Post Baby-Boom Era

I recognize, as many have said, that my generation stands on the shoulders of the civil rights movement, and the modern industrial age that was carved out after the end of World War II. In other words, I owe much to the generations that came before me.

However, I think it is important to note, that there wasn’t just a racial barrier that was shattered today, we also broke a generational one. 25% more people under the age of 25 voted in this election than voted in the last one, and 13% more people in the 26-44 age bracket (which at 42, I fit into) also voted in this election that did not vote in 2004. Those two age-brackets were the only two that voted more for Obama than against him.

So the data is clear: we are now officially in a post-Baby Boomer electorate.

For the first time ever, we have a modern President that didn’t face the draft during Vietnam, or wasn’t a veteran of World War II. So in other words, we have elected a President that isn't trapped by the culture war that has dominated this country for decades.

We have elected a President that was a pioneer in using the internet in motivating and mobilizing an electorate, and was able to largely reject corporate donations in lieu of micro-payments from ordinary people. This in turn, ensured his campaign was boosted massively by young voters, who participated in democracy for their first time ever.

We have, my friends, elected the first true President of the 21st Century, elected largely by people who will now definitively shape the century ahead.

We now have a president, who understands how the world has changed since the end of the Cold War, that grew up in a true multi-cultural environment, (just like we did, but our parents didn't).

If you are like me, you never attended a school that wasn’t racially and culturally diverse in the classroom and you've yearned to see a government truly reflect the very environment we grew up in.

What will my generation and future generations bring to this world now that we are now fully empowered? What lessons did we learn, from history, and what lessons do we bring from our own unique experience?

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This Close to History

Standing this close to a historical moment, can be a very humbling experience. I find myself wondering what it must have been like to read about Pearl Harbor, or to experience the surrender of the Nazi regime in London.

I have had few historical moments in my life that have come somewhat close to that magnitude. One was, I witnessed my home province of Quebec reject a referendum that would have begun the process of separation in Canada. Another was, I witnessed Nelson Mandela finally get released, and then take command of the South African government via the ballot box. I also witnessed the Berlin wall falling down, and watched Germany unify once more.

Today, once again, I feel connected to history. It is a very satisfying feeling. I will try and document my thoughts…

• We saw the youth of this country participate in the democratic process at unprecedented levels. This is, in my opinion, is just as vital an accomplishment as the racial barrier that was broken last night. Indeed, it might just be the lasting legacy of this election. The race problems in America, will take another generation (or more) to fully resolve; Obama’s election was just a stepping stone to that arduous climb, but not the pinnacle. However, I think younger voters will continue to stay mobilized and invested in this country, because Obama showed us how you can include them in unprecedented numbers. Young people in America, take a bow. It doesn’t matter who you voted for, you came out in throngs, and invested in this country’s future, I am very proud of you.



• I was particularly thrilled to see Obama’s acceptance speech underline the theme of unity. In other words, to establish an agenda of non-partisanship, to understand the importance of working with all people, of all persuasions and politics to solve the difficult problems ahead. It was the first real sign Obama will govern from the center, and that the election was not a mandate to return to “tax and spend” liberalism of decade's past. If Obama can somehow miraculously diminish the poisonous politics of the baby-boom generation, and embrace a competitive, spirited but respectful debate moving forward, I believe this will be a monumental achievement.



• My favorite quote last night, from all the pundits, all the panels and all the analysis came from a French journalist on the Charlie Rose show. He quoted a voter he met in New York, who surmised my own feelings on the historic nature of this election so beautifully:

Rosa Parks sat, so that Martin Luther King could walk, so that Barack Obama could run, so that America could fly.

Amen. I feel like I could fly today, that’s how good this feels.

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Generation Gaps & Israel

I criticize HuffingtonPost regularly, as being just a collection of celebrities, who cheerlead for democrats. Also I believe every time Arianna opens her mouth, the cause of progress suffers. :)

None the less, on rare occasion, smart people (rather than famous people) write intelligent things at that highly partisan site. Yesterday, I thought this editorial was quite interesting.

Much of the editorial, is just boiler-plate endorsement of Obama, but contained within that, is this important commentary on how the younger generation views Israel:

Now there is a generation growing up that is more distant from Israel than I should like. Young Jews do not automatically support Israel, and many are rightly troubled by what they learn about the ill treatment of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation. No longer motivated by fear of anti-Semitism, they seek to understand what Israel stands for, not to say "my Israel, right or wrong." Without strong support among the younger generation of American Jews, Israel may lose its vital relationship with the US government.
-- Edgar Bronfman

MY COMMENT: We now have many young Jewish voters, who cannot remember the Suez crisis, and read about the peace treaty between Begin and Sadat in their history books.

The divide between orthodox and secular in Israel must be monumental right now, but I wonder if there is middle-ground between the two, and if the young generation in Israel can help to find that common ground?

I also wonder how demographics Israel's elections. How many Israelis under the age of 30, support the Likud I wonder?

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Snazel Blog Feedback

We don't get many comments on this blog, but when we do, it almost always provides great feedback.

For example: Culture Vulture commented recently on my thread about generational politics entitled Generation We vs. Generation X vs. Baby-Boomers. The comment is listed below...

As many prominent experts have noted, Obama (and you, born in 1963) is a member of Generation Jones–born 1954-1965, between the Boomers and GenXers.

Here is a column by Clarence Page about GenJones in last week’s Chicago Tribune.

And this new 5 minute GenJones video features many top pundits (including David Brooks, Clarence Page, Dick Morris, Juan Williams, Karen Tumulty, Howard Wolfson, Michael Barone, etc.) specifically talking about Obama (and Palin’s) membership in Generation Jones, as well as the surprisingly big role that GenJones is now playing in this election. Link to the video is here
-- CultureVulture

The next comment comes from Geoff who writes his own fine blog here.

Geoff wrote a couple of comments, but the one I'd like to highlight is the following, he wrote this in response to my rant about how "old school" and "Washington Insider" Obama's tentative cabinet choices look to be. A link to the original thread is here

Geoff's comment is below:

I think Obama is overcompensating for people's concern that he does not have enough experience. With the absurdly inexperienced Gov. Palin on the Republican ticket, Obama is not the one people are worrying about as far as experience goes. Agreed, Obama should reject this list. The old hands have failed us time and time again. He needs to put the power in new hands, starting with his own.
-- Geoff

Thank you both for the comments.

We vs. X vs. Baby-Boom

Everyone should see this, because even if you don't agree with the message, it should certainly spark a worthy discussion...



I have much to say about this, and while some of my commentary is quite negative, overall I have to say, I applaud this video. It may be a little cheesy, self-righteous and presumptuous, but it has its spirit in the right place, and it also signals the death of political power dominated by the baby-boomer generation, (which personally I cannot wait to see).

Personally, I am just two years younger than Obama, which puts me right at the cusp of "Generation X" and the end of "Baby Boomer". I've always considered myself as "Generation X" because my parents were born in the middle of World War II. I grew up with, recognize, and identify with much of Gen-X culture.

I have to say, I think a new generation finding its own identity and purpose is a good thing. What I especially like about the video above, is how often they suggest that their generation rejects partisanship.

If this is true, how will the cheerleader blogs and media (DailyKOS, Huffington, Rush Limbaugh, NRO) captivate this new generation? If all they do is attack the other side, demonize ideas contrary to their own, how can they expect to capture this new generation of voters?

I wonder how long it will be before JWR, KOS and other sites like it, will be seen to be as anachronistic as Dick Cavett, Donovan and Catcher in the Rye?

Hopefully not too much longer, because the need for true bipartisan and intelligent dialog (rather than pom-poms and rhetoric) is sorely needed. I sincerely hope this "Generation We" brings true bipartisan dialog to the internet.