Obama's Generation X Factor

The Nation: Democrat Is No Boomer, But Will Thirtysomethings Back Him?

(The Nation)  X-ers take a novel view of the relationships between ideology, identity and activism. While Armstrong calls himself "non-ideological" and Batista Schlesinger is a "full-blown ideologue," their paths to progressive politics were oddly similar. Both were progressive in their activism long before they embraced that identity. "I don't come from a lefty background, nor was I always a lefty," says Batista Schlesinger, who says she didn't "become progressive with a capital P until seven years ago."

These "practivists," as Jessica Clark described them in In These Times, "see politics as a fluid field of choice rather than a hard-and-fast test" of ideological commitment. DMI, for example, describes itself as dedicated to "challenging the tired orthodoxies of both the right and the left." And Callahan's latest book, The Moral Center, takes the left to task for ignoring issues of personal morality, long seen as a "conservative" issue.

This is also a generation of progressives intensely focused on outcomes. None more so than netroots activists like Armstrong, whose identity as a "partisan progressive" is best captured by this Harry Truman quote: "The Democratic Party does not dodge issues or seek to gloss them over. We state them boldly. We propose concrete and practical action to solve them.... It is a program of what should be done and what our experience tells us can be done."

With this pragmatic approach comes a certain impatience with the "romanticism" of boomer lefties. X-er progressives are far less inspired by the idea of "saving the world" than fixing the local school system or creating a green transit alternative that can be replicated across communities, as long as it's a specific problem with a concrete solution. "We're not trying to change things. We're trying to fix things," Anne McCord proudly told Time in 1990. "We are the generation that is going to renovate America. We are going to be its carpenters and janitors."

It's a roll-up-your-sleeves, nuts-and-bolts politics, built on collaboration. "Before I had a political ideology, I had a process," says Batista Schlesinger. These process-oriented values are reflected in adjectives -- collaborative, open, transparent, bottom-up, fair -- rather than big vision statements or policy slogans like Limited Government or Global Peace. The netroots' "user-generated politics" is a natural extension of these values. "What they stand for is different from traditional liberalism. And the influx of the Millenials, who are now aligning themselves with Democratic politicians and policies, is a direct result of that shift," says Armstrong.

X-er ambition is perfectly embodied by the now infamous anti-Hillary spoof of Apple's "Big Brother" ad, created by 33-year-old Phil de Vellis, who declared it a victory for citizen politics. "The underlying point," he says, "was that the old political machine no longer holds all the power." No one, however, picked up on the subtext of generational change -- a message that has become the rallying slogan of the Obama campaign.

But does Obama represent a new generation of lefty politics? The Audacity of Hope certainly hits all the same notes as many of his X-er peers: the journey from political alienation to commitment; an impatience with the ideological legacy of the '60s; measured skepticism toward liberal verities; a push for a new paradigm for a new millennium. And he displays characteristic X-er impatience with the traditional left/right divide on policy matters. As Obama told a New Hampshire audience, "I'm a Democrat. I'm considered a progressive Democrat. But if a Republican or a conservative or a libertarian or a free-marketer has a better idea, I am happy to steal ideas from anybody, and in that sense I'm agnostic."

But Obama's vision of generational change has been remarkably thin on the details. For all the fuss over his Facebook following, his netroots strategy looks a lot like old-fashioned marketing. "He's skipped right over the blogosphere to the younger social networking sites, where he can be embraced in a way that he is more comfortable with," says Armstrong, arguing that Obama's boomer campaign managers prefer to sell him to the Millennials as a cool brand name with its very own catchy slogan, "Generation Obama," that they can embrace.

It may be one reason X-ers have not overwhelmingly embraced his candidacy. Hillary Clinton is way out ahead in polls among all age categories except the Millennials, who favor Obama. Of course, there is a vast gap between national polls and the voting preferences of activists. In a straw poll conducted at the Take Back America conference this year, John Edwards was far more popular with X-ers than any other age group, perhaps because he has been far more willing to openly challenge the Democratic establishment than his rivals. Their second choice was Obama. The boomers split their votes more evenly among the three candidates.

The latest research conducted by the Pew Research Center picks "Anxious Xers" as the swing voters to watch in 2008. "They're at a stage in the life cycle where they get into citizenship and voting in ways they weren't four or even eight years ago," says president Andrew Kohut, though they're anxious about the same things they worried about as twentysomethings: income equality, lack of wage growth, the environment and, more recently, rising healthcare costs. The good news for Democrats, says Kohut, is that they're leaning progressive.

One way or the other, progressive X-ers will likely find themselves back in the headlines over the coming years. A new generation of leaders -- be it Obama or netroots bloggers or social justice activists -- is at the right age and moment, with the skills and knowledge required to change the political landscape, plus the gift of historical hindsight. It's an important moment, but its outcome remains uncertain. The netroots may fall prey to technological triumphalism and narrow definitions of gain, much like those who got swept up in the dot-com boom. Generational change may also quickly devolve into political infighting if X-ers and boomers are unwilling or unable to find a way to build on the old toward the new. Or X-ers may end up like the Silent Generation, who, sandwiched between the GI Generation and the baby boomers, were simply squished into obscurity.

If all else fails, there's this small consolation: At least we lowly X-ers can swing-vote our way out of Camp Limbo in 2008. Move over, Security Mom -- here comes Molly Ringwald.

[antihysteria]

My God, does this sort of article bug me. Every time someone discusses the generation gap, it's always from the perspective of the younger generation. Is it ever tiring. There is nothing special about Generation X and there was nothing especially disappointing about the so-called Baby Boom generation, other than the fact that they have yet to live up to their promising potential and were forcibly kept down by the WWII generation, a tough act to follow in many respects. There were lost souls among the Baby Boomers but it has become difficult to tell the lost souls from the best of the breed because so many of them conformed to our rather rigid society's very narrow idea of what is an acceptable way to live your life while others ran from the modern world and never tried to make anything of themselves at all. Between those two extremes are a relative handful of beautiful people. They are few and far between, that much is certain. They have well developed talents, they work long and hard, and they have attained a fair deal of relative wisdom. Finding one of them is a real task because they are difficult to recognize. To say that the leaders of that generation, whether in politics, business, or academia, have somehow let down the nation, is to fail to recognize who the real leaders of the older generation are. Not a group to worship achievements that appear more impressive than they really are, unlike Generation X and the WWII generation, nor to wear their medals on their chests, you aren't about to meet them by asking your local young person, who thinks he or she knows all.
As for Generation X, so many of them do seem lost, shallow, soulless, given to mutilating themselves with abandon, drinking themselves sick, whining, complaining, and spending money on foolish pursuits and ephemeral goals. But they're not all that way. Although you will almost never find one without his trusty cell phone, Ipod, notebook computer, or a host of other gadgets (while to watch them have personal conversations on the horn right in public is truly depressing), there are Gen Xers who are artistic, serious, believe in the pursuit of excellence, and possess a healthy skepticism about the capitalistic excesses of the modern world. There are? Where, praytell, are they? Once again, however, these relatively enlightened young people are few and far between and hard to meet. Since they have such trouble linking up with the handful of elders who can really impart something of value that they don't already know (or think they know), they fall into the easy trap of thinking the entire older generation (ha ha ha) are just like their parents. Hey, kids, not every Boomer even had brats like you. Don't lump them all under the same umbrella. It just ain't so.
Getting to Obama, he strikes me as smart, thoughtful, and confident. But he is still very young for a president and vulnerable to being manipulated by those who will try to mislead him. Already, he is handing out welfare by the hundreds of billions to the richest Americans. Where did he get the idea that such a policy is going to help us out of a deepening recession? How will he have money to spare for the idealistic reforms he envisioned and spoke about in his campaign that we truly need? Most disturbing of all, what the heck is he doing increasing the FBI budget and using the FBI to scrutinize the backgrounds of even the lowest level applicants for jobs in the Executive Branch? No, I don't see an entirely rosy picture with Barack at the helm, even though I wish him the best, that is, until I can see what he is really all about. So far, we're getting some very mixed messages. And if the author truly believes that one exceptionally young president signals the end of an entire generation's influence and power, that writer is sadly mistaken. The best of them have yet to be acknowledged. Will they ever be? Time will tell.

[marytnurse-2009]

Commenters; DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you spout half truths! Research ethics, research voting records. Read his proposals in as much detail as you want at his website. The people of Illinois LOVE Obama. He IS one who will unite this tragically divided country again.

[jowand]

You''''re right! Bushit has done an incredible amount of damage. The deserter, drunk driver, coke snortering pimple punk from Yale who got ahead only because his Daddy has money and power is hardly the exemplar of the American Dream!
Posted by gkc99 at 05:26 PM : Nov 23, 2007

You could be speaking of more than half the members of Congress, 3 generations of the Kenndys, most all of the Hollywood role models. Oh and you have a foul mouth too, his name is Bush.

[gkc99]

If it weren''t for the "boomers", the message to Obama would be "get back to de cotton field, boy!" Or he might be called "the Nigra candidate".

Oh wait, Romnuts still calls him that!

[gkc99]

"A president is supposed to be a role model. A former illegal substance abuser, drunkard, and goof-of has no right being president. His being president would only foster similar conduct among kids. "--Posted by denn034


You''re right! Bushit has done an incredible amount of damage. The deserter, drunk driver, coke snortering pimple punk from Yale who got ahead only because his Daddy has money and power is hardly the exemplar of the American Dream!

[omega39-2009]

On Obama - Little by little, his past is coming out - death of a thousand cuts.
Posted by ramos937

And of course the GOP is right there to ignore it''s own little drunk driving, coke snorting thug in the WH while playing on anything that can "damage" the dems.

Hillary, oh she''s a socialist and married to BJ Bill
Obama, he did drugs and his middle name is Hussein
Edwards, what can you say about the breck girl except he''s a trial lawyer.

[bill1fj]

Obama is a talker and an actor.
He doesn''t do anything.
Look at his record in Congress. NOthing but talk.
To be a real leader you need to talk and then follow up with action.
As the people in Illinois say: "Wheres Obama?"

[ramos937]

My candidate is Bill Richardson. The more I learn about Clinton and Obama, the more convinced I am that Bill is the better choice. He might not look as pretty; he might not have the money the other guys do but he has not done drugs, he has extensive experience in and out of government and can get along well with both Republicans and Democrats. Provided he stays in the race, more folks will see him as I do and vote for him.

On Clinton - You like her or you hate her. Very few folks in between. Also, should she win, we can look forward to the tabloids and right wing talk show hosts making a career off her.

On Obama - Little by little, his past is coming out - death of a thousand cuts. I never knew he did drugs while a young man. Also, he is unable to handle awkward questions in a competent manner - too easy to rattle.

[rowdytexan2]

Before Mr. Obama runs for president again, he needs to take training in extemperaneous speaking. He tends to flop on questions that he hasn''t ''prepared''. Being the nationa''s president is a whole lot different than teaching a law course or organizing neighborhoods in an already free world.

His appeal to the X generations and the Millinea generations, but boomers are still very much in charge of the country and hold the money. I don''t know what he thinks those generations can do for him, or what he intends to gain by telling them he was a druggie, alkie, and goof off. We already know no one is perfect. It''s not a new concept.

I''ve read most of his proposals for change and they don''t tell me much. He''s just proposing propping up the same old programs in a different way. We need to hear new ideas on how to phase old programs into something much better.

We need a health program, not that allows us more fricking money to buy health insurance. We need a way to get health insurers out of the picture altogether. I don''t like having a middle man decide on my health care. The only thing these companies do is suck off the people for gains for their shareholders.

We need a program that directly provides health care for our people. One that holds them to cost without profiteering. These people are making millions off the suffering of the ill. Who the hell gave them permission to do THAT?

Why don''t you whack on that idea for awhile, Mr. Obama??

[marytnurse-2009]

While it appears many of you read your emails as if they are your religious doctrine, you clearly have not informed yourselves on the truth. Senator Barack Obama has been a political activist, starting on the ground at 23 years of age as a community organizer in Chicago''s inner city to unite the communities for their betterment. He returned to graduate school and become President of the Harvard Law review, where he made appointments to editorial positions from all factions at Harvard, thus uniting them to produce some of the best Reviews still. He has taught constitutional law while continuing to work for Chicago and for Illinois in the state Senate and the US Senate. He and I were born ''between'' generations, sometimes claimed by and sometimes renounced by both the Boomers and the GenXers.

His willingness to be a solid role model for our nation''s youth about how to overcome a troubled past, his understanding of the issues facing our public school systems, his ability to consistently cross the aisles and unite will serve this nation well in a time of moral crisis.

If you want to engage in dialog, let''s do so. Telling lies is not dialog.

[a8151947]

PRESIDENT Hillary Clinton.
Yes Yes Yes

[omega39-2009]

He is not a Boomer,
Posted by A8151947

Most of the sources I can find say the boomer generation went from 1946 - 1964, at 46 Obama would be a baby boomer.

[a8151947]

He is not a Boomer, and he should not be the next president. He should stay home and go back to school and learn something. Not run around taking/ being a illegal substance abuser, drunkard, and goof-of. He has no right being president. His being president would only foster similar conduct among kids.

[denn034]

A president is supposed to be a role model. A former illegal substance abuser, drunkard, and goof-of has no right being president. His being president would only foster similar conduct among kids.

[omega39-2009]

e often speaks to the Millennials, recently telling cheering college kids in South Carolina, "It''s your generation''s turn." But rarely mentioned is Obama''s own generation, i.e., Generation X, the Lost Generation, whose name has been virtually erased from the national conversation.

I thought I read once that the boomers went all the way to 1964.