I started reading Keys to the White House the weekend after the 2016 Drumpf/Clinton election. I have a public policy degree, and I felt so worn down by the politics. Some might call it self punishment, but I wanted to understand what happened. I found Lichtman's analysis restorative, and his history concise. His emphasis is squarely on evaluating how the party in power performed during each four year presidency. His core argument is that nothing that happens during a general election matters, or changes the outcome. What determines the outcome is the incumbent President's ability to achieve a majority of successful outcomes along 13 dimensions of performance - what Lichtman calls the "keys to the White House." And this is because American voters are fundamentally pragmatic and focused on results. At the heart of his thesis is the view that we can't trick voters. That people are fundamentally smart enough to see through the campaigns and reach their own conclusions. That is a viewpoint I share, even when the election results surprise me.

I will admit, however, that it took me reading his analysis of every presidential election since 1860 to accept his recommendations at the end of the book. It's hard to swallow the premise that the campaigns don't determine the outcome of the election, especially after we've just lived through an especially long and grueling campaign season. His recommendations, however, emphasize how a sitting President should focus on achieving results if they are interested in re-election. And really, isn't that what we want our Presidents to be focused on? Results?