The American Presidents, from WWII-present

[JuJu]

Today, on the History Channel, there were a series of programs called "The Presidents." I caught from FDR-onward, and tried to type them all (with Model A Socionics.)

I was able to type most of them, and narrow it down for the others.

To me, it's interesting to note a historical change in quadra leadership--from Gamma (with exceptions) to more recently, Beta (with exceptions.)


Franklin D. Roosevelt: ESFp/SEE

Personally charismatic, charming, with an ear for 'drama.' Supposedly, a chaotic manager as President. Like many SEEs, FDR had tremendous ambition--and he was able to realize much of it through both sweeping domestic policy reforms (the New Deal,) and in wartime leadership (WWII.) That he's the only president to have ever sought--and been elected--to four terms speaks to this ambition.

In Socionics, the SEE type is called 'The Politician'--and it couldn't be more appropriate in this case.

Harry Truman: INTp/ILI

A blunt man with a lot of common sense, Truman popularized the slogan "the buck stops here." Like many ILIs, Truman was possessed of a mixture of idealism and pragmatism that served him well in making tough decisions, (e.g. A-bombing Japan, Cold War policy, etc.) but made him seem stubborn and somewhat unsympathetic, (esp. in contrast to his Roosevelt, his likable dual.) At the time of his leaving office, he had very low polling numbers; however, in retrospect, many consider him a great President.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: ESFp/SEE

Like Roosevelt before him, many people simply liked Ike. In fact, "I like Ike" became a popular slogan during his term in office. Like many SEEs, Eisenhower attempted to put across an image of someone 'playing hard,' enjoying life to the fullest, (e.g. playing golf so much that many at the time considered him a 'puppet' President.) In truth, like many SEEs, Eisenhower worked extremely hard, but was good at disguising it. Before becoming President, he was 5-star general, most famous for the D-Day Invasion; however, as President he sliced the military budget and warned of the growing 'military-industrial complex.' He changed the American way-of-life forever with the Federal Highway Act. Although he was personally sympathetic to the growing Civil Rights movement, he felt that 'the time wasn't right' to legislate it.

John F. Kennedy: ENFj/EIE

Very charismatic, representing a new generation's hopeful ideals. Like many EIEs, (e.g. me w/ Socionics,) Kennedy required a 'learning curve' before becoming proficient at his job. Early on, he leaned on advisers for decision-making help; however, after several failures (e.g. the Bay of Pigs invasion,) Kennedy went against advisers' advice and offered public 'mea culpas,' taking full responsibility. This endeared him to many who had thought him too "arrogant" and "naive" to be President, (two frequent criticisms of EIEs, in general.) His natural charisma endeared him to many--including women with whom he cheated on his wife. Despite a short time in office, he left an indelible mark--as a figurehead for progress, service, and hope. His murder has cast a long shadow on this country.

Lyndon B. Johnson: ESFp/SEE

A master politician, unabashedly ambitious, aiming to become 'the greatest President of all-time.' Johnson was noted for the pressure he was able to exert on rivals, advisers.. Everyone! It was known as "The Johnson treatment." Like most SEEs, Johnson would alternately charm, scold, and bribe to get his way, (the combination of Se and Fi makes SEEs masters of this.) Many considered Johnson personally crude, e.g. he proposed 'the Great Society' legislation to aids while skinny-dipping in the White House hot-tub. That said, Johnson--like many SEEs--was extraordinarily compassionate. He enacted sweeping civil rights legislation--not because it was politically expedient, (it wasn't,) but because he felt it was the right thing to do.

Richard M. Nixon: ISFj/ESI

One of the most intelligent, hardest-working U.S. Presidents ever--prone to paranoia and obsessions with power, which led to his infamous downfall. Like most ESIs, Richard Nixon had an 'elephant's memory'; however, unlike most ESIs, Nixon used it to punish people he considered 'enemies.' He considered loyalty paramount, and went to extremes to ensure it, (e.g. wire-tapping the phones of White House advisers, and many journalists to prevent 'leaks.') Like many ESIs, he possessed a tremendous work ethic and gift for diplomatic strategy/vision, which enabled him to accomplish a lot in international diplomacy, e.g. ending the Vietnam War by playing the Russians and Chinese off of each other, all the while improving relations with both... Unfortunately, he saw enemies everywhere, was possessed of simultaneous inferiority and superiority complexes, and was truly too 'tricky' for his own good. The Watergate scandal--brought on by his paranoia and willingness to resort to any measure--made him the only President to ever resign.


Gerald Ford: ISFj/ESI

Like his predecessor, Ford was also ESI, (albeit the opposite subtype however, unlike his predecessor, Ford was a highly conciliatory, straight-forward, and mentally stable man. Ford's defining moment as US President was his pardoning of Richard Nixon. It displayed a typically ESI mixture of sympathy (and belief in Nixon's underlying goodness,) and pragmatism. (Ford believed that the Nixon scandal was interfering with his ability to govern effectively... Essentially, he had a country to run.) Typical of ESIs, Ford was athletic, (a college football player at Michigan,) moderate, and honest. He was a traditional family man, as well as an able legislator, (adept at building compromise and consensus.)


Jimmy Carter: TBD (SEI or EII)

Frankly, I can't decide between ISFp/SEI and INFj/EII for Jimmy Carter. I lean toward INFj. Carter's campaign as a Washington outsider appealed to many who'd felt burned by Nixon's administration. (Nixon was perhaps the ultimate Washington 'insider.') In line with the INFj typing, Carter was deeply religious, and governed from an idealistic--some criticized "too idealistic" and "naive"--Christian, moral perspective, e.g. he promised to "never lie to the American people." Like many INFjs, Carter preferred a simple, peaceful life--in many ways, in Washington, he was a fish out of water. He told the plain truth rather than sugar-coated it, (e.g. his 'malaise' speech depressed many people with its honesty.) His defining moment as President was brokering a peace accord between Egypt and Israel. As an ex-President, Carter has been tireless--and more effective--in pursuing his humanitarian ideals of peace and social justice.


Ronald Reagan: ENFj/EIE

A charismatic actor, a grandfatherly figurehead for American hope--"The Great Communicator." Like many EIEs, Ronald Reagan was not interested in details, (e.g. in policy meetings, he would doodle, and some say fall asleep,) but in 'the big picture.' For example, to him, Soviet communism was "a great evil;" America, by contrast, was a "shining city on a hill." Reagan was extremely idealistic, but unlike Carter, was able--through his speeches--to tap into America's ideals and dreams for a better future, AND SELL IT. He believed in lowering taxes, so he lowered them, (not caring that he was running up huge deficits.) He believed in fighting communism, so he fought it, (and some would say, 'won' the Cold War.) He believed in America as a great beacon of hope, and made people believe in it with him. Like many EIEs, Reagan was an affable, 'open-door' manager. He delegated responsibilities--so much so that he frequently didn't know what his own administration was doing, e.g. Iran Contra. Despite these faults, many Americans love Ronald Reagan--just as they love EIE John F. Kennedy--because of what he represented, as much as what he actually did.

George H.W. Bush: TBD (ENTj or ESTj)

EXTj... I lean toward ENTj, primarily b/c of inter-type relations, e.g. his wife, Barbara, I believe is ISFj. Also, Bush Sr. got along well with Reagan (they had 'Mexican Lunch Wednesdays' together for years--it seems like a good 'business' relationship.) Additionally, a lot of Bush's cabinet (many of whom were hold-overs from the Reagan years,) were Betas, e.g. James Baker (ISTj,) Dick Cheney, (ISTj.) This all makes more sense for a Gamma than a Delta. Bush Sr. was personally dry, politically moderate, and like many ENTjs, a pragmatic manager. For example, he reneged on his campaign promise of "no new taxes" in effort to boost the flagging American economy, (which had been decimated by Reagan-years deficits... Later, Bill Clinton's administration reaped the economic benefits of Bush's policies.) Bush was an effective diplomat. For example, he built world consensus for the Desert Storm War. Also, he ably managed that war. Many criticized Bush as aloof--and even a wimp. Famously, during the fall of the Berlin Wall, a journalist asked him why he wasn't more emotional and Bush responded, "I'm not an emotional guy."

Bill Clinton: ENFj/EIE

Charismatic, emotional, intelligent, (seemingly) empathetic, ambitious, over-indulgent... I've seen Rick's typing of Clinton as ESFj--and while I believe that Bush's VP, Al Gore, was alpha NT, I think that Clinton's Model A analysis and inter-type relations bear-out a beta NF typing. For example, his wife Hillary is ISTj, and almost all of the women Bill Clinton cheated on her with are betas too. Clinton is remembered for his (in retrospect) smarmy, seeming empathetic maxim, "I feel your pain." Like EIE Reagan, Clinton was a charismatic speaker and an 'open-door' manager, (some would say "chaotic," as he was nearly always late, and then ran-overtime--in almost everything.) An Si PoLR, Clinton lived indulgently in terms of food--famously jogging to McDonalds each day; and also in terms sex, having numerous affairs with vulnerable women. As with EIE President JFK, Clinton underwent a 'learning curve,' failing with his first major initiative, universal healthcare. His term, however, was an era of peace and prosperity, which is remembered comically for the President's quirks.

George W. Bush: TBD (ENFj or ESFj)

Like Reagan before him, what Bush Jr. believed, Bush Jr. did--without much regard for future consequences. An affable, decent man, who once lived a life of reckless over-indulgence (Si PoLR perhaps) and then one of strict regimentation (Ti dual-seeking perhaps,) Bush Jr. was not intellectually curious nor particularly open-minded to other points-of-view. Most EIEs, by contrast, are, (e.g. JFK, Reagan, Clinton.) Unlike those other EIEs, Bush Jr. was not a good public speaker. Also, in contrast to those other EIEs, Bush Jr. ran a very orderly, highly regimented White House, with a clear chain of command, (Ti systematization.) Some have claimed that Bush Jr. was a figurehead for the most dominant Vice President in US history, Dick Cheney (LSI.)

Frankly, I've found Bush Jr. difficult to type. He seemed possessed of genuine decency and good intentions, but not much common sense or intellect. His understanding of situations appeared to be emotional, (e.g. his Fe-charged speeches following 9/11.) He lacked foresight (e.g. in the aftermath of toppling Saddam Hussein.) I've never met nor typed another EIE like him. I'm finding ESE increasingly plausible.

Barack Obama: TBD (beta NF or ENTj or ISFj)
I've seen him typed INFp/IEI, probably b/c he's an electrifying public speaker, able to connect with many peoples' ideals. However, at times, to me, he's seemed more Gamma, e.g. his political pragmatism, "No Drama Obama"... Regardless, Ni is obvious, as he seems to contemplate decisions longer than many, welcome many different points-of-view, (almost to a fault,) and couch his policies (and rhetoric) in historical perspective... The key to understanding Obama's Socionics type is in his inter-type relations, which I have not yet studied in any detail.