Is a new generation of leadership evolving as this article states?
William Strauss and Neil Howe, coauthors of Generations, posit that each generation makes a unique bequest to those that follow and generally seeks to correct the excesses of the previous generation. They argue that the Boomer excess is ideology and that the Generation X reaction to that excess involves an emphasis on pragmatism and effectiveness.
I would argue that this effecct is impelling a hybrid organizing principle. Pragmatic idealism. Obama's organizing principle? I think so.
It is at the heart of the chinese economic/manufacturing base takeover of the world economy. They arte ahad of US in every new energy economy manufacturing area: wind,solar, plugin hybrids, batteries, and maybe smart grid technology next? Yes.
Even though our publicly supported universtiies and reseach institutions train the inventors of most innnovations in this energy re-evolution, our government/board room economic "planners" (yes, our economy is planned too,just like china's). But ours is planned by the next quarterly report or political poll.
China has been working on the ideal of building financial security in an uncertain world. Using a pragmatic hybrid of government/industry, state ownership/capitalism. By coordinating these internal parts, they have been able to beat the worldwide market systems designed to assert control over the global economy.
They beat 'em by joining 'em, becoming a major player in hedge fund hegemony. The Saudis try it too, but actually are now at the mercy of their onetime "genie", oil.
China will mass produce 16k dollar plugin hybrids very soon. Warren buffet just bought more of BYD motors. They arte on the verge of mass production at that price point. When will Walmart have these for sale in their auto centers? How much will oil be worth once americans, and then the rest of the car buyers in thw world switch to buying no gas until they exceed their 60 mile battery range?
The Saudis will be caught flat-footed and get smashed economically. No more kingdome, the "kings" will flee.
The chinese manufacturing sector will boom with wind,solar systems to power plugin cars and zero carbon footprint homes and buildings, farms and factories. Buffet sees it coming.
Can obama's pragmatic idealism bring US these manufacturing jobs, or at least half of them? That would keep US in the same economic and security sphere with china. Otherwise they will decide on the future of planet earth. Factory ships destroying life in the oceans? That is their current choice.
Chinese kleptocracy will be a frightening leader, much better with a revived US democracy, no matter a few flaws, riding up along side the chinese leaders as we are flung through the ether here on our delicate living biosphere,spaceship earth.
