sojka

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Then read this book and start thinking for yourself. The book is laid out well and has some surprises for both Pubs and Dems. There are much more in-depth reviews on here and this is just a short one to say that as someone fiscally very conservative with liberal to libertarian social views I thought this book was as unbiased as possible.

This book would be good for anyone to read. If you have the intelligence level to read from beginning to end then no matter your particular political leanings you will learn something.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only read one book - This should be it. November 30, 2010

By Grasss Valley

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you can't scream louder than the other guy, you might have to have an few actual facts in hand. This book tells you the facts. You probably won't like most of them. But if you don't read, analyze and pay attention to this book you will lose the respect of anyone who HAS read these facts. Get it, Read it, ACT on your new information.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, an analysis devoid of politics November 17, 2010

By M. Bailey

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The publisher's description is what led me to read this book: "Politicians 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. 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 results frequently defy expectations." I'm delighted to say the book fulfills its billing.

Published in 2010, the analysis covers the administrations of Eisenhower to George W. Bush, with brief inclusions of earlier presidents where there is sufficient data. It takes into account all sorts of possible arguments about what the results show and recalculates the results to take those points into account. For instance, tables might show what occurred during a President's tenure, and then what occurred during it without counting the first year. And yes, the results do defy expectations and party propaganda. It appears things aren't quite as bad when the other guys are in control as might be advertised (and not quite as good when one's own party is in power).

Topics include: Real GDP (gross domestic product) per Capita; Fiscal Responsibility; Debt (What the Real GDP Leave Out); Employment; Income and Wealth; Republican Issues; Taxes; Democratic Issues; Health Care; Crime; The Public Mood; Family Values; Investing in the Future (infrastructure). A conclusion brings it all together and gives an overall ranking of the presidents of the last 60 years based on how they scored in each of the topics mentioned above....

Congress is briefly examined, with the interesting result that the economy usually does OK if one party holds both houses, but with mixed control of the House and Senate, not so much.

There is also an eye-opening appendix on the budget of the Executive Office of the President, which includes all those "supplemental appropriations". From 1962-2000, the annualized spending by the EOP as a % of total federal spending ranged from -4% (Reagan) to +4% (Bush Sr. and Nixon/Ford), with the Democrats ranging in between. Under GW it was 31%.

The authors work in economics and statistics. There is also an associated blog: [...]

Humor, readable explanations, and numerous charts make this accessible and enjoyable to the general reader. For those wishing to judge the sources for themselves, there is a long section of annotated footnotes, and there is a detailed index. Read more ›