New In The Phoenix: Obama's Generation

Published Mar 05 2008, 07:50 PM by David S. Bernstein

In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix, I have an essay about Barack Obama -- the first potential President of my generation. I suggest that he has built his campaign on themes and rhetoric that are foreign to people born, as both he and I were, between the Baby Boomers and the Boomers' children, the Millennials. Hope and idealism are not in our vocabulary.

And when I look back at Obama's career, I see him more like me and my generation. When did he become like this?

My answer: perhaps he's adopted this persona because it appeals to the Boomers and Millennials, whose votes he needs to get elected.

The issue is out tomorrow, but the article is online now:

Obama Outside the Boom
The first political leader of my generation acts nothing like the rest of us — which might be how he’s gotten where he is.