How much do presidents merely reflect political trends vs. how much do presidents influence the direction of the country?
Carter: gritty urban decay comes to mind in TV from this era. See pictures of NYC & subway graffiti from about 1980. Star Wars, Buck Rogers
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Nixon/Ford: Hippies and other 60s radicalism in steep decline, busing/white flight, what else?
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JFK/LBJ: Spiking crime, riots, Vietnam, hippies, moon landing, civil rights stuff
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Eisenhower: 50s America, family values & baby boom, early suburbs, anti-communism, optimism about tech like nuclear power, cowboys & indians
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Anyway, I think subjectively it looks like the presidents have substantial influence over the direction and zeitgeist of the country.
End of conversation
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