The Strongest Argument for Obama -
NOW!
Hillary has made a big deal this week about comparing herself to Harry Truman. The joke's on her because the true parallel is between Harry Truman and Barack Obama. While researching Truman for my blog
Harry Truman: The Last GenX President, I came across these excerpts from the seminal study of the American Generations, written in 1991 by two leading experts in the field.
{SodaHeads of Boomer Age Beware! The following contains some harsh criticism of Boomer leadership style. Please bear in mind that it was written in 1991 by two of your Boomer peers.}
Excerpts from:
Generations: A History of America's Future, 1584-2069
© 1991 by William Strauss and Neil Howe
The Post WW II Boom Generation (George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton)
Prophet (or Idealist) generations such as The Boomers show streaks of severity, the desire for not just an enemy's defeat, but his utter destruction, and are starting to show a fascination for apocalyptic solutions. Unlike their G.I. Fathers, who excelled at 'overcoming' crisis, Boomers are attracted to the possibility of 'fomenting' crisis and can easily be attracted to lawlessness in pursuit of a higher purpose.
[When posed with a terrorist strike] Boomer leaders would exaggerate the threat and tie it to a larger sense of global crisis. These leaders would define the enemy broadly and demand its total defeat - regardless of the human and economic sacrifices required, would be willing to risk catastrophe to achieve their definition of a 'just' outcome. Boomer principle - righteous fury - may cast a long shadow over the 21st century.
The 13th Generation aka Generation X (Barack Obama)
Nomad (or Reactive) generations such as The 13th are assigned the thankless task of yanking American history back on a stable course, lashing back at the lies of old men and the finger-wagging of grim dowagers. They are nobody's fools: plainspoken, sensible, quick on their feet. They possess a Twainlike twinkle in their eye and that Trumanesque capacity to distinguish between mistakes that matter and those that don't. Their ablest peers become society's most cunning, pragmatic and colorful figures - military and commercial managers of great realism, effective leaders for the crisis congealed by the Idealist elders.
Midlife 13ers will not have the ability to influence the nature and timing of whatever crisis the Boomers congeal, but will be there to clean up the mess, providing able on-site managers and behind-the-scenes facilitators whose quick and sound judgment could spell the difference between triumph and tragedy. Controlling the Boomers may emerge as the 13ers most fateful lifecycle mission. They will be the generation best equipped to deflect any Boomer drift towards apocalyptic visions.
The Lost Generation (Harry Truman)
Harry "Give 'em Hell" Truman has been described as "a man of blunt and staccato expression, a hard to fool realist, immune to criticism, who would tell the truth with startling frankness". The Lost Generation in total has been characterized as tough, gritty, gruff, dispassionate, pragmatic, streetwise, self-confident, clear-headed, savvy, perceptive and practical.
{ Does this sound like anyone we know? }
WHEN TAX TRUTH MATTERS NOT:
The Strongest Argument for Obama - NOW!
