Worst. President. Ever.

James Buchanan, the POTUS Rating Game, and the Legacy of the Least of the Lesser Presidents

By: Robert Strauss

Narrated by: Tom Perkins

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Worst. President. Ever. flips the great presidential biography on its head, offering an enlightening - and highly entertaining - account of poor James Buchanan's presidency to prove once and for all that, well, few leaders could have done worse.

But author Robert Strauss does much more, leading listeners out of Buchanan's terrible term in office - meddling in the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, exacerbating the Panic of 1857, helping foment the John Brown uprisings and "Bloody Kansas", virtually inviting a half-dozen states to secede from the Union as a lame duck, and on and on - to explore with insight and humor his own obsession with presidents, and ultimately the entire notion of ranking our presidents. He guides us through the POTUS rating game of historians and others who have made their own Mount Rushmores - or Marianas Trenches - of presidential achievement, showing why Buchanan easily loses to any of the others, but also offering insights into presidential history buffs like himself, the forgotten "lesser" presidential sites, sex and the presidency, the presidency itself, and how and why it can often take the best measures out of even the most dedicated men.

©2016 Robert Strauss (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Strauss maintains a light tone, but doesn't sacrifice substance in offering solid historic detail and insights into American politics as the country careened toward civil war." ( Publishers Weekly)

Best Bio On the Worst President Ever

This was well done and I enjoyed the humor of the author. The narrator did a great job bringing it to life.

We have survived bad Presidents before

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. This book is full of interesting history that most people never learn.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I assume the author started this project long before the election of Donald Trump, but the title suggests the publisher, at least, recognized the commercial opportunity afforded by our controversial new Commander in Chief. Still, we don't need the constant drumbeat of "Worst. President. Ever." Also, perhaps it was a necessary writing device to underrate James K. Polk, who is less familiar to the average reader than the author's preferred bookends -- Jackson and Lincoln. But that is a significant weakness in the narrative because Polk was very successful in achieving his aims as President, and he recognized Buchanan as a shallow, climbing placeholder.

What about Tom Perkins’s performance did you like?

His delivery was listenable and did not interfere with enjoying the book. Too often, Audible's readers over-dramatize or "over-gravitize" (an invented term, perhaps, but there are Audible readers so proud of their voices that they forget the reason we're listening is NOT them.)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the author's discussion of the Presidential rating game, that marketing trick used by historians to win public recognition of their craft. But his analysis is a little too binary -- some good, others bad. Most have been a well-intentioned mix of success and failure.

weak on details

Overall it was okay, but I would have liked to have heard more history and less personal observations and stories.
#President #History #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Begging to be updated for 45

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, if only to provide further documentation that there was, and was only ever one, cause of the Civil War... slavery. The book does a decent job in detailing Buchanan's significant role in exacerbating the conflict.

If you’ve listened to books by Robert Strauss before, how does this one compare?

This is the only book by Robert Strauss I've seen or read. He has a deliberate style, punctuated by some unnecessarily florid prose.... "the time had almost come for the fat lady's quavering warble."

Have you listened to any of Tom Perkins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Good performance, but it's first time I've had to listen at 1.5x. Not for the content, but 1x seemed painfully slow.

Could you see Worst. President. Ever. being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Not unless it was a sitcom of a satirical nature.

Any additional comments?

It seems like the author would prefer Buchanan to be remembered as the worst President ever, rather than gay, not that those would be mutually exclusive.

Well done account of an obscure legacy

Really well done and entertaining! Hard to get through some of the other texts on the presidents of obscurity. This one was a breeze.

An incompetent president competently explained

The biography dealt with Buchanan's pre-presidential lifr quite well, and treated his sexual issues with fine balance. I would have liked still more about his presidency and it's background. but this is the best presentation I have read. I liked this very much.

Obscure presidents can be interesting

I loved the narration because the story flowed very smoothly. I found it ironic that some of the things that made him (perhaps) the worst president ever were mistakes repeated by trump. The fact that his cabinet was corrupt has been repeated in the current administration.

One of the most entertaining biographies I’ve read.

This biography truly surprised me on how well it’s written. I’ve been going through all the presidents biographies in a row, yet I found this book to be possibly my favorite so far. The writer put a lot of heart into this book, with personal stories that where very relevant to Buchanan. Definitely recommend reading. I will be purchasing this book.

A Most Interesting Story

This is not just a hit piece on James Buchanan, it is far more. This is a biography combined with shrewd analysis and comparisons of many presidents, and a wealth of fascinating vignettes of 19th century America.
The tone of the book is that of a teacher who reluctantly, but necessarily has to fail a student at the end of a school year: 'He's a good kid, but he just kept screwing up until there was no saving his grade.'
The insights into what makes a president successful make this book one which read and studied.
I learned much and was challenged in my own life about leadership, and decision-making, and judging others.
Highly recommended!

Very engaging and informative

I picked this book wondering whether there was anything good to say about the 15th president. Strauss has written an entertaining book that explains Buchannan without apologizing for him. His personal asides enhanced the story.