I'm certainly not the first person to declare that this election represents a fundamental generational shift in American politics, and I'm sure I won't be the last (especially if Obama wins). Honestly, it doesn't get any better than Andrew Sullivan's piece in the December 2007 Atlantic - Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters - when it comes to explaining this potentially seismic movement.
According to Andrew, this shift obviously is about re-framing American politics around something other than the Baby Boomers' culture wars post-Vietnam. But at a more visceral level I think it's about power. And I don't mean power in terms of international relations, but rather how and why power is wielded electorally and from a policy perspective. Anyone who has encountered politicos at any level in the previous several decades notices the swagger of those on the right and the tentativeness of those on the left. This is obviously a sweeping generality, but I don't think I'm too far off. Post 60s it became de riguer for hawkish conservatives to be tough and for progressives to be - excuse the term - pussies.
This has been reinforced by the incessant nail-biting among Democrats. My father and I had a talk about this last night, and I said "In a month, we're going to look at Obama's pre-election polling lead and wonder why anyone had any doubt." And he reminded me, "Democrats haven't been winners in my lifetime, let alone yours."
It's sort of like high school, really. The fast economic times of the late 70s, 80s and 90s were like the carefree teenage years for the conservative, football-team-captain-like United States of America. Your problems - while seemingly devastating - are really not that big a deal, because how much trouble can you really get in? You have a stand-off with your rival team at a bar, but eventually they stand down and you declare victory (Cold War). The only fights you pick are pretty easy to win, even if you're just trying to impress your friends and shake down some lunch money (oil). But then suddenly, you're a little older, your older brother buys you some beer, and you get the keys to the new car. You start to get reckless, and all of a sudden you've maxed out your parents' credit cards (deficit, financial collapse), the car is in a ditch (Iraq or Afghanistan), and all of the smart kids are going to college (China and India).
I guess the gist is - not to put too fine a point on it - "who looks like a pussy now, conservatives?"
-Education Dude
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its gonna take me a bit to collect my thoughts on this latest post, but what i do know is there are enough methphors and analogies in those 4 paragraphs that would make Mrs. Rosetti of Voorhees Middle School proud.
there's no doubt that the United States and the world has evolved profoundly post WWII until 2000.
but as you watch the news, read the papers, and occasional Two Fairly Liberal Dudes blogs... its clear that a majority of this country has shifted its focus towards the economy.. i have no objections to that because, sure, anyone that has 401K's and other retirement accounts dwindling are going to panic...
sure, the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s were periods of economic growth and prosperity, but you cant sit there and tell me that WE, the american people, didnt see this coming? its what happens when people buy houses they cant afford, and banks lend people money that can't pay it back... not to mention anyone that had an economics class would understand that the market, "goes up, it goes down, it goes up it goes down, nobody can explain why the F it happens." -lewis black...
sure people (republicans AND democrats) made money during those times of prosperity, in fact, 8 years of which were under and democrat/manwhore in the White House... but who doesnt love Bubba..
i'm rambling here, but so is the rest of the country trying to find an answer to what seems to have everyone's attention.. the economy... but let us not forget, the world we live in dramatically changed for the worse just over 7 years ago...
and while we may be panicking about our current financial volatility, let's not forget that there are people in the world that want nothing more than to kill innocent americans.. its comforting to think that our next president is looking forward to sitting down for coffee with some of the most anti-american foreign leaders our country has seen since WWII...
now.... someone get me a Starbuck's coffee...
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