Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

Word. That generation needs to collectively move to Boca, pin a note to its sweater, sit down and shut up.

Gunnar: i love it when you say 'word' (we must be about the same age ;-)

I have steered clear of considering Obama as a president since reading this piece from Dr. Bob:

http://docisinblog.com/index.php/2007/05/13/wrong-is-wright/

Tom, I agree totally with your comments on Sullivan's article, which has great insight...plus I am too old to be a boomer & have NEVER voted for a Democrat for president.

DOB 1945, JFK fired me up, but the LBJ Dems war policies drove me to GOP and Nixon. I stayed there, because, as Sullivan paints it so well, the lines drawn in the 1960's have only hardened. But 9/11's perturbation, predictable as it was, and the Bush Big Bang, mismanaged as it has been, broke through more than just the Middle East's stagnation - an Obama may be what's necessary to continue the swamp drain...and the sucking sound you hear may, I pray, also be the last wounds of the Vietnam war being aspirated. Many of us, whether repatriated or amnestied, may have to hold our breath and cover our eyes, but just as only Nixon could have leapfrogged the Iron Curtain to get to China, maybe only an Obama can take us through the Gap. For a guy like me to actually enjoy and learn from both Sullivan and Hitchens, not to mention TPMB...well, this is one Boomer who's not moving to Boca. I've got several echo-boomers to track.

Far Out! I mean giving a non-Boomer a shot at leading this country. But, er... Hey man, I seem to remember that we used to select Presidents like the Roosevelts and Eisenhower who actually had a track record of excellence in running a large governmental organization. Anybody in mind?

Keep on Truckin'!

Love this piece too! Beeing a boomer (1954) from Europe/Germany:):) I see the truth of the article.

One point left: Boomeritis, as described by US Author Ken Wilber, and shared by Spiral Dynamics Integral Wizard Dr. Don Beck, isnt limited to these years before 1964 or 1960. Its an ATTITUDE of Pluralism, relativism and certain other limitations.

Best, from Germany/Berlin

To me, nearly everyone I know that is pulling for Obama is acting emotionally. It's almost as if he's a blank page that everyone is projecting a positive image onto. I've heard very few people say they want to vote for him because of what his policies are. Instead, they have this image in their mind of what he "might be".

Edwards, Richardson, Clinton, Romney and Rudy are all known quantities that we can talk about. But Obama, from what I've seen, appears to be a symbolic vote at this point. He's a one term Senator that most people know nothing about. If he says something you don't like (like Tom has posted about in the past) one is tempted to say "aw, he's just saying that because of the current political environment. He doesn't really mean it." And when he spouts some rhetoric you DO like, "There's my man!"

I just don't see voting for someone because of what year they were born. The President of the United States is more than just a symbol. If you like the stances on the majority of the issues, by all means, vote for him. But we should make sure we're voting for a real live person, not a vision of what he hope he might be..