The United States has lost its war on poverty. Many a scholar has sought to understand why, given the tremendous resources that the nation has at its disposal. Indeed, as McAndrews tells us, poverty has declined far more slowly since President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that “we shall not rest until this [war on poverty] is won” than it did in the years before. At the beginning of his exploration of American poverty, McAndrews acknowledges the books, from rhetorical to sociological studies, that offer valuable analyses of how federal policy has contributed to poverty’s persistence. What distinguishes his text is a president-by-president exploration of the role of the executive office in antipoverty policy, from Lyndon Baines Johnson to Barack Obama.
McAndrews defines antipoverty policy broadly, accounting for presidential approaches to welfare, hunger, “urban development,” homelessness, health care, and more. Each element receives individual attention, but the analysis makes careful links...