I don't see the GIs as the Greatest generation. To me what makes for generational greatest is the history they create. This happens when to occupy the leadership position. According to my political model the GIs were collectively in the leadership role over approximately 1964-1981. The other gens were/are: Lost 1948-1963, Silent 1982-2000, Boom 2001-2021.
Lets categorize each turnings (defined by the leadership dates above) by their presidents. These assignments use my political model which gives somewhat different dates than S&H, and has a Civil war civic generation so Obama is three years into GenX, Johnson (b 1908) is a last year Lost, and Truman is a Missionary:
1T Truman (Missionary), Eisenhower, Kennedy (GI)
2T Johnson (Lost), Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan
3T Reagan (GI), Bush I (GI), Clinton (Boom)
4T Bush II, Obama (GenX)
In my opinion, JFK, the only GI, is clearly the worst of the three in the 1T.
Of the four in the 2T, Ford was a placeholder and Reagan and Carter basically sucked. 1980 was the only election in which I voted third party seeing my choices as both awful. Nixon and Johnson did the most good with their policies, but both made great errors in judgement, which led to their downfall. I give Johnson the edge, because Nixon's political strategy helped create the modern Republican party who went on to create Vietnam-type errors and not even acknowledge them as errors. I note the best of the bunch is the only non-GI.
For the 3T, I see Clinton as the best of a mediocre bunch. Again the only non-GI.
For the 4T, I see Obama as better than Bush II, here the Nomad outdoes the Prophet.
GIs are the greatest generation based on what they did in rising adulthood, but they may have been the worst when in power.
Lets categorize each turnings (defined by the leadership dates above) by their presidents. These assignments use my political model which gives somewhat different dates than S&H, and has a Civil war civic generation so Obama is three years into GenX, Johnson (b 1908) is a last year Lost, and Truman is a Missionary:
1T Truman (Missionary), Eisenhower, Kennedy (GI)
2T Johnson (Lost), Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan
3T Reagan (GI), Bush I (GI), Clinton (Boom)
4T Bush II, Obama (GenX)
In my opinion, JFK, the only GI, is clearly the worst of the three in the 1T.
Of the four in the 2T, Ford was a placeholder and Reagan and Carter basically sucked. 1980 was the only election in which I voted third party seeing my choices as both awful. Nixon and Johnson did the most good with their policies, but both made great errors in judgement, which led to their downfall. I give Johnson the edge, because Nixon's political strategy helped create the modern Republican party who went on to create Vietnam-type errors and not even acknowledge them as errors. I note the best of the bunch is the only non-GI.
For the 3T, I see Clinton as the best of a mediocre bunch. Again the only non-GI.
For the 4T, I see Obama as better than Bush II, here the Nomad outdoes the Prophet.
GIs are the greatest generation based on what they did in rising adulthood, but they may have been the worst when in power.