He’s One of Us Now
Two days later, Clinton won the New Hampshire primary. Humiliated, the pundits and prognosticators who expected an Obama victory went into paroxysms of guilt. We trusted the polls! they said. It was the echo chamber! But no one mentioned generational bias. Most of the reporters in the Winnacunnet press pen were embeds or bloggers—the eyes and ears of their newsrooms. Almost all were my age. And for many, Iowa was their first big election. Seduced by the familiarity—the "rightness"—of Obama's message, it was hard, as millennials ourselves, not to assume that it appealed equally to everyone. But the truth is, we're far more coddled and comfortable than previous generations. Weaned on self-esteem and offered unlimited choice (technology again), we grew up with a sense of entitlement—specifically, for control. And in New Hampshire, it seems, some Democrats heard something like entitlement in Obama's gauzy pledge to "change Washington." Untroubled by debt, or joblessness, or unsupportable children, Obama's millennial fan base (and the older, typically wealthy whites who vote with them) can afford the luxury of privileging process over policy. Clinton, on the other hand, ditches the packaging and goes straight to the product—the plans she'll fight Republicans to pass. It may not have the same "cool factor" as Obama's brand, but to Clinton's base of women, Latinos and downscale Dems, it's enough to seal the deal.
Now that the race is deadlocked, I have no idea which generation of leadership Democrats will choose: the boomer Clinton, who promises to play by the old rules and win, or the millennial Obama, who promises to change the rules entirely. But the next time I'm tempted to write that Obama's "on fire," I'll remember Joanne Barton, a New Hampshirite I met at Exeter's Loaf & Ladle café that Sunday between the Obama and Clinton events. Decades ago, Barton suffered a car crash while pregnant; her baby was born with disabilities, and after more than a dozen operations, she still walks with a cane. Clinton had always been a hero. "When I was in that hospital bed, I saw her on TV with her chin up, leading Chelsea by the hand," she told me. "That was after Monica, and it's always inspired me to keep my chin up, too." Barton was still deciding between the candidates when we met, but two days later she went with Clinton. "I'm not a rah-rah person," she said. "And Obama's relying too much on rah-rah. He's not addressing our concerns."
Whether true or not, there are plenty of Democrats who agree. So I'm going to hold off on that steak dinner for now.
© 2008



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Member Comments
Posted By: abadreview @ 07/30/2008 6:32:20 PM
Comment: Wow, the person below me should be locked up for hate crimes. It's fine if you don't want to vote Obama, but who let you out of your cage?!?!? You are a pathetic disgrace and we don't need you on the good side.
Posted By: willnotvoteobama @ 07/05/2008 8:52:18 AM
Comment: This section of DiscoverTheNetworks examines Barack Obama's connections to a number of key individuals and organizations. In some cases, these affiliates are notable for the leftist views and objectives they share with Obama. In other cases, they are notable for their collaboration with Obama in controversial or unethical activities. In all cases, they offer a window into Barack Obama's values and priorities. Taken as a whole, they verify Thomas Sowell's observation that Obama has "spent decades aiding and abetting people who hate America."
Radical and Socialist Influences:
Saul Alinsky
Bill Ayers
Carl Davidson
Frank Marshall Davis
Democratic Socialists of America
Bernardine Dohrn
Gamaliel Foundation
New Party
Socialist Scholars Conference
Political Allies and Advisors:
Ali Abunimah
Mohamed Salim Al-Churbaji
David Axelrod
Gregg Craig
Jim Johnson
Marilyn Katz
Anthony Lake
Robert Malley
Alice Palmer
Eli Pariser
George Soros
Cass Sunstein
Dorothy Tillman
Joyce Wheeler
Tim Wheeler
Religious Affiliations:
Louis Farrakan
Rev. Joseph Lowery
James Meeks
Rev. Otis Moss
Rev. Michael Pfleger
Rev. Al Sharpton
Jim Wallis
Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Organizational Affiliations:
ACORN
Arab American Action Network
Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C.
International Crisis Group
MoveOn
National Council of La Raza
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Project Vote
Sojourners
Academic Affiliations:
Rashid Khalidi
Edward Said
Cornel West
Foundations:
Joyce Foundation
Woods Fund of Chicago
Money Scandals:
Nadhmi Auchi
Robert Blackwell, Jr.
Tony Rezko
Family:
Michelle Obama
Raila Odinga
Posted By: willnotvoteobama @ 07/04/2008 10:34:18 AM
Comment: WELL ITS THE FORTH OF JULY AND I'M GOING TO THE LAKE WITH MY FAMILY AND MY MARINE CORP BUDDIES WE ARE GOING TO PARTY !!! I'VE GOT MY TRUNKS AND THE SUN SCREEN FOR THE KIDS AND WE ARE ALL GOING TO WEAR OUR NEW OBAMA SLIPPERS ! (THEY ARE FORMERLY KNOWN AS FLIP FLOPS ) THATS WHAT WE ARE CALLING THEM! NOW OBAMA SLIPPERS ALL MY FREINDS SAY THAT IT FITS PERFECTLY... SO LOOK OUT AMERICA BECAUSE OBAMA SLIPPERS ARE COMMING TO A STORE NEAR YOU !!