Pollster Declares End of Boomerism, Rise of the Machines
Pollster John Zogby is rarely wrong about anything, ever (except of course the 2004 election and the 2008 New Hampshire and California primaries, all of which he got 100% wrong), so we're forced to accept the claims in his most recent email blast as fait accompli. "Clinton's Defeat," it announces: "The End of Boomerism As We Know It." See, the baby-boomers are liberals who love social justice but they are also dangerously self-centered and egotistical, and also trapped in permanent adolescence. Thankfully, due to the disasters that are George W. Bush and the Clinton family, the biggest generation in American history will only get two presidents. Ha ha ha. As we said, Zogby is never wrong! Ignore Zogby at your peril! Zogby is good! Read more of his analysis below!
The Clintons are proto-typical Baby Boomers - committed to ideals of peace and justice but overwhelmed with themselves. They (we, because I was born in 1948) are consumed with being the center of attention, the bride and groom at every wedding, so much so, that the ends don't simply justify the means, they are one and the same. Getting elected is the game, the final goal, the definition of self-worth. In his recent book, former White House spokesman Scott McClellan decried the mentality of "the permanent campaign" that he said permeated the White House of George W. Bush (the other Boomer president), which in some respects mirrors the Clinton behavior.
Sad to say, Bill Clinton became best known for the hallmarks of Boomerism – self-centeredness and permanent adolescence-as exhibited by the Lewinsky affair and all the other, lesser controversies and scandals.
The obsessions and legacy of the Clintons led to what the American voters thought was their antidote-the election of Bush, the boy who woke up and discovered he was President. Of course, they were wrong.
Bush's exemplification of permanent adolescence could be seen almost immediately. The big new story out of the White House in early 2001 was his penchant to award everyone with childish nicknames, but there were other indications. Then, discussing the threat of Iraq in 2002, Bush said "After all, this is the guy who tried to kill my dad."
We soon discovered that loyalty and clubbishness trumped experience and judgment, and an inability to admit mistakes destroyed credibility around the globe and three decades of Republican prestige in handling foreign policy. All the credit that the GOP earned through Richard Nixon's efforts with China and Ronald Reagan's tactics to successfully unravel the Soviet Union from within has been lost by the inflexible, inward-looking approach in dealing with Iraq and, now, Iran.
After 16 years, Americans have finally declared, state by state, caucus by caucus, primary by primary, that they have had enough of the Boomer generation in the White House.
In the final analysis, Hillary Clinton is smart, charming-and the wrong person for the times. Voters have moved beyond Boomerism. Now, Americans will choose between an older version of duty, honor, glory, and a return to the American Century vs. a new vision of global pluralism, diversity, change, and youthful vigor.
Is Boomer Power gone forever? It is impossible right now to say one way or the other, but one thing we do know is that it has, at least, suffered a serious setback.
^^Lame, wishy-washy cop-out ending. For shame, Zogby. This surely means that Hillary Clinton CAN STILL WIN THIS THING. SHE'S ENTITLED TO IT, DAMMIT, SHE LIVED THROUGH THE '60S!