Forum: Who elected Bush? 'Generation Jones' (54-64).

[happyslug]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04340/421595.stm


Read the Article it describe the largest group of American who voted for Bush, and that group is defined by AGE not any other factor.

I would call the group 54-64, the peaking and decline of the Baby Boom (The Baby Boom peaked in 1957 and fizzled out in 1964, there was a huge drop in births between 1964 and 1965, thus 1964 is considered the end of the baby boomer's generation).

Growing up in that "Generation" I like to point out Three things this article does NOT bring up, but I believe explain this groups massive support for Bush.

First the draft ended in 1973, with no one going to Vietnam who did not Volunteer after 1972, thus the 1954 (Anyone who was born in 1954,turned 18 in 1972). Thus this is the FIRST GROUP OF PEOPLE NOT SUBJECT TO THE DRAFT OR SOME OTHER COMPULSORY SERVICE SINCE THE DRAFT STARTED IN 1941 (Which affected everyone born after 1914, the 1941 draft covered all males between 18 and 27, thus all males born after 1914). Thus this group is the first group of males NOT seeing military duty in over 40 years. They did NOT participate in the Anti-War movement of the 1960s (they were to young, through many of them opposed the war in High School).

Second, this is also the first "Suburban" Raised generation. Most people before 1954 lived in the City, after 1954 more and more families with children lived out in the Suburbs. This caused a dis-connect with the urban environment. I remember growing up and talking to suburbanites and you could see the "Fear" they had of the inner city. When you told them is was safe, they did not believe you. Furthermore you often had a "language" barrier, during College I was working with Suburban College student, and he said he was from "St Clair". I looked at him and tried to figure out what he was saying, then it dawned on me, He meant "Upper St Clair" a rich suburb of Pittsburgh, NOT St. Clair Village an almost all Black Inner City Public Housing Area. This was typical, the suburban raised children had no connection with the City and made an effort to avoid it.

A third problem is this generation is your first true Automotive Generation. While they came of age during the First Oil Crisis of the 1970s, they grew up in an area where they were bussed to School, and than drove to work once they turned 18. They did this even during the Gasoline Criss of the 1970s. They did NOT turn to public Transit, that was for inner city losers, they definition of independence from their parent was a driver's license and a Car.

Thus this group does not believe the Draft will come back, for they were not subject to it. This generation wants to keep their suburban life style for they were raised in it and thus incorporated it into their image of themselves (and anyone who attacks that image is the enemy, including urbanites, and anyone who suggest they give up their car and suburban house).

All three things are from this generation, in School the Schools catered to them (The School Board knew this group was coming so built their schools in the 1950s to accommodate them, thus they tended to have new schools and/or new rebuilds some time during their Education).

None of the above is in the opinion piece, but the above explain why the baby Boomer's born between 1954 and 1964 voted so heavily for Bush.

[acmavm]

1. Their children will be the sacrifice on the high altar of ignorance and

stupidity of these people. They didn't elect someone who will protect and defend their dumb asses, they elected someone who will use their kids and grandkids for cannon fodder.

[happyslug]

4. My point of posting the piece and my comments

This group, the people born between 54-64, do NOT connect the actions of Bush and the Draft. They do NOT connect the decline in the Economy and Bush's tax cuts. They have theirs and they believe Bush will protect them and their property. Sad in seeing the disconnect, but the disconnect exists for this generation NEVER had to connect the dots. In School the earlier 47-54 Baby Boomer's suffered Shortages do to the sudden increase in Children being born after WWII, but the 54-64 Generation reaped what the Children of 47-54 had sowed.

The 47-54 Generation went to Vietnam and quickly learned to opposed the War. The Result was no draft for those born 54-64 and again the 54-64 generation reaped what earlier generations had reaped.

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s (Followed by the Anti-War Protests of the 1964-1972) lead to the abolishment of the Draft AND increased spending in College Education (Both Federal and State). Thus again the 54-64 Generation reaped what the 47-54 Generation had sowed.

Now I was born in 1958 right after the peak, but I saw the affect of the decline in the baby boomer's between 60-64 (and saw my School District CUT education as result of the Decline in number of Baby Boomer's born after 1957). I saw the same in College. My Sister (Ten Years older) had to pay for her education with loans, I had grants, but younger sisters (Born 63-64) had to do with loans (Through this time government loans as opposed to private bank loans of the 1960s).

Thus I would narrow it down even more to the 1954-1958 group. In 1958 you had the worse Recession between the Great Depression and Reagan's 1982 Recession. That Recession is the start of the Decline of the Baby Boomer's. People Responded to that Recession by having less Children (Leading to the Drastic Drop after 1964). My point to bringing this up is to show that the 54-64 group can be divided even more, roughly 54-60, the group around the peak of the baby boom (1957) AND the decline of the Baby boomer's 60-64. I suspect the people born 54-60 are more pro-bush than those born before and after those dates. This article tends to show it is true for pre-54 but I have no documents to show it for post 1960 born people.

My point is the generation 54-60 were the favored group of people during their whole life. This is the single largest group of people in America, and have been since 1957. They are used to being catered to, and expect to be catered to. Bush Catered to them and they believe Bush is will catered to them. Sacrifice? This generation? They had never had to before, why now? Even in the 1970s when they came of age efforts were made to give them employment and college to a level today's Congress will not even think about. This is in many ways the spoiled generation, never had to give up anything but received the benefits of other people fights.

[acmavm]

6. I understood that, but I was pointing out the price they'll pay for their

ignorance.

Also, we who should have known better are at fault as well. We grew up during the Viet Nam, Watergate era. We knew how bad things could be and in our arrogance we let our guard down. We didn't teach these kids a damn thing. We didn't think we had to, that we won the fight, Nixon got on the plane in disgrace, and it would all be better from then on.

Just a few years difference between us, and we didn't pass on the lessons we had to learn the hard way. Yes, they most certainly were spoiled. But who spoiled them?

Now we have a nation of people who elected a guy who was as spoiled as they come. He never paid for a mistake, never got a job on his own, never suffered for the harm that he caused so many people. And he's older than they are, he's from the Viet Nam generation. But he was a coward and a liar who skated through life and is still skating. It's one of the biggest ironies in history that a guy who went AWOL because he couldn't pass a physical and didn't want to spend his time in a flight simulator has caused one of the biggest catastrophies in the history of this country. That's the part that just kills me. When it was his turn to serve, he chickenshitted out. Now he's throwing all these kids into the hell that is Iraq.

[happyslug]

10. I agree with you, my point was the 54-60 group IDs with Bush

n/t

[Warpy]

2. It's that 34-49 cohort, born between 1955-1970

and the reason the author cites are good ones. They were spared the real brunt of the OPEC fueled economic disaster of the 70s, and their experience has been a stock market that has generally gone up (which is why they have such a childlike and absolute faith in it for social security). They don't remember what this country was like for working people when the New Deal reforms were in place, before the massive inflation of the 70s caused everybody's taxes to shoot up. They don't know that the only homeless people we used to see were the skid row drunks who hadn't been able to cadge enough money for a flop or whose military pension checks had run out before the end of the month. The have no idea what this country was life when the manufacturing base was located here and people could work for the same company their whole lives and know they would have a pension and health insurance to see them through their retirements.

They just have no clue. They think the country was always this harsh and inhumane a place, and that poor people were always criminalized, and that sick people were punished for being sick, and old people were despised for living too long.

And they don't care.

[chi_girl_88]

8. I'm in the "old" end of that cohort

Born in '61. 43 years old...err, young.

Too young to be a Baby Boomer, too old to be GenX.

My first political memory, is of Nixon, and Watergate.

I came of age (as an adult) when the homeless became news. When AIDS stopped being just a gay disease - and consequently, when casual sex became un-cool.

We "get it" - trust me.

Just wanted to speak up for all the 40-something's out there. We're not the bad guys.

[Warpy]

11. There are exceptions to every rule

However, that cohort is the backbone of Bush's support.

[NVMojo]

3. interesting point but then what about all the retired folks

I know who are over 54 and supported bush and the war in iraq? These were the ones who did go to Nam or knew someone who did, whose parents may have served in WWII if they didn't and they still think that we should support our Prez in war, no matter what. I've met tons of these folks....they must not have been anti war hippies...

[happyslug]

7. Statistics are what you use to judge groups

You always have "out layers" i.e. people who do NOT meet the Statistic. People who grew up in the 1930s knew of the effect of the Depression, but you also had Millionaires and people who made money during the 1930s. Thus you will have people who do not match their generation, but as a whole people tend to follow patterns and those patterns are what statistician are trying to find when they use statistics.

Also remember starting next month everyone born before 1940 will be eligible for Social Security. Thus NEW Senior Citizens do NOT remember the Great Depression or WWII, older ones do but they are dieing off.

Also remember how the Baby Boom received its name. Do to the Great Depression and WWII there was a low number of births between 1927 and 1947. Thus when Women started to have Babies in 1947 the term "Baby Boom" was coined. The Chief reason for the lack of births during the 1930s was people put it off do to the bad economy. One of the Side affects of this is many of today's retirees are the product of people who had jobs during the Depression (and as such tended to be much better off then most people and thus tend to be Republicans).

My point here is simply because some Senior Citizens oppose or support something does not mean most Senior Citizens oppose or Support something. In the case of Senior Citizens they tended to Vote Democratic but over 40 % Voted GOP (This split is consistent with almost all groups, 55% on side, 45 % the other). Statistics is a way for us to understand how trends are going (i.e. How a group of people are going) NOT what one person will do.

[Crunchy Frog]

5. Well, I was born in '63

and I sure as shit didn't vote for him. Please don't paint everybody with the same brush.

[happyslug]

9. Read my subsequent comments

When one study "Groups" one has to deal with how the group is doing NOT what any one person of that group is doing. The Article was interesting is that it shows that the people born between 1954 and 1964 voted more for Bush than Kerry (While Kerry tended to win groups both younger AND older than those born 54-64).

If you see my previous post I would like to see the group reduced to 54-60, three years each way from the peak Baby Boom year of 1957. I see that group (54-60) as being the most pro-Bush group for the reasons I pointed out above.

[Xenus Sister]

12. Real pigs in a real python: Baby Boomers who voted for the Thief-In-Chief

The Boomers were likened to a pig in a python, a visible large lump of people in the middle of a normal population cycle. Well, Bush-voting and non-voting Boomers are acting like pigs now and that damn python is going to kill us all.

I used to think that boomers were going to save the world at the beginning(ish, meaning the 60s revolution, calling for peace and equality) and again at the end (more people to demand better health care and benefits, scientific and technological advances). Instead they became stupid and lazy, mean, hateful and selfish.

I used to defend the Baby Boomer generation as a whole (I kinda am one, born in 1956) but right now they disgust me.

(Too bad too, because one of my favorite books is the fascinating study of the Boomer generation called Great Expectations. It's absorbing and enlightening.)

(My apologies for insulting swine, fine creatures that deserve better than to be compared to Bush voters.)

[RamboLiberal]

13. Interesting Chart that went with this article

If we could've drugged the Jones voter's that day we'd have been counting the days till inauguration day.