Potus Geeks Book Review: Quest for the Presidency by Bob Riel
In his 2022 work Quest for the Presidency: The Storied and Surprising History of Presidential Campaigns in America, author Bob Riel has written the book that 
potus_geeks and those enamored with Presidential History have been waiting for. In an efficient yet informative and engaging style of writing, the author looks at every Presidential election from George Washington’s acclamation in 1789 to the tumultuous contest of 2020, held during a pandemic. He does so with a discerning eye and a keen analytical mind, searching for patterns and brilliantly observing how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Riel notes a number of repeating trends and issues (such as immigration, and the size of government) that arise in elections held during different eras, and also examines the various times in US history when realignment has occurred in American politics. In a well-considered epilogue, the author summarizes the lessons learned from all of these campaigns, both the exciting and the dull ones, and applies these lessons to modern conditions, engaging in some crystal-ball gazing to predict where all of this history may lead us. As Riel presciently observes, “all we know is that change is coming.”
Each chapter is introduced with the clever device of a visit to a coffee shop, whether it is John Adams having to transition from tea to coffee because of the tax on his favorite beverage, recalling how Civil War soldiers enjoyed the beverage while the author enjoys a cup at the Café au Monde in New Orleans, or reflecting on the ubiquity of Starbucks in modern times while contemplating the rise of the internet and the changes it has brought.
It is remarkable that entire volumes have been written on each of the 59 presidential elections summarized in this book, and yet the author is able to bring the reader’s attention to the most important aspects and events of each contest, with economy and efficiency, without sacrificing their intellectual consideration. The book contains a very enjoyable and intelligent examination of both the forest and the trees of Presidential elections, while at the same time carefully analyzing trends and patterns of political thinking and of turning points in American history.
This book belongs on the shelf of everyone who consider themselves to have any level of expertise in Presidential politics or who has an interest in this aspect of history. It will open your eyes to interesting areas of history that you may not have fully appreciated before, and will nourish your love of and interest in the subject. Five well-earned stars!
potus_geeks and those enamored with Presidential History have been waiting for. In an efficient yet informative and engaging style of writing, the author looks at every Presidential election from George Washington’s acclamation in 1789 to the tumultuous contest of 2020, held during a pandemic. He does so with a discerning eye and a keen analytical mind, searching for patterns and brilliantly observing how the more things change, the more they stay the same. Riel notes a number of repeating trends and issues (such as immigration, and the size of government) that arise in elections held during different eras, and also examines the various times in US history when realignment has occurred in American politics. In a well-considered epilogue, the author summarizes the lessons learned from all of these campaigns, both the exciting and the dull ones, and applies these lessons to modern conditions, engaging in some crystal-ball gazing to predict where all of this history may lead us. As Riel presciently observes, “all we know is that change is coming.”
Each chapter is introduced with the clever device of a visit to a coffee shop, whether it is John Adams having to transition from tea to coffee because of the tax on his favorite beverage, recalling how Civil War soldiers enjoyed the beverage while the author enjoys a cup at the Café au Monde in New Orleans, or reflecting on the ubiquity of Starbucks in modern times while contemplating the rise of the internet and the changes it has brought.
It is remarkable that entire volumes have been written on each of the 59 presidential elections summarized in this book, and yet the author is able to bring the reader’s attention to the most important aspects and events of each contest, with economy and efficiency, without sacrificing their intellectual consideration. The book contains a very enjoyable and intelligent examination of both the forest and the trees of Presidential elections, while at the same time carefully analyzing trends and patterns of political thinking and of turning points in American history.
This book belongs on the shelf of everyone who consider themselves to have any level of expertise in Presidential politics or who has an interest in this aspect of history. It will open your eyes to interesting areas of history that you may not have fully appreciated before, and will nourish your love of and interest in the subject. Five well-earned stars!