10-23-2018, 05:33 AM
(10-22-2018, 11:53 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: He is ruthless, arrogant, and selfish -- the Dark Side of Idealist generations as Howe and Strauss see it. He may be decisive, but he is decisively wrong. His vision is undeniably reactionary. His culture is populist schlock. He reminds me of Idealists at their worst: exploiters who demand to be seen as benefactors to those that they even have as slaves. If you wonder why the Southern Transcendental generation could make so fervent a defense of slavery, they were convinced that slavery was the best of all possible worlds for people who needed the firm and loving kindness of a wise master.
Contrast Obama, who is the better aspects of a Reactive generation -- perceptive, shrewd, and respectful of precedent -- without showing the greed, revenge-seeking, and cynicism common of young-to-midlife Reactive adults. As shown by the last three Reactive Presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, and Obama) a Reactive leader can be very effective except at growing a power base. Obama and Truman at the least knew enough to let older Idealists do the moral preaching.
Trump is getting away with what a Reactive leader could not get away with unless the Reactive leader is a despot or tyrant. Fair, free, and competitive elections will test how desirable the Trump agenda is -- assuming that we get them.
Speaking of Obama, I see more Idealist traits in him than you do. His ability to inspire and bond with Millennials parallels the appeal of Missionary leaders to the G.I.s. He was strongly motivated with his moral convictions derived from the 60s and 70s leftism. Perhaps the most controversial thing he did was to pull troops out of Iraq in the middle of the Arab Spring. It was not perceptive or shrewd, but reflected his dogmatic belief that Occupation Is Wrong.