The younger generation’s true political legacy won’t be known for many more years, and last night was but the first chapter in it.
Anyone under the age of 30 has no memory of Carter’s “malaise”, stagflation, or the national humiliation of the Iran hostage crisis. They’re mere lines in a history book. They didn’t see how the idealism of the 60s devolved into the destruction of families, breakdown of societal norms amid misguided and futile attempts to “control” the economy.
Save but the first two years of Clinton, they have never seen Democrats in total control and ultimately responsible for the policies they impose on the country. Republicans either as President or in Congress represent “old” to them, and Republicans ignore that at their peril. But the youthful impulse either for idealism or for amorphous “change” has not yet met the reality of governance, with its inherent comprimises, failures and unexpected events.
Just as many former hippies and hangers on from the 60s became Reagan voters once confronted by reality, so too will many of these enthusiastic and naive voters reassess their views later in life.
Should events or misjudgements overcome Obama, the reassessment could be swift. Long-term, the younger generations will eventually be faced with the reality that they will be forced to pay for the governmental excesses of their elders (sadly, Bush has contributed greatly to this). They will realize that government cannot provide economic security for their parents and grandparents while guaranteeing their prosperity as well.
