Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: 1.The Campaign Begins -- 2.The Abominable Showman -- 3.The Horror! The Horror! -- 4.A Huck So Unlike Finn -- 5.Always Look on the Bright Side of Life -- 6.So Much for That -- 7.The Last Damn Republican Presidential Candidate Debate I'll Ever Watch -- 8.Say It Ain't So, Joe -- 9.A Better Way to Choose a President, Part I -- 10.The Walking Dead -- 11.Time to Pull the Plug on Ben Carson's Campaign -- 12.In Memoriam -- 13.Our Higgledy-Piggledy Primary System and How It Higgles Our Pigs -- 14.A Halfhearted Case for Marco Rubio -- 15.The Case Against Marco Rubio -- 16.Cruz Control -- 17.Fashion Notes -- 18.What They Stand for, and Can We Stand It? Part I -- 19.What They Stand for, and Can We Stand It? Part II -- 20.Paying for What We Can't Stand -- 21.Another Attempt at Paying for What We Can't Stand -- 22.What They Stand for, and Can We Stand It? Part III -- 23.Letter to Myself in 1968 -- 24.A Better Way to Choose a President, Part II --

Contents note continued: 25.The Last Damn National Political Convention I'll Ever Watch -- 26.The Democratic National Political Convention -- 27.I Endorse Hillary -- 28.The Nowhere Leadership Is Headed To -- 29.The Campaign Trail of Sneers -- 30.The Revolt Against the Elites.

"No comedian could have written the joke this election cycle has been. The punch line is too ridiculous (whoever the punch line is going to be). Or, as celebrated political satirist, journalist, and diehard Republican P. J. O'Rourke put it in his endorsement of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton: "America is experiencing the most severe outbreak of mass psychosis since the Salem witch trials of 1692." In his latest book, P.J. brings his critical eye and inimitable voice to some serious risky business. How the Hell Did This Happen? begins with him diving into the pig pile of presidential candidates circa June 2015 including Jim ("who?") Webb, Scott Walker ("America's chance to have a President who gets carded every time he orders a beer"), Ted Cruz ("crazy like a fox-no, like a Fox News broadcast), Bernie Sanders ("Trump for people still living in their parents' basements"), and Donald Trump himself ("Landlord of the Flies"). P.J. eviscerates each frontrunner as he or she emerges from under the rock where they've all been living. He covers the dreadful key primaries and candidate debates, takes us through his come-to-Satan moment with Hillary, and leads the way into the Beginning of End Times in November"--

"No comedian could have written the joke this election cycle has been. The punch line is too ridiculous (whoever the punch line is going to be). Or, as celebrated political satirist, journalist, and diehard Republican P. J. O'Rourke put it in his endorsement of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton: "America is experiencing the most severe outbreak of mass psychosis since the Salem witch trials of 1692." In his latest book, P.J. brings his critical eye and inimitable voice to some serious risky business. How the Hell Did This Happen? begins with him diving into the pig pile of presidential candidates circa June 2015 including Jim ("who?") Webb, Scott Walker ("America's chance to have a President who gets carded every time he orders a beer"), Ted Cruz ("crazy like a fox--no, like a Fox News broadcast), Bernie Sanders ("Trump for people still living in their parents' basements"), and Donald Trump himself ("Landlord of the Flies"). P.J. eviscerates each frontrunner as he or she emerges from under the rock where they've all been living. He covers the dreadful key primaries and candidate debates, takes us through his come-to-Satan moment with Hillary, and leads the way into the Beginning of End Times in November"--