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lilalove
Member
Haiti
12531 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Feb 2009 : 6:07:16 PM
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I'm going to go deeper and explain why typing Obama is not so easy.
In order to be in high health we have to be Self-Actualized.
Both type 3 and type 9, according to R & H, reach Self-Actualization the same way.
*Lets go of their identification with a particular self-image.*
For 9's it means they understand their participation in the world matters. With 3's it means they understand that their value is not dependent on the regards of others.
Obama seems rather Self-Actualized.
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It's a rare thing to be Mr. or Ms. Self-Actualized. Less than 1% of us will ever get there. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, those who did include Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Throughout the '08 campaign, Barack Obama has given every indication that he is the definition of self-actualized. Take a look at a few of the criteria and why he fits them to a tee.
1. Obama is Perceptive
People with pathologies such as narcissism see the world as a refection of themselves. They are unable to get out of there own subjective experience long enough to see what's really going on. Obama has the ability and intelligence to leave behind narrow perspectives for a more encompassing, accurate view of the world. Obama was spot on in his perception about American's desire for change this election. In terms of the financial crisis, he accurately perceived the mood of the country as more anxious than angry.
2. Obama Resolves Dichotomies
Throughout history, paranoid leaders have sought to divide with their dangerous dichotomies -- us vs. them instead of we; black vs. white instead of shades of grey. Obama himself is a walking dichotomy. He's the embodiment of disparate elements existing as a whole. Resolving conflicts, dealing with ambiguity, and finding the unity in opposites is first nature to him.
3. Obama is Respectful and Humble
Humble people are low on arrogance, but high on true confidence. When you are comfortable in your own shoes, it's easier to compromise, stay strong when you need to, and there's absolutely no reason to disrespect or degrade others.
4. Obama is Problem-Focused
Over and over, Obama has reminded us that this election isn't about him; it's about the practical work of problem-solving. His focus is on the financial crisis, jobs, heath care, and national security. The power of his focus gives Obama the capacity to ward off distractions.
5. Obama Accepts Human Nature
Where does Obama get his sense of calm? A good part of it likely comes from his understanding and acceptance of human nature, including his own nature. When you know who you are and are able to accept yourself and others--the good with the bad--your psyche becomes less of a roller coaster ride. It's easier to stay centered and true to yourself--just as Obama, despite urgings from some (Dowd your perception was so off on this) to be more heated in debates, instead lit a fire with his authenticity.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caroline-presno/five-reasons-why-obama-is_b_136195.html
The super real sx/so
6w7-4w3-9w8 |
Edited by - lilalove on 02 Feb 2009 10:06:30 PM |
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~lee~
Member
USA
7144 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2009 : 6:47:36 PM
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I'll be curious to see how Obama deals with conflict--both domestic and international. Will he take the "positive attitude" approach (9) and possibly miss really dealing with the underlying nature and reasons for the conflicts but hoping that his charisma will bring all sides peacefully to a resolution? Will he take an assertive, competency-oriented approach (3), risking his popularity for the sake of carrying out his agenda--i.e. will he stand on principle even if it means alienating some of his support base?
I'd like to see him exercise really bold leadership, and use this time of economic difficulty to bring about real reform that will, over the longhaul, truly benefit the country and its populace--like, e.g., addressing the healthcare mess. I worry that he'll instead cave in to short term interests and pressures for the sake of political expediency. (In my opinion, some components of this stimulus plan make absolutely no sense.)
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lilalove
Member
Haiti
12531 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2009 : 7:22:52 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by ~lee~
I'll be curious to see how Obama deals with conflict--both domestic and international. Will he take the "positive attitude" approach (9) and possibly miss really dealing with the underlying nature and reasons for the conflicts but hoping that his charisma will bring all sides peacefully to a resolution? Will he take an assertive, competency-oriented approach (3), risking his popularity for the sake of carrying out his agenda--i.e. will he stand on principle even if it means alienating some of his support base?
I'd like to see him exercise really bold leadership, and use this time of economic difficulty to bring about real reform that will, over the longhaul, truly benefit the country and its populace--like, e.g., addressing the healthcare mess. I worry that he'll instead cave in to short term interests and pressures for the sake of political expediency. (In my opinion, some components of this stimulus plan make absolutely no sense.)
Well, I doubt he will meet your opinion of bold reform. If he tried then that would mean he was clueless to the nature of Washington and very well could collapse the system. Jimmy Cater was rather clueless that way and brought in a bunch of outsiders and reform that shut down the process for years. At this moment in time Obama trying to remake a system to something that pleases purest would be political suicide and most likely disasters on many fronts. Obama is trying to prevent collapse.
Once things are more stable his aim is to steer the ship on a path that will lead to some of the lefts political ideals. Obama fully understands that what needs to be done is going to take a lot longer than he will be in office. It has to be done in steps that don't give red meat to those that seek feeding the bad wolf with fear of the unknown.
In short, Obama is longheaded in a way Carter never was.
The super real sx/so
6w7-4w3-9w8 |
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~lee~
Member
USA
7144 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2009 : 8:21:37 PM
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quote:
It has to be done in steps that don't give red meat to those that seek feeding the bad wolf with fear of the unknown.
I feel like the stimulus package, on top of the bailout, is kind of doing this. Sort of an attitude of "Help, we must do SOMETHING! else it'll be like 1933 all over again." Given that most of us weren't alive in 1933, and the world is a vastly different place, I see this as equivalent to fear of the unknown. What surprises me is that there isn't more fear of the known, which is that the country is going deeper and deeper into debt with no obvious way out except to print money and devalue the currency for everyone.
But anyways, I take your point--Obama has both practical and idealogical decisions and issues to deal with, many around factors totally out of his control--it'll be hard to figure out how to make this all work optimally both short term and long.
Perhaps the ways that he navigates this will make his type clearer. |
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lilalove
Member
Haiti
12531 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2009 : 9:15:57 PM
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lol
And I feel the opposite. I'm highly alert to the fact that the depth of our economic problems have been kept from us for years out of fear that consumer confidence would turn into terror and nose dive us into a massive depression. "Imagine that a rainbow cat".
It has been put off for so long action is needed quickly. In the end.. and again.. a lot of the stimulus is aimed to raise consumer confidence... you are sensing "the rainbow cat" and it feels false... but it's not the depth of our economic problems that are untrue. Our market is based on "the rainbow cat". The more the cat is seen as the illusion it is... the more danger we are in. It's sad.. but true.
The fact is we are riding a tiger.. and getting off its back means we would be eaten. Crushed under the wheels. Mass starvation around the world. We are now a global market.
I wish Obama luck... he is going to need it. We are all going to need it.
If Obama fails to ride this animal and pull it from the hole it is headed... he will be a one term president. And he knows it.
Oddly... 3w4 between levels 2-4 seem like they would be better suited for this job to me. I want him to be afraid of failure and work like hell to avoid it. 
The super real sx/so
6w7-4w3-9w8 |
Edited by - lilalove on 02 Feb 2009 10:15:12 PM |
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~lee~
Member
USA
7144 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2009 : 10:43:40 PM
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Okay, if the national debt increases by about 30 % (another 3 trillion or so) over the next 2-3 years, and if the economy is fueled by consumer spending, and consumers were going into debt to sustain such spending, and we have scores of trillions of promised liabilities in social security and medicare (the gov't having spent the social security surplus already)....it's hard for me to see how an illusion is going to alter some hard and painful facts.
I'm sorry--getting a $500 tax cut does not increase my confidence or optimism, and I've yet to talk with anyone who thinks this will help.
I agree that there's a lot of emotionality associated with economics, and maybe I'm falling prey to it....but the facts sure don't look good. Are we fiddling while Rome burns? Seriously, does ANYONE understand these stimulus and bailout proposals?
But I digress.....I hope, yes, that Obama will be scared of failure, both shorterm AND LONG. How will it help if we illusion ourself out of this mess only to crash again harder in 10 years. |
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.ron4
Member
9125 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 12:49:53 AM
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I only understand food, water and shelter.
I don;t really care about credit, mainly because I don't
have or want any. I don't understand the national debt,
where it came from and who it's owed to. I was born and
I have a life to live and I don't want to owe anyone
anything. I know some, have different ideas about all this
and go along with what everybody else thinks about credit
and buying houses and owing for thirty years and paying
ten times what the house is actually worth but not me.
I would rent or live in a tepee before I play that game.
Just how much is America worth and when the country owes
more than it can ever pay who gets this place and what are
"they" going to do with it ? I've been hearing about the debt
all my life and still I have no idea what it means to owe or
who it's owed to.
I don't include myself even if you think I have no choice.
The senate can't agree on the stimulus program because they
don't understand what's going on either and I don't believe
Obama knows any more than anyone else.
The country is owned by greed and run for greed and lived for
greed and kept that way by fear and anyone who buys into this
has my sympathy.
My thought fwiw is we don't need more and if we can't pay
cash for it, go without.
Ron
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lilalove
Member
Haiti
12531 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 08:03:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by ~lee~
Okay, if the national debt increases by about 30 % (another 3 trillion or so) over the next 2-3 years, and if the economy is fueled by consumer spending, and consumers were going into debt to sustain such spending, and we have scores of trillions of promised liabilities in social security and medicare (the gov't having spent the social security surplus already)....it's hard for me to see how an illusion is going to alter some hard and painful facts.
I'm sorry--getting a $500 tax cut does not increase my confidence or optimism, and I've yet to talk with anyone who thinks this will help.
I agree that there's a lot of emotionality associated with economics, and maybe I'm falling prey to it....but the facts sure don't look good. Are we fiddling while Rome burns? Seriously, does ANYONE understand these stimulus and bailout proposals?
But I digress.....I hope, yes, that Obama will be scared of failure, both shorterm AND LONG. How will it help if we illusion ourself out of this mess only to crash again harder in 10 years.
The problem is that the stimulus seems counterintuitive.
And the fact is that if we cut taxes like republicans want - according to Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of Washington think tanks the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution - we would add another $4.5 trillion to the national debt in the same amount of time Obama's plan would add 3 trillion.
If we do nothing.. most economists, both left and right, think doing nothing would lead to a mass economic spiral down ward with unemployment reaching levels that would sink our national debt far beyond both $3 and $4.5 trillion. If people don't have jobs they can't pay taxes at all.
If we cut our social services like social security and medicare and lower taxes we turn into Mexico. Wealth flows to the top 1% and the masses starve.
I'm not sure what you want, Lee. It's real easy to emotionally cut one self off from reality. As the leader of America Obama is not going to turn his back on the needs of the people right now while he looks to our future. Obama's plan puts all kinds of foundations down for a better tomorrow.
Obama will be unable to put the pillars down if we sink into a massive depression by lack of action to do anything.
I would support the conventional republican's tax cuts that ensure no foundation for the future before nothing. Nothing puts us in debt far deeper for far longer, according to a staggering majority of economic experts. And those that don't agree paint a picture as Mexico being the ideal. Thanks but no thanks.
Here is the details of Obama's plan. It's a hell of a lot more than a $500 check.
http://change.gov/agenda/economy_agenda/
That said the Obama team fully recognizes their failure in explaining the bill so that the people understand why we need it and what it will do to help both short and long term. By no means is it all illusion. Our Consumer Confidence Index has always, always had the rainbow cat in the mix. It's called hope and positive thinking. With out it markets would freeze from fear. So it has always been.
Obama's team has been in transition and that is why they have not been on top of step by step detailed explanations. That's going to change.
They understand your need for more information on the bill.
We will be getting a lot more very soon.
The super real sx/so
6w7-4w3-9w8 |
Edited by - lilalove on 03 Feb 2009 10:59:11 AM |
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marie
Member
4292 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 09:54:05 AM
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I do think that things are worse than they seem and could skid into a full blown disaster if the ship is not properly steered. It's amazing how close things came. (John McCain's biggest splash these past few weeks has been to side with Rush! I suppose he did this to prove that he hadn't been charmed by Obama. Well, he proved a whole lot more than that.)
I think a stimulus package is absolutely necessary or we will have massive unemployment (on an unprecedented scale) and a desperate population. And this generation can't handle it. They just aren't that tough.
I also think that, if anything, Obama's problem is that he has been a bit too accommodating to the Repubs; he could get rid of the bogus tax cuts and take the stimulus package to the American people. He could talk to them like adults - they can handle it. He could get them on his side, at least to the point that the Repubs wouldn't filibuster.
Of course, he would have to tell people that the way that we will pay down the debt is by deflating the currency. That's just capitalism in action. Actually, he wouldn't have to tell them that. He could just speak in generalities about the need to "invest" in our future.
I find the economist and NYTimes columnist Paul Krugman (soc/sp Six with Five for those of you who know or care) to be enormously annoying, in the way that all intellectuals who think big thoughts but never have to put them into action are annoying. (Lol...I do recognize the irony.) But I agree with him that at this point bold is better.
As for Obama's type...I don't know. Which type tends to over accommodate?
In any event, his unwillingness to make an enemy of a very unpopular opposition party is quite telling.
I do think Obama is difficult to type because he is healthier than any of us...even though he hasn't spent time contemplating his navel or going to weekend seminars. We just don't have much experience typing people at level Three. I do know that half of the people who post to this Board think they are there...or at least they are really close and could be if they could just get to a few retreats, but ime, it's extremely rare.
We would be able to type him if he declined in health. Let's hope he doesn't.
Personally, I think the man has a destiny. I was in Boston for the 2004 DNC and I recognized it the first time I saw him. You don't see that sort of thing very often. |
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.ron4
Member
9125 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 10:30:58 AM
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"I don't know"
 true.
Ron |
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~lee~
Member
USA
7144 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 12:43:47 PM
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I don't know either.
Maybe the fiscal "shotgun" approach will work--i.e., throw gobs of money at the problem and hope that some fraction of it actually hits the target and brings positive change.
It's not at all clear how to restore trust in the system--both political and financial. Obama's appointment of folks who turn out to owe the IRS scores of thousands of dollars does not help matters. One wonders how many other folks out there owe money that they'd only pay if they needed to clean up their public image. Sigh.
If Obama is perceived as pandering to special interests (which is hard to avoid if you want to get anything passed through congress) then the trust he currently has will erode. |
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dfgray44
Member
USA
6546 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 12:51:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by ptypes
I'm starting to think that there is a psychological connection between strong ambition and being abandoned by one's father, either literally or figuratively. It has a lot to do, I think, with establishing one's identity.
Yes.
I'd add that this may be more the case for boys than girls. The mother/son bond (when father is absent or emotionally-unavailable) typically has a 'special' quality to it, i.e.- an unrealistic positive regard (so-called 'unconditional love') is imparted to the son and negative material between mother/son is placed in 'shadow'. This has the effect of producing a "son in the sun" - golden boy - or a desire to become such. His assumption is that the World will have the same reception to him that his mother had, as father's role of 'interlocutor to the real world' (and its shades of gray) is absent and replaced by some combination of high-flying narcissism and "smug naivete".
As you indicate, this is all 'post-genetic' as regards effects on temperament. Looking at the inner-city black community in the US is a good window into this as a sociological phenomenon - a large percentage of the males possess 'arrogance without works'. Not that this is how I'd describe Obama, per se, but he does have the glow of "Mother's blessing". This has a Three-ish hue to it as alluded to by R&H's previous designation of E3 as "positive toward mother". My overall point here being about the potential for this kind of Three-ishness to show up across all the E-types.
********* / *
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dboon
Member
1006 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 1:12:44 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by dfgray44
quote:
Originally posted by ptypes
It's a proving motif.. the cards are already stacked. It reaches to the most fundemental aspects of manhood. A genealogical virility of sorts, unfounded.. till proven. 'The store has not been passed down, it must be created from anew... ' |
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ptypes
Member
5394 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 1:51:10 PM
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| Geez, lee, get a grip. |
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lilalove
Member
Haiti
12531 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 1:53:43 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by ~lee~
Obama's appointment of folks who turn out to owe the IRS scores of thousands of dollars does not help matters. One wonders how many other folks out there owe money that they'd only pay if they needed to clean up their public image. Sigh.
Countless. but then some of them understand that what faces us as a nation is a lot bigger than them winning a seat as head of a department... even when they know that they are beloved in the senate and would win the seat if they pushed for it.
And in the end, you end up respecting them more.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
"If 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction,"
and
Nancy Killefer withdrew her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government on Tuesday, saying she didn't want her bungling of payroll taxes on her household help to become a distraction for the Obama administration.
So, it's not that bad, Lee. Obama's cleaning up the back yard.
You are really going to need to stop with the debbie downer act.
It gets annoying.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Downer
The super real sx/so
6w7-4w3-9w8 |
Edited by - lilalove on 03 Feb 2009 2:05:02 PM |
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ptypes
Member
5394 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 1:58:35 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by dfgray44
quote:
Originally posted by ptypes
I'm starting to think that there is a psychological connection between strong ambition and being abandoned by one's father, either literally or figuratively. It has a lot to do, I think, with establishing one's identity.
Yes.
I'd add that this may be more the case for boys than girls. The mother/son bond (when father is absent or emotionally-unavailable) typically has a 'special' quality to it, i.e.- an unrealistic positive regard (so-called 'unconditional love') is imparted to the son and negative material between mother/son is placed in 'shadow'. This has the effect of producing a "son in the sun" - golden boy - or a desire to become such. His assumption is that the World will have the same reception to him that his mother had, as father's role of 'interlocutor to the real world' (and its shades of gray) is absent and replaced by some combination of high-flying narcissism and "smug naivete".
As you indicate, this is all 'post-genetic' as regards effects on temperament. Looking at the inner-city black community in the US is a good window into this as a sociological phenomenon - a large percentage of the males possess 'arrogance without works'. Not that this is how I'd describe Obama, per se, but he does have the glow of "Mother's blessing". This has a Three-ish hue to it as alluded to by R&H's previous designation of E3 as "positive toward mother". My overall point here being about the potential for this kind of Three-ishness to show up across all the E-types.
Right. |
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ptypes
Member
5394 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 2:17:31 PM
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How does President Obama appear in 3-D? One who knows is U.S. Rep. Fred Upton.
[snip]
"He indicated the event was extraordinary and down-to-earth at the same time.
"It was like going to a neighbor's and watching the game on a nice TV," he said."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/03/white-house-super-bowl-pa_n_163461.html
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Edited by - ptypes on 03 Feb 2009 2:19:41 PM |
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ptypes
Member
5394 Posts |
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ptypes
Member
5394 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 3:30:53 PM
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"The appointment of Judd Gregg as the Secretary of Commerce has prompted a fair amount of head-scratching among Democrats.
"The New Hampshire Republican is viewed as an adversary on the policy matters that he will now tasked with formulating. And while the promise of having a 60th caucusing Democrat replace him in Congress was alluring, the state's governor seems to have entered a gentleman's agreement of sorts to replace Gregg with a fellow Republican.
"So what, exactly, was the point?
"It may be simply that Obama is following the dictum of one of his favorite movies, The Godfather -- keep your friends close and your ideological opponents even closer."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/03/judd-gregg-obama-takes-pa_n_163550.html
John Edwards is a 3w4. Can you imagine him acting like this. No he is polarizing and conflict oriented.
Jimmy Carter wasn't bipartisan with his own party!
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Edited by - ptypes on 03 Feb 2009 3:32:37 PM |
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lilalove
Member
Haiti
12531 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 6:41:41 PM
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I'm getting annoyed with the republicans. Obama has shown them more respect and grace than the majority warrant at this point.
The republican geniuses have come to the conclusion that they lost their way by not being partisan and ideological enough over the last 8 years. Bush was not enough. They want double strength divisivness. It's sad. Obama has the temperament of a saint to be able to tolerate all the horse shit from their stalls.
The republican party has a napoleon complex.
The super real sx/so
6w7-4w3-9w8 |
Edited by - lilalove on 03 Feb 2009 6:43:33 PM |
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bear
Member
USA
4072 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 7:18:32 PM
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I agree lila. It's pathetic how much they are doing the same kind of nonsense they called others unpatriotic for doing.
quote:
Originally posted by The Enneagram Institute
This raises the question that we would like to pose the participants of this thread: we seem to have come to a basic agreement that Obama is either a 9w1 or a 3w4, SO. Positions and reasons have been offered all around for both readings of him. So the question is: what will be the necessary and sufficient markers which will produce a decisive typing? What will either Obama or someone else have to say or do to snap his type clearly into focus with a high degree of confidence for more people? Or, to put this another way, what kind of trait, statement, or action of Obama's would be enough for us to have more clarity and wide-spread agreement about his type?
This brings to mind a repeating question the EI uses when teaching about 5s: "Tell me something you need to know." I don't feel in any rush myself and I don't see why we need to come to a consensus. GWB didn't initially read clearly as a 9, but his behavior pattern over time has overtly pointed to inertia over and over and over again - I'm sure eventually we'll see a conspicuous pattern in Obama. Since we're agreed he's healthy, as a 9 he'd be more likely to have integrated 3 than 3 would integrate 9, and there've been dozens of good reasons to see him as a 9. But ultimately, none of us can be 100% sure of someone else's type unless we know them very well. I believe we have a better chance of seeing his enneatype if we keep our minds open and not view everything through the filter of trying to prove he's one or the other.
FWIW, I was just at a retreat with Sandra Maitri who talked about social 9s as often being either socially awkward or quite slick, and I was reading Naranjo on the plane yesterday and he mentions Protean shapes in his chapter on 9s.
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.ron4
Member
9125 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 7:51:11 PM
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Dear Lee, if there's any thing I can do to help
you annoy people here on this thread, you just
let me know please. I would be glad to help.
Ron
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~lee~
Member
USA
7144 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 8:47:13 PM
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Thanks for the offer, Ron.
I think I'm good on the annoyance front without more help, though. |
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The Enneagram Institute
Administrator
USA
297 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2009 : 10:42:47 PM
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Everyone,
The following is a short article from the Fordham University magazine about a forum on Obama. We think that you can see for yourselves that the journalists are picking up on some of his Three-qualities, not his putative Nine-ness. It would, indeed, be the most rare of Nines who would be characterized as having a "supremely self-assured nature...." and so forth. (This kind of thing cannot be put down to his being a Nine who goes to Three, either.)
We predict that the coming weeks will see more and more of this kind of reporting coming out about Obama. Already, some news organizations are talking about how he is already breaking campaign promises, and how pragmatic he is. Again, we ask: what kind of evidence or actions will it take for people to see that Obama is a Three and not a Nine?
Journalists Examine Possible Strengths and Weaknesses of Obama Presidency
Barack Obama’s confidence and cool-headedness are partly why he was elected president of the United States. But if that confidence curdles into arrogance, it will be his downfall.
That was one of the messages delivered by an all-star panel of print and broadcast journalists at “The Changing of the Guard in Washington: What to Expect,” held on Jan. 15 at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus.
Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, headlined the evening with a lecture on domestic and international issues facing Obama. She then joined the panel discussion hosted by Bill Baker, Ph.D., Claudio Aquaviva Chair and Journalist in Residence at Fordham.
The panel featured Neil Shapiro, former president of NBC News and current president of Thirteen/WNET; Jodi Kantor, Washington correspondent for The New York Times; and Caren Bohan, political correspondent for Reuters’ Washington bureau.
In her opening remarks, Woodruff noted that it was customary for journalists to be jaded about politicians who talk about change, but that there is a tangible feeling of excitement in the nation’s capitol. That is fortunate, she added, because the United States has not faced such an array of grave challenges in 75 years.
“Even the smartest experts worry about the fragility of our financial institutions,” she said. “Who would have thought that under a Republican administration and a Republican central banker, that the federal government would be bailing out Wall Street?”
Obama’s supremely self-assured nature was the subject of much discussion. Woodruff said that confidence will serve him well when working with his cabinet of political and intellectual heavyweights.
“To be sure, there’s a danger of hubris, or too much self-confidence,” she added. “As David Halberstam so greatly chronicled years ago, [it is] the arrogance of the best and the brightest. But the antidote to that is not the worst and the dumbest.”
Kantor, who has covered Obama since early 2007, talked about how she was assigned to poke holes in his official biography.
Even when he was a student at Harvard Law in the early 1990s, fellow students produced a parody of him talking about his background—proof that that he has long been using his life story to connect with people politically. He also has an almost relentless appetite to win over people who don’t share his views, she said.
“If Obama has a flaw, and this is something that’s tripped him up a couple of times in life, he really thinks he can win everybody over,” she said. “He has a lot of confidence that he can meet somebody from a totally different culture, who he agrees on nothing about, and still form a connection to that person.”
Shapiro, who helped launch the nightly international newscast Worldfocus, said he was struck by how pragmatic Obama is. As a presidential candidate, his initial support for public financing vanished when he realized he had a 7-1 advantage over John McCain.
This might be helpful when trying to predict how he will deal with challenges abroad, which have become tightly entwined with economic and domestic policy. In addition to China, Shapiro predicted that Japan will play a huge part in the United States’ fortunes.
“Japan is the world’s second-largest economy, and where, for a time, we’ve basically ignored our issues about Japan. Now I think they’re going to be a huge force. Are they helping us and buying our debt, or not?” Shapiro said.
“As the world gets smaller—both in terms of communication and in the terms of economics—domestic politics, economic politics and international politics converge,” he said. “That will put even more pressure on the president.”
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The Enneagram Institute |
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.ron4
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Posted - 04 Feb 2009 : 12:17:21 AM
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In the past few pages or so I have noticed a change
in the tone of the posts on this thread. It's as though
something is influencing or affecting posters attitudes
in themselves, a kind of awakening of hope and ambition
to make and see things that are possible if we put our
body and mind to work to achieve mutual goals.
I thought of this when I read this paragraph.
R&H, type 3, level 3,
"Because they possess outstanding qualities, healthy 3s are
also able to motivate other people to develop themselves.
Others see in 3s what they could be like if they made the
effort to develop their potential as 3s have. Moreover,
healthy 3s are willing to help others attain the qualities
that they embody. If they are terrific dancers, they will
teach you how to dance; if they are bodybuilders, they will
work out with you at they gem; if they have made a killing
on the stock market, they will help you get into the market
too."
I think President Obama is having his healthy type 3 effectiveness.
Ron
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2008 Presidential Candidates (Second Edition)
