The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the political leadership qualities and policies of two kinds of presidents, those who seek greatness through progressive transformation and those who seek to preserve and modernize America’s core traditional political and cultural foundations.

This country’s traditional, political, and cultural foundations are increasingly rejected by progressives, who are now seemingly ascendant. They view the United States as fundamentally flawed by institutionalized white supremacy and irredeemably corrupted by exploitative capitalism that has been historically supported by the country’s major cultural, economic, and political institutional pillars. 

In response, a nationalist preservation movement has arisen that opposes these efforts and seeks to preserve and modernize America’s core traditional political and cultural foundations. They include opportunity, mobility, freedom, and diverse personal identities within a larger commitment to a shared core national identity.

America’s Rubicon issues are exacerbated by modern presidents like LBJ, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden who seek “greatness” through the progressive transformation of America. Preservationist presidents, like Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump seek to preserve and modernize America’s core traditional political and cultural foundations. 

This book’s theoretical and substantively anchored essays highlight the transformational or preservationist ambitions of both modern and historically “great” presidents. Interestingly, a detailed examination of the country’s agreed upon truly great presidents—Washington, Lincoln, and FDR, and their communications and policies suggest they were great while being preservationist, not because they were transformative.
 
Can America’s Rubicon be resolved with a new national compact? Yes. However, there will still be a substantial period of conflict until a new governing foundation can be established.

Stanley Renshon is a professor of Political Science at the City University of New York, Herbert H. Lehman College and the Graduate School and University Center, USA, and a certified psychoanalyst. He is the author of over 100 professional articles and 18 books in the areas of presidential psychology and leadership, immigration and American national identity, and American foreign policy.