Thomas Reid pointed me today to an article from December of 2007, in which Andrew Sullivan lays out a very cogent argument for the reasons behind the US’s bitterly partisan politics, and suggests a direction for the future. Here’s an excerpt that may sell you on the essay:
“At a time when America’s estrangement from the world risks tipping into dangerous imbalance, when a country at war with lethal enemies is also increasingly at war with itself, when humankind’s spiritual yearnings veer between an excess of certainty and an inability to believe anything at all, and when sectarian and racial divides seem as intractable as ever, a man who is a bridge between these worlds may be indispensable.… Of the viable national candidates, only Obama and possibly McCain have the potential to bridge this widening partisan gulf.”
So ten months ago, Sullivan identified the two best candidates for moving us forward, and they just happen to be the two we’re choosing between next Tuesday. The rest of his article, “Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters,” is every bit as insightful. It may be the best thing I’ve read in at least the past ten months.
Thanks for the comment and the links. I hadn’t heard of GenJones before, but having been born in 1956 myself, and working in a tech-related field, I always felt odd being categorized as a Boomer, even though I’m too old to be a GenXer. Interesting, too, to recognize Sarah Palin as a GenJones person—evidence that GenJones is represented in and finds appeal of both parties. I only wish we weren’t labeled from “Keep up with the Joneses,” but given how many iPhones are out there—to choose just one example—maybe it’s true at least in tech gizmos.
Interesting post, Lester. Relevantly, as many prominent experts these days have noted, Obama 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: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped1022pageoct22,0,2775732.column
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: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ta_Du5K0jk