I apologize in advance for the length of this diary. I don't usually have time to write long entries so when I do it kind of bubbles out.

Well Granny calls us purity trolls, PsiFighter says we should just grow up, Olberman is telling Obama how to do his job, to read this blog lately you'd think the entire progressive movement is about to crumble to dust because our latest patron saint of progress has declared a measure of independence from us, the "righteous" left, or perhaps the "self righteous" left is apropos.

From the perspective of a generational researcher it all comes off like some kind of self indulgent comedy, like so many brilliantly argued theses on how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. We become trapped by our own ideology, shouting into the echo chamber that is our own little corner of the blogosphere.

We wring our hands in fret, some because our once saintly anointed leader has spurned us, and others because now that we have entered meltdown mode he is surely to crumble amidst the loss of our once united support.

I originally posted this response to this diary.  I've now realized I need to post this where someone else will see it.

History lends its weight upon youth like a stone.
The young do not deserve that weight nor should they be forced to bear your history.

There is more than enough weight for them to bear in the future.

I have always been on the cusp.  My birthday is in January, on the cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius, so I'm an idealistic pragmatist (or a pragmatic idealist).  I was born in the second half of the baby boom, so I'm a Joneser (learned that this year), who was a little too young for the "fun" part of 60s, but identify strongly with the movements of my generation.  I'm a feminist who was neither a pioneer nor a real beneficiary of their sacrifices.

Follow me over the cusp.

I promised to connect, this afternoon, my parents, and how they lived and died, with the parents of Stanley Ann Dunham, Obama's mother.  Simple connection: they were all in the Greatest Generation.  But, of course, I want to go into some detail and compare the two couples, and their children, such as myself and Stanley Ann.

So, come into the Grieving Room, where we talk about the dead; and we also talk about ourselves and each other, those of us, still alive, who remember so many things about the dead.

But I really know very little about the dramatic event mentioned in the title of this diary.  Why did my father walk away from his post?  Was it mainly fear, or mainly disgust, or, my pet theory, large doses of both?  Maybe some of you can give me your educated guesses.  But first, I must tell you what I know.  I must tell you what my father told me, as best I can recall.

I had an epiphany last night about my generation and the mess this country has been steadily getting into.  Put on your 3-D glasses, folks younger than 45. Then try to imagine....

They just don't get it.  The increasingly hilarious arguments being made by the Clinton camp about Barack Obama's supposed lack of electability in November have been shown to be bunk time and time and time again.  Barack Obama can easily defeat John McCain in November (probably even more easily than she can), and everyone knows it.  Heck, Hillary even said so herself in front of millions of viewers.

But there's a big problem with the whole "electability" argument, anyway.  Let's give the mendacious Clinton camp the benefit of the doubt and say that Hillary is a sure thing, while Obama would likely lose.  Wrong, but let's grant that idea.

I.  Wouldn't.  Care.  Anyway.  And neither should you.

Well, yet again my parents generation have helped screw up this country by picking Clinton over Obama in the great state of Pennsylvania.

I had this thought earlier this evening, while reading (here on DKos, of course) another of those exchanges between old Boomers who, like me, see Obama's candidacy as both indictment and redemption.  Indictment because, regardless of how understandable it may have been, we are the ones who, following the deaths of our trio of heroes, allowed the dream to die.  

Redemption because, against all reasonable hope, we lived long enough to experience one who has re-ignited our dreams and who has the ability to lead us in carrying the dream forward, maybe even to completion this time.

Redemption is made all the sweeter by the fact that this time my generation is not dreaming alone; this time we are part of a multi-generational mosaic that looks very much like the face of America.

Somehow that all morphed itself, in my overtired mind, into this latest take-off on Jeff Foxworthy's excellent Redneck routine.  Below the fold.

...are what we'll be.

The AP, via Yahoo reports that the years 2041 and 2019 mark the projected end of funds for Social Security and Medicare, though most likely sooner.  

I was reading a very intelligent heartfelt post on HuffPO, about a boomer's take on Hillary Clinton and her campaign.  I found it insightful, and for the most part supporters of both candidates where respectful and classy in their responses and replies.  

However, I did was struck by one reply in particular.  This woman's words prompted me too poor out of my soul half (well not even half) of the issues that I have had with my parents generation.  These are things I have always thought (and stated to my parents)

Here's the conversation, and my soulful (though not my full soul) response after the break.

Is Barack Obama on the verge of becoming the first Generation X President or is he a member of the last of the Baby Boomers? Follow me over the fold and we'll take a look at the generational trends that have shaped this candidate for President.

DISCLAIMER:

Dear Trolls or potential trolls.  This post contains potentially controversial subject matter.  Readers are advised to read the whole thing before commenting.  Readers are encouraged to not split hairs, take quotes out of context, and to understand that self-awareness and the ability to entertain irony are crucial elements to civilized conversation.

Thank you very much, and enjoy your read!

Yesterday Barrack Obama stated that while all Clinton voters would certainly vote for him, many of his voters would not vote for Clinton.

oh. really.

Well, this isn't a threat, or spite or sour grapes or whatever halfcan plot  ya'll will project onto my old wrinkled head -- I'm considering McCain and this once well behaved yellow dog just might be taking a big fat chunk of the electorate with me, one I think ya'll are going to miss down the road, even though we are invisible.  that's the new thing now, isn't it?  busting down those partisan walls and building new coalitions?  Well, I'm getting itchy feet to help build one and if you read on I'll explain why.

Monday was an emotional day for many members of the generation that usually gets stereotyped and vilified in the media and on progressive sites like this one, the Baby Boomers.

Of course we were the ones who marched behind the actual Dr. King at unknown risk to ourselves, who sucked tear gas and faced the rifles of soldiers to stop the Vietnam war, and who had our lives formed and deformed by moral decisions we had to make at a young age, thanks to the draft.  And by "we" I mean "me."

According to the accepted demographic definition, Barack Obama is one of us. The Baby Boom extended from 1946 to 1964. But those of us born at its beginning know that he's of a new generation, and I'm here to say why we (meaning me and lots of others) are so happy to see the torch passed to him.      

Full disclosure: after months of indecision I became a strong Clinton supporter only at the end of last year.  I liked her proposals, I liked her depth and experience and with no clear front-runner in my head, I liked the idea of a woman in the Whitehouse.

To be completely honest, I really liked the idea of an older woman in the White House, someone who came up through many of the same battles as I had.  But with the Caroline Kennedy endorsement and the new momentum going into Super Tuesday, I have to come to terms with Obama as my nominee.  But the transition will not be pain-free.

If I had to boil it down to one reservation that sticks hardest in my heart it’s this – it feels like Obama and his supporters want me to go out on the ice and die.  It’s not the woman thing, it’s most certainly not a skin color thing,  it’s an age thing.

Well it looks like were in for another Three Stooges-like pie fight in this election. McCain the warmonger against the protester and the draft dodger. Fucking great. Another election about shit I could care less about.

My rant below:

I'm intelligent enough to recognize that some is not all because what I'm about to say does NOT apply to approximately 40-49% of the generation commonly referred to as the Baby Boomers.  I'm also intelligent enough to recognize that while Generations X, Y, and Z are overwhelmingly fantastic and the Echo Boomers to come are going to be great as well, that I too am referring to some and not all.

My message to a slim majority of baby boomers born after WW2 and during the 1950s is very simple.  You deserve NOTHING from the 3-4 generations coming after you.  You are America's Worst Generation and the fact that hundreds of millions of people coming after you simply want your generation of politics to simply fade away does not make us ageists.  You have failed, now get out of the way.