Presidential Hopefuls (1788-2008)

Presidential Hopefuls (1788-2008): Who Won, Who Lost, And Why is an extraordinary book that answers any questions the reader might have with respect not only to the 43 Presidents of the United States but to those hopefuls who lost in their attempts to win a presidential election. Dr. Sher has written a chapter on each President, two for Grover Cleveland since he won two elections that were not consecutive. Each chapter includes sections dealing with all of American history's presidential elections and their results, the winner's political background that placed him a position to be a candidate in the first place, introduction and political experience of those who ran against the victorious President, and each President's legacy which reveals both the good and the bad that he experienced while in office. Chapter 44 is entitled "On The Road To 2008," and is the author's perspective on the 2008 presidential election, with introductions of all the hopefuls and their platforms as they strive to win their party's nomination for the election scheduled for November 2008. The "Conclusion" chapter, in addition to testing the hypotheses that Sher set forth in his "Introduction" introduces the reader to five respectable presidential ranking systems, and to Sher's own ranking of the greatest and weakest Presidents in American history based on his criteria for presidential greatness. The book ends with three interesting Appendices: one dealing with presidential trivia; another with nasty remarks made by former Presidents against an incumbent President; and the third, shortcomings, failures, or criticisms leveled on even those Presidents who head the list of our greatest.