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Polarizing Presidents. Ronald Reagan was the twentieth century's last great president, in the eyes of many Americans - and an icon of capitalist greed and moral hypocrisy in the eyes of many others. Compare this piece by Jennifer Nelson, writing for SFGate.com, with one from Hank Stuever at the Washington Post. One wonders if all early wave Gen-Xers can trace their philosophical coming of age to their experience during the Reagan era. Of course, Reagan didn't polarize the country so much as reveal, through his uncompromising stances, the diametrically opposed moral and cultural beliefs that were already present within it. His immediate two successors, a Republican G.I. and a Democrat Boomer, were middle of the road consenus builder types - and neither will be much remembered by posterity. The current President Bush's policies have made conspicuous once more the nation's culture divide, so he could be considered a polarizer. But really, like Reagan, he has come to power at a turning point in history, and so has had to set a course for the nation's future. America willingly followed Reagan into an age of renewed confidence, business prosperity, and growing military power. It remains to be seen whether Bush can lead her into the era he envisions. Posted by Steve Barrera at 1:38 PM |
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| Lost | 104+ |
| G.I. | 80-104 |
| Silent | 62-80 |
| Boomer | 44-62 |
| Gen-X | 23-44 |
| Millennial | ?-23 |
| Homeland | ? |
| High | 1946-1964 |
| Awakening | 1964-1984 |
| Unraveling | 1984-? |
| Crisis | ?- |
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Where noted, background information on generations theory is copyright 1996 Broadway Books. All other content on this web site is copyright 2002-2005 Generation Watch and Steve Barrera. All rights reserved. |