The Riel World
Politics and Life.
Welcome to The Riel World. A community for people who are captivated by politics, but who also grapple with ways to make life meaningful in ways that go beyond politics.
I’m Bob Riel. I follow and write about politics because it has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. And because politics is life. Pick a topic that affects your life and it is almost surely linked to a decision made at some level of government. Schools, roads, health care, food safety, marriage, retirement. Politics is knitted into nearly every aspect of our existence.
So I write about about both the serious and not so serious sides of contemporary politics (with an unapologetic bias in favor of preserving democracy!), but I especially love to delve into the historical context behind today's issues and elections. I write about this intersection of history and politics in my History for Today pieces. Such as:
How the election of 1872 is linked to today’s abortion politics.
The connection between Donald Trump and the 1856 Know Nothings.
I also post intriguing tales about past presidential battles in an Election Chronicles series.
That said, life is also about more than following politics. Aside from the obvious importance of family and friends, life is also about reading great books or wrestling with thought-provoking ideas. Enjoying a great conversation over coffee. Being touched by a travel experience. And more. So my writing and my thoughts will also drift into these other realms. Splashes of life amidst the politics and the history.
My goal is to produce a newsletter about politics, life, and ideas that I’d be happy to find in my inbox if I weren’t the one writing it. So I hope you’ll join me on this journey.
Why subscribe?
By subscribing to The Riel World you’re able to delve into ideas about politics, history, travel, books, and life. And you’ll be able to interact with a community of like-minded readers, thinkers, and friends. So please click the button and subscribe!
If you’d like to support my work further and go beyond a free subscription, paid subscriptions are $5/month, or $50/year. I know that isn’t nothing. But I do plan to add subscriber-only benefits in the future as the site grows. You’ll also have my enduring gratitude.
Or, think of it this way. Would you buy me a coffee or a beer once a month for the chance to sit down and chat about all the stories and ideas here? Yeah, you just might.
Your support gives me the time I need to research, write, and edit the material you enjoy reading here, as well as to expand and add new features. And, honestly, writers should be paid for their work too. Unfortunately, the slow demise of mainstream journalism means that content has moved to more of a gig- or freelance-based model, so whether I like it or not I’m forced to rely on subscriptions to fund this work.
That said, I completely understand that not everyone is able to pay for subscriptions, so much of The Riel World will remain free. But if you do value the content and ideas I provide here, I hope you’ll at least consider a paid subscription.
What if I don’t want more emails in my inbox?
Totally understandable. While there are only a few posts per week and email updates are the best way to keep up with The Riel World, it’s not the only way. If you subscribe, you can opt out of emails and just read The Riel World on the Substack app or website.
Tell friends about The Riel World
Finally, whether or not you’re a paid subscriber, the other best way you can support my work and help build this community is to spread the word about The Riel World. If there’s a post you like, please forward it to friends or family members, or link to it on social media.
My book: Quest for the Presidency
If you enjoy my writing, check out my book, “Quest for the Presidency: The Storied and Surprising History of Presidential Campaigns in America,” which tells the story behind every election from 1789 through 2020.
“Every presidential campaign is a story. This book tells each of the fifty-nine stories with superb narrative skill.” — Bill Schneider, former CNN senior political analyst and professor emeritus at George Mason University
“You don’t need to be a presidential historian to get drawn into this well-crafted yarn of uniquely American stories.” - Tom Costello, Washington correspondent for NBC News
“Surveys the whole panorama of American history through the lens of its presidential campaigns.” - Tom Zoellner, author of “Island on Fire,” winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction
“Bob Riel has written the book that those enamored with presidential history have been waiting for.” — Potus Geeks
“Riel is a skilled political historian. He surveys the entire history of American presidential elections to find the big ideas that have traveled down through the generations.” — Real Clear Politics
Find me elsewhere online
