"In We Should Have Seen It Coming, veteran journalist Gerald F. Seib shows how this conservative movement came to dominate national politics, then began to evolve into the populist movement that Donald Trump rode to power. Conservative institutions including the Heritage Foundation, the National Rifle Association, Americans for Tax Reform, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News gave the conservative movement a support system, paving the way for Newt Gingrich's Contract with America and George W. Bush's compassionate conservatism. But we also see multiple warning signs, many overlooked or misread, that a populist revolution was brewing. Pat Buchanan, Ross Perot, Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party--all were precursors of the Trump takeover."
The nuanced view of conservative and populist movements that have occurred during the last forty years in the Republican Party is addressed with clarity and conviction.
Many felt Reagan's return brought not only the Republican back to power but also back to a new demand of popular conservatism.
This was a fascinating and comprehensive view of the decision making process, the characters involved, and the ideals formulated on paper for years to come.
Keeping in mind DT may have won the election but not the popular vote and for me that speaks volumes!
Thank you to Gerald, the pub, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review

We Should’ve Seen it Coming by Gerald Seib is a forty year history/memoir charting roughly the last forty years of Republican politics from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump. While it has been easy for a lot of authors to draw the line from Reagan to Trump, Seib presents a much more nuanced view of the conservative and populist movements that have risen within the Republican Party over the last forty years. 

While the Reagan revolution brought Republicans back to the White House it has often brought a curse of sorts upon the party as moderate conservatives often had to deal with the demands of a more populist conservatism. This process began in 1992 when Pat Buchanan challenged George H. W. Bush, and has impacted every Republican presidential campaign and presidency since leading to Donald Trump riding a populist wave to the presidency while paying lip service to conservatism where it suits him.

Seib has writing a very lively engaging history that includes such seminal moments and colorful characters as Pat Buchanan, Ross Perot, the Rise of Rush Limbaugh and Talk Radio, Newt Gingrich and The Contract with America, FOX News, the Rise of Donald Trump and everything in between. 

We Should’ve Seen it Coming gave me an appreciation for the nuances that have developed within the Republican Party over the last forty years and should be read by anyone wanting to understand how we got to the United States in 2020.