Thu 28 Feb 2008
The Clintons, if anything, are complicated. Very complicated – sometimes seeming compassionate and sometimes appearing aloof and disconnected.
I do think however the Clintons do care about the safety and well-being of America. Regardless of all the bullshit and punditry, they are advocates of America. I am not one of those who keep chanting “9-11 changed everything.” It didn’t change everything, George W. Bush changed everything. 9-11 could have been prevented but in Bush’s fever to erase all things Clinton from the White House, he sat on all the Al Qaeda intel and actions Clinton/Gore put into place.
Bush changed everything.
Sadly, I think the Clintons have not. I rewatched the documentary War Room this past week and I see the same playbook being used today on the campaign trail. What worked in the 80’s in Arkansas and in New Hampshire in 1992 is now outdated and shoeworn. We uppity progressives and liberals took up citizen journalism in the tradition of Thomas Paine. Only now, instead of pamphlets, we have Wordpress and Scoop, diaries, Google, social networking, YouTube and Adobe Software. We can track down damn near every lead, every fact, every nuance and collectively pound out a million words within an hour on any hot topic.
Howard Dean was the first politician to get a clue. He knew the power of people-powered politics, blogs and citizen journalists while Jame Carville was still working the old media Crossfire gig. One would change the world and the other would die.
I think that is the root of Hillary Clinton’s problem, it is her inability to embrace change. I am not speaking of the overused campaign meme of a change in government, but change in terms with what has happened to the Democratic party. Democrats and progressives in general have turned their back on the DLC. When Carville demanded Howard Dean’s resignation after Dean’s 50 state strategy paid off in spades is a another sign of being shoeworn.
Those days have passed.
Obama is barely 18 months older than I am – I blog, use social network tools and am a slave to Adobe. His and mine, was the first generation to grow up with software in the home – Apple, Atari and Commodore’s were everywhere. I am not saying he was geeked out with an Apple ][ in his basement, I am saying he is more aware of what those tools can do to democracy. My Mom is near Hillary’s age and she has problems with mastering AOL. She is a user, not a groker.
Obama groks it, he is AJAX.
Bill and Hillary are legacy apps.
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February 28th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I do not remember who said it, but I heard a neat little quote that went something like this:
“Your generation is the most informed generation of our time. You have access to more information than any other generation before. Use it.”
I do not think that is exactly how it was phrased, but the point was, that this generation – those born in the late 70’s and early 80’s have access to more knowledge, more information and have far more resources than our parents did. We have computers, the iNternet, online books and other ways of transmitting billions of words all the way around the world at the speed of light.
That said, there is no reason why we, as a people, should remain uninformed. There is even less of a reason why we, as a people, should willingy remain ignorant.
Yes, I understand that the older generations (your parents, my parents, etc.) have problems with adjusting…hell, there have been more changes in the last ten years in technology than happened 30 years ago. I mean, when I was growing up, the things we could do with computers and IT now was the stuff of science-fiction and strictly the source of the wildest of imaginations.
Anyway, I agree completely that the Clintons are old. Their way of doing business is old…and those people that were born in the 70’s and early-to-mid 80’s (pretty much who are between 25 and 40) are tired of the way things are done, and through their age, are now more interested in the processes. They don’t want the old “Business as usual” running the show. They want something new and they want people in charge that can connect to them.
The Clintons, despite their best intentions, can’t do that anymore.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Ah, Ha – Animefreak 40k,
I am of the generation of Billary, yet I was moved very much, the first time I heard Obama speak. The man has vision, a
unique grasp – for a politician, anyway) on what is really going on.
He also realizes this this is the exactly right time for members of his, your generation, to step up to the plate, and
take your cuts at magor league pitching.
Billary, and ho,ho,ho,ha,ha McCain have not the eyesight, the vision and the tool kits you younger folks have, to see, let alone make contact with a fastball travelling at the speed of light; the velocity and voltage of the incredible socio-technology occuring today in our culture.
Sometimes, I feel like a Boy/Girl/Younger People Scout leader;
in one example for instance, where I, am Obama delegate staring at age 60, will be sheperding 2 others to our state convention (ages 18 and 23)come May 30th.
Where I may most certainly have more general life experience,
I have come to be positively sure, that for me to remain as effective and productive as a contributing member of society,
I must stay with the times, keep an open mind and keep my eyes and ears open.
I daresay, that I try to learn as I can from younger counterparts, as they might be willing to try to understand my “wisened” viewpoints.
Boy, all I can say, what a team I find myself a member of.