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Bulls Bears and the Ballot Box is a non-fiction book by Bob Deitrick and Lew Goldfarb released on July 1, 2012. The book presents a study of American presidents from 1929-2009 (Herbert Hoover through George W. Bush). Bulls ranks the presidents and their respective political party according to their score on the book’s ranking system. The Presidential Rankings of Economic Stewardship (PRES Rules) are a series of customized rankings which were predetermined to chart the influence of a given president on the American economy. Former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee David Wilhelm said of the book, “[Bulls Bears and the Ballot Box] contains more common sense per page than just about any other book of this sort I know of.”

The PRES Rules
1. Advance the common good and not solely the interests of the advantaged few. Questions explored: Did the president promote policies that spread the wealth among all economic classes or was he beholden to special interests? Did he advocate policies that advance the interests of the bottom 99% and not solely the top 1%?

2. The middle class is the engine that drives the economy. Questions explored: Did the president promote monetary, fiscal, tax, trade and other policies that recognize the importance of the middle class to the strength of the nation’s economy?

3. The federal government plays a vital role in creating and maintaining a healthy economy. Questions explored: Did the president follow Eccles’ basic economic philosophies: Deficit-spending during recessionary times; balance the budget during times of business prosperity; avoid excessive inflation at all costs; leverage government spending; implement reasonable (not excessive) regulation of the economy and business; and provide basic necessities for the least fortunate?

4. 'Take bold action after careful and innovative thought. Questions explored: Did the president appoint and consult with experts? Did he adjust his approach/decisions based on changing circumstances? Was he a student of history? Did his decisions have factual support? Did he study and evaluate all available options and relevant data? Did he make mid-course corrections as they were needed?

5. Lead as a statesman, not a partisan. Questions explored: Were the president’s actions consistent with what he said? Did he demonstrate leadership in critical times? Did he lead or follow? Was he a conciliator (look for win-win solutions) or adversarial in his approach to getting the task done (win at all costs)? Did he show respect for all, even those who disagreed with him? Did he set the agenda, lead, and was he able to work with Congress? Did he do the right thing on behalf of the American people, not the popular or partisan thing? Did he demonstrate honesty and integrity?

Findings
The study determined that over the course of the past 80 years (40 years of Republican administrations, and 40 years of Democratic administrations) Democratic presidents beat out their Republican counterparts on 11 of 12 economic indicators including number of months in recession and annual change in corporate profits. The authors of the book conclude with a message to voters to cast their ballots based on a candidates’ ability to steward the economy.

Reception
The International Business Times said of the book’s findings, “Bulls, Bears, and the Ballot Box was born of the very right-wing, modern Republican notion that the best choices are made by an individual motivated by personal success -- leading the authors to advocate solutions advocated by the modern Democratic Party.” Adam Hartung of Forbes praised the authors of the book stating, “their compendium of economic facts is the most illuminating document on economic performance during different administrations, and policies, than anything previously published.”