Talk/Talk: Beyond Boomers

Sunday, March 30, 2008
Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, Beyond Boomers. Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, March 30, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Salit: So, related to that, is a question that Matthews framed. The backdrop is that there are three candidates in the presidential race right now. Obviously, there will be a Democratic nominee at some point. But right now there's John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The Obama candidacy represents the emergence of a new generation, a new American political voice. Its concern - and Obama articulates this very explicitly - is It's time to get past the old battles of the 60s, to get past the political categories and allegiances defined by the baby boomer generation. So, says Matthews, if that's what the American people want, can Hillary Clinton, a boomer, or McCain a pre-boomer...

Newman: Perhaps he's sort of a "bummer"...

Salit: ...can they take the country beyond those divisions, given who they are and what they represent?

Newman: No, would be my answer.

Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.