This is the first article that identifies Barack Obama as a Gex X leader. I am not a regular reader of The Nation, that's how I missed this one. Opps!
This is a dated article but it is still instructive. Check out the generational strategy that the Obama camp employed and realize that all politics is local and the barbarians (younger generations) are at the gate in your workplace!
Generations and debt. NBC is weighing in on what will be the crisis of the next generation. Generation X and Millennials are in trouble. Time to wake and pay up!
The nomination of Barack Obama yesterday guaranteed another historic
milestone. The next President of the United States will not be a Baby
Boomer. Whomever wins the presidency will usher in a new generation to
the Oval Office.
Will it be the first wave of Generation X (1961 – 1981) or the last wave of the Silent Generation (1925-1942)? I am student of Strauss and Howe; check out their book The Fourth Turning for more generation information.
It’s probably no surprise that the first Silent presidential candidate comes from the ranks of the senate. This generation has always been about process and compromise. This is the Peggy Sue Got Married (too early) generation. The Silents ushered in the divorce epidemic as well as civil rights, women’s rights and the age of cool.
The Silents also produced Generation X. Arguably one of the greatest generations to ever walk the earth :-) (thank you). Generation X is the “Just Do It” generation and the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off generation (savvy, smart, individualistic). They are also screwed up because they got caught in the brunt of the before mentioned divorce epidemic and the greatest anti-child period of American history.
Right now, the political campaign is all about symbols and slogans. However, if the media becomes more savvy, it will delve into the value systems of the slogans that we are already seeing.
Change vs. Honor
Audacity vs. Experience
Hope vs. Integrity
Yes We Can vs. Leadership
This is more than a generation gap. It’s a values gap, and now that Baby Boomer idealism has been checked at the door, this gap may also mark the end of the culture war.
Which generation has a corner on the marketing? That’s a traditional question and the answer is, it depends on which generation you belong to. The real question is, which candidate can capture the imagination of the other’s generational base?
Ahhh... That's a no-brainer.
(Click to enlarge)
I've been out of the loop. Today I spoke for an association at the Palm Springs La Quinta Resort & Club. A great time was had by all. Next I'm off to Atlanta to rendezvous with the lovely Mrs. James T., then we are off to the beach.
I will be out of pocket for the next few weeks.
If I find a place with wireless, I may try to pop in.... No really!
Until then... Ladies and Gentlemen... James T. Harris has left blogosphere!
Thank-you and goodnight.
Bigger than the King and chasing down the Beatles!
According to Billboards Top 100, Mariah Carey has surpassed Elvis in hits and the Beatles are now in sight.
"With her 18th chart-topper 'Touch My Body,' Mariah Carey has passed Elvis Presley for the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and is now second only to the Beatles." (See story here.)
Somehow that just doesn't seem right . . . until you stop to consider just who it is that's buying her music, or should I say, which generation.
Millennials.
Are you sick of me telling you this? They are America's largest generation and their influence is starting to be felt nation-wide. (They are around 100 million strong and they spend cash like drunken sailors!)
Now here's the question: Does anyone out there think that Ms. Carey's music is better than Elvis' or the Fab 4's?
I guess the answer depends on your generational perspective... but the answer is no. Everyone knows that the best bands ever were the B-52's and Devo.
Press for generational perspective.
I heard it's snowing at home. 3 inches? That sucks. Oh well, it's too hot here anyway. 88 degrees in March. Blah!
I'll be sitting in for Jeff Wagner tomorrow on News Radio 620 WTMJ from 12:00pm -2:00pm.
See ya then.
There is a great article on Real Clear Politics by Michael Barone about Barack Obama and his Millennial generation support.
It’s dead on. Barone even mentions the gurus of generational studies, Strauss and Howe. In the piece, which is centered around Obama and his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, Michael Barone correctly points out that Barack Obama’s speech last week was pointed at one generation and one generation only. The Millennials. He writes:
“A newspaper story on Obama's pastor is not going to affect their view of him -- they don't read newspapers except when a friend emails a link to a newspaper Website. A YouTube video is another thing. The Wright videos -- angry when Obama is soothing, racially divisive when Obama is inclusive, anti-American when Obama proclaims a new generation's version of patriotism -- are something else.”
Make no mistake, Obama's candidacy is a generational phenomenon. His greatest support comes from black voters and from Millennials (voters under 30).
The exit polls in Democratic primaries this year have shown that two-thirds of voters age 65 and over support Hillary Clinton while Obama has been cleaning up among new young voters. They are also sending in their cash.
The YouTube generation. Did Obama lose them via the Reverend Jeremiah Wright's racist rants or will he overcome?
We shall see.
