I came home from the meeting in Unity and immediately went to dinner and a play, then a day full of grandchildren. My priorities are in order, therefore, and I can now write a reflection on the day -- not on the meeting, but on what it may represent: the changing of the guard in American politics.
Too strong a statement? Consider these facts:
Any politician who came of age during the 1960s will be over sixty when Obama finishes his second term. Hillary Clinton will be sixty-nine. John McCain will be eighty. Obama may technically be a Baby Boomer, but his formative political moments were in the 1970s and 80s: the first oil crisis; the Iranian hostages; Ronald Reagan. If, like me, you're over fifty, yours, by contrast, likely are: the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King; the Vietnam War; Watergate. Between Obama and me, it's only five years, but the divide is surprisingly wide. 1968 left an indelible impression on me at age twelve -- Obama was seven. When Nixon finally gave up on Vietnam, Obama was eleven. Nixon resigned -- Obama was thirteen; maybe that resonated.
The point is that Obama is not really representative of us Boomers, but of those we've brought into the world. Boomers may well be represented in the Presidential pantheon by exactly two Presidents -- Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Our parents, by contrast, elected World War II veterans Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Ford, Reagan (sort of) and George HW Bush. Until I stood in that crowd in tiny, beautiful Unity, New Hampshire, watching Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton share a stage in harmony and with purpose, I had not seen the torch pass. I'm honored to have seen it; Clinton acknowledging finally that it's no longer up to the 60s generation, but to their successors. Her unequivocal support means Obama will win, hopefully serve two terms, remake the political landscape, and probably hand off the future to someone his age, or perhaps younger -- he'll be fifty-five.
I wrote a diary a few weeks ago in which I described an Obama response to Hillary in salesman's terms; it's what I do for a living, so it's something I understand. A number of responses pointed out that his specific body language was lifted from Jay-Z -- something I never would have known. I'm not yet cruising into my dotage, but I'm pleased to know that there's lots of talent and imagination younger than me, and I'm honored that they're still willing to engage me and my elders; after all, we still have a lot to learn -- and, if you let us, a lot yet to offer. I'm grateful that we can include Hillary Clinton among those who will continue to make a difference, and for her ringing endorsement of the future -- our shared future -- yesterday.