That seems to be the key consequence of Obama's campaign, and especially of his speech on race (A More Perfect Union) last week in Philadelphia. He effectively tied his views--and I think the views of members of his age group--in with the larger story of the evolution of America, and the views of previous generations with the hostilities which evolved in the immediate aftermath of the 60s civil rights movement.
This editorial comes close to outlining the issue, but I'm convinced that most others will fight his views, not on their merits, but for the simple reason that they cannot understand what he is saying. It's classic generational politics and it has more to do with how events at one moment in time inevitably shape the generation that grows within them. When we discuss public opinion, we will cover the importance of generational change. It is a driving force in American politics. People do not change opinions, opinions dies off as the people who holds them dies off. Brutal isn't it?
Whether Obama wins or loses, he is shaping how the next generation discusses race. It's a sign of the future. The baby boomer commentators who are opposing Obama are partly reacting to their own mortality.
