Newsweek: Interesting story about generational arguments in Pennsylvania families (HRC v. BHO)

[gauguin57]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/129439

Dinner Table Debates

In Pennsylvania, many young voters are pushing their parents to back Obama.

Suzanne Smalley
NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE

Updated: 5:20 PM ET Mar 28, 2008

All over Pennsylvania, parents and their college-age children are battling over the state's Democratic primary. In one dining room in a small industrial town in northeastern Pennsylvania, the animus grew especially strong on Easter Sunday. Over honey-baked ham, Kathleen, 22, a student at a local Catholic college, and her mother, a hairdresser, got into a fight that brought the family dinner to a standstill. Kathleen and her mother have been arguing about the relative virtues of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for months—largely, Kathleen says, because her mother is deeply worried about the economy and doesn't think Obama is capable of fixing it. "She says Obama is too idealistic," says Kathleen, who asked to be identified only by her middle name because she's working for a local media outlet that does not permit her to publically express her political views. "And I told her I want someone idealistic. I think she believes he's promising too much." Kathleen said the Easter argument began when her 76-year-old grandfather warned her and her brother that he's never seen the country in such bad shape. "'You and your brother are going to have to work to fix this country'," Kathleen recalls him saying. Kathleen says her mother then provoked her by pointing out that life was great under Bill Clinton. "I don't like my mom equating with her husband," Kathleen said. "I said, 'Her husband's not gonna be president, Mom'." That was enough to send grandpa over the edge. He stopped the conversation and demanded the family get back to eating.

Kathleen's family is not the only one grappling with fierce generational rivalries in this election's Democratic contests. In Pennsylvania—as in Ohio, which Hillary won by 10 percent—Clinton currently has bedrock support from the so-called Reagan Democrats: white, blue-collar, middle-age men and women who defected from the Democratic Party in 1980 and 1984 to vote for Reagan. Many voters fitting this profile are now solidly back in the Democrats' corner but have proven difficult for Obama to win over in Pennsylvania, fueling Clinton's 12-point lead in one recent state poll. But Obama may see his support among that group increase soon, thanks to Sen. Bob Casey's endorsement of him, announced this morning. Against abortion and in favor of gun rights, Casey, a Roman Catholic, is the son of a popular Pennsylvania governor who, like Reagan, succeeded by winning over those blue-collar, socially conservative Democrats. ...

more ...

[babylonsister]

1. This is great, and I can relate.

I'm an Obama supporter and I'm 52. My dad is a Clinton supporter, because of Bill, and he's about to turn 80. Go figure. Thanks for the great article, and the passions of the young people tell the tale!
My heart is hopeful.

[MidwestTransplant]

2. Will your dad vote for Obama over McCain?

[babylonsister]

8. I hope so: he is a Dem, but I don't honestly know. nt

[loyalsister]

12. In MO, My grandparents voted Obama

n\t

[uponit7771]

3. 95% of 18-29 yr olds aprove of interacial dating (USA Today poll), I don't think our kids have an...

...issue with race like our parents (gen x) did or does.

George Carlin was right, we're going to screw our way out of racial issues in this country

[FrenchieCat]

4. My Black daughter just married a 6'4" handsome Italian/Irish Boston born lad....

no problem from either side of the family. He's a Harvard grad, so good for us! ;)

My youngest daughter's boyfriend is 6'2" handsome Chinese lad who was born on the mainland.

I'm mixed, like Obama, so I'm certainly not at issue. :)

[cali]

6. My son's dating

a girl from Lima,Peru, who's part Peruvian Indian, part Swedish and part black. He's of Irish, English and French heritage.

[roguevalley]

10. if this can continue, FrenchieCat, this will save us from the cancer

of racism. I truly, truly believe that the future is going to be saved because of this. by the by, your family sounds mui handsome. :)

[PylesMalfunction]

13. OMG!

That is so crude but there's a lot of truth in that statement. Made me laugh too. :)

[FrenchieCat]

5. Only 45% of the youth who could vote, voted in 2004....

that leaves 55% to harvest. That can make the difference in the GE.

Considering that these are the babies of the baby boomers, I believe their population to have grown since 2004.

[BeyondGeography]

7. It's the parents who are confused

=="He was very upset about the Reverend Wright fracas," Nancy recalled, "and I said, 'It's kind of like Monica Lewinsky and the blue dress'."==

Right; Obama's decision to stick with Wright and his church is basically the same thing as Bill Clinton's decision to boink an intern. Now I know that she's talking about "distractions" generally, but this one really fails the equivalency test.

[enough]

9. In my Pennsylvania family, it's three generations.

My 93-year-old father in law was a staunch Hillary supporter for months. No amount of persuading by his children or grandchildren would change his mind. Then one day somebody did manage to change his mind: Barack Obama. He watched Obama's "race" speech and was completely converted. He says Barack will be a remarkable president.

[slinkerwink]

11. glad to hear that!