Author Rich Rubino has finally found a place for his bottomless well of all things political, within the 500 pages of his latest book, “The Great American Political Trivia Challenge.”
You might think you know politics, but the subtitle says it all: “Political Trivia on Steroids: Are You up for the Challenge?” With questions and answers that include everyone, from Jesse Helms to Dolly Parton and Marblehead’s own Elbridge Gerry and Seth Moulton to everything from presidential elections and Senate campaigns, to political terms and political bloopers, the book truly covers it all.
“A lot of this is a spin-off or a segue from my previous books,” Rubino said.
Politically obsesses since he was 9 years old and discovered C-Span, Rubino is the author of four other political books. Three of the books focused on facts, quotes, and stories, including the ridiculous side of politics.
The fourth book was about the Electoral College, which he describes as “not exactly a page-turner.” A lot of the information that made it into the trivia books is an amalgamation of the previous books put into question form.
The trick, Rubino said, was making the questions user-friendly.
“You don’t want them to be so bizarre or insider baseball that nobody can get it,” he said. “And I try to think of the humorous aspect too.”
But some do tickle the edges of bizarre such as one of Rubino’s favorite questions:
Q. Which president is a national hero in Paraguay?
A. Rutherford B. Hayes, for his role in arbitrating a land dispute between Paraguay and Argentina.
According to Rubino, Hayes has his own postage stamp and a soccer team named for him in Paraguay, while here, his birthplace in Ohio is acknowledged with a plaque in front of what is now a BP Gas Station.
And some questions brush up against the insider baseball notion as well such as this pip:
Q. Which Republican presidential nominee lost his home state by the widest margin ever recorded?
A. John C. Fremont. He lost California to Democrat James Buchanan by 29.6%
And some really are just funny, such as:
Q. Which First Lady enjoyed conversations with Americans via her CB radio, using the handle “First Mama?”
A. Betty Ford
Or (one of our favorites)
Q. A Maine constituent asked her U.S. Senator: “What would you do if you woke up one morning and found yourself in the White House? She deadpanned: “I would go to the President’s wife and apologize and leave at once.” Who said this?
A. Margaret Chase Smith.
“It’s not just a contest,” he said. “I wanted it to be educational too.”
Bi-partisan fun
Rubino is hoping the book will be unifying.
“People see politics as so divisive, but this is something to unify and bring people together to talk about politics in a humorous way,” he said.
Rubino said it might also prove to be a memory jogger for some, which could cause families to reflect in other ways.
Dedicated
Deftly showing off his own idiosyncratic sense of humor, Rubino dedicated his book to C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network created in 1979 that televises all sorts of U.S. government proceedings. Truly a fan since middle school, he thanks C-SPAN, noting “I could not have written this book without you.”
He joked that while the actual writing of the book took about two and half years, he’s indirectly been writing it since that winter day when school was canceled and he stumbled upon the cable network news station.
“I did send a copy to (C-SPAN Chairman) Brian Lamb,” Rubino said.
And he has a friend in DC who promised to deliver a copy to the station in person, he added.
Everyone else interested in getting a copy can do so on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Rich+Rubino&ref=nb_sb_noss_2.
“This book is unprecedented,” said Rubino, who was encouraged to write it after failing to find anything like it. “It’s a political education and it’s humourous.”
