Is it Time for Generation X Congressional Leadership?
Current Senators of the 110th Congress by Generation
"...2008 will represent a hinge moment in generational politics, not just because of the prominence of a post-boomer candidate but because this will be the first cycle when a whole new range of issues as big, if not bigger, than the big issues that defined the boomers will be front and center: Iraq, the war on terror, global warming, energy, technology and globalization."
[ Source: Chris Lehane, former Clinton White House official, current California political consultant quoted in "Shushing the Boomers - Candidate Next," by John M. Broder, New York Times, January 21, 2007 ]
"When You Are" IS Who You Are
Urban legend, think tank research, and experts of all kinds are in agreement. You are what you eat. You are what you drive. You are where you work. You are who you sleep with. And, as an overarching framework for all these 'You are's," you are when you were born and, subsequently, rose to adulthood. It's a generational thing, don't you see....
The Generations of the 2008 United States Senate
Current Senators of the 110th United States Congress reflect four generations. In summary, by Generation, Birth Year Range, and Number of Senators of each generation, the four generations reflected are: (1) Greatest Generation...1901 - 1924...5; (2) Silent Generation...1925 - 1942...37; (3) Boomer Generation...1943 - 1960...53; and (4) Generation X...1960 - 1981...5.
[Source: Wikipedia - "List of Current United States Senators by Age and Generation" ]
The "Greatest Generation" is Americans involved in World War 2 (WWII), either on the battlefield or the home front. As Tom Brokaw observed in his best seller The Greatest Generation, these are ordinary Americans asked by their government for "...extraordinary service, sacrifice, and heroics...the kind of men and women who always have been the foundation of the American way of life."
Generalizing, as a group Greatest Gener's built and rebuilt American industries, believe in doing something because it's the right thing to do, and getting the job done.
[ Source: Wikipedia - "Greatest Generation" ]
Greatest Gener's comprise 5% of the current United States Senate. Alaska, New Jersey, and West Virginia have Senators of the Greatest Generation. Both of Hawaii's Senators are Greatest Gener's.
The "Silent Generation" is Americans rising to adulthood immediately after World War 2 (WWII). Self-focused, uninvolved with, even unaware of social issues, Silent Gener's grew up in serene inner peace and innocent smugness: quiet, still, silent.
Generalizing, as a group Silent Gener's are "...grave and fatalistic, conventional, possessing confused morals, expecting disappointment but desiring faith, and for women, desiring both a career and a family."
[ Source: Wikipedia - "Silent Generation" ]
Silent Gener's comprise 37% of the current United States Senate. One of Arizona's two Silent Generation Senators (Republican Senator John McCain) has aspirations to become the 44th President of the United States.
The "Boomer Generation" is Americans born about the end World War 2 (WWII) and into the early 1960's. Generation experts contend there are two generational subsets within the customarily identified Boomer Generation: (1) the true Baby Boomer Generation (1942 - 1953) and (2) the Generation Jones (1954 - 1965). The exact year breakpoints differ among different generational experts (e.g., Steve Gillon in Boomer Nation), but there is consensus on the concept of two, distinct, generational subsets within the Boomer Generation.
Irrespective of nomenclature and chronology, the Boomer Generation is significant for its size alone. Members of the Boomer Generation form a dominant leadership majority in academia, politics, and industry.
Generalizing, as a group Boomer Gener's grew up on television and rock and roll, find managing time and money problematic, are more liberal, possess longer and better college educations, and have children later in life. Distinct characteristics for the true Baby Boomer subset include being experimental, individualistic, free spirited, and social cause oriented. Distinct characteristics for the Generation Jones subset include being less optimistic, distrustful of government, and given to cynicism.
[ Source: Wikipedia - "Boomer Generation" ]
Boomer Gener's comprise 53% of the current United States Senate. One of New York's two Boomer Generation Senators (Democrat Senator Hillary Clinton) had Presidential aspirations in 2008.
"Generation X" is Americans born immediately prior to the Vietnam War until the end of the '70's. For rising Gen Xer's, cynicism, disenchantment, and frustration obscured a hazy sense of self.
Gen Xer's grew up with video games, MTV, and the always coming, finally ending Cold War. Gen Xer's rose to adulthood in times of drugs, divorce, and economic strain. They feel influenced, shaped, changed by social trauma and turmoil manifested in racial strife, homelessness, AIDS, fractured families, federal deficits, et al, ad nauseum.
Too, Gen Xer's are preoccupied with, and feel an urge to change, to fix, the perceived problems left by the preceding generation(s).
[ Source: Wikipedia - "Generation X" ]
Gen Xer's comprise 5% of the current United States Senate. Senators from Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and South Dakota are of Generation X. The Gen Xer Senator from Illinois (Democrat Senator Barack Obama) has aspirations to become the 44th President of the United States.
When Are YOUR Senators
Check out the generational categorization of current Senators of the 110th Congress below. Consider the sense or non-sense of all this Generational stuff and what meaning it holds for the Body Politic; for America, The Nation; and for us, the American People.
Consider the performance of the 2007-2008 United States Senate, specifically. Consider the performance of the the 110th United States Congress, generally. Is It Time for Generation X Congressional Leadership? Has the time come for Gen X leadership of the United States Senate (and the U.S. Presidency)?
In detail - by State, Senator, Political Party, Birth Year, and Generation, When Are the Senators of the 110th United States Congress? When Are YOUR Senators?
Alabama: Senator Richard Shelby Republican 1934 Silent Generation
Alabama: Senator Jeff Sessions Republican 1946 Boomer Generation
Alaska: Senator Ted Stevens Republican 1923 Greatest Generation
Alaska: Senator Lisa Murkowski Republican 1957 Boomer Generation
Arizona: Senator John McCain Republican 1936 Silent Generation
Arizona: Senator Jon Kyl Republican 1942 Silent Generation
Arkansas: Senator Blanche Lincoln Democrat 1960 Boomer Generation
Arkansas: Senator Mark Pryor Democrat 1963 Generation X
California: Senator Dianne Feinstein Democrat 1933 Silent Generation
California: Senator Barbara Boxer Democrat 1940 Silent Generation
Colorado: Senator Wayne Allard Republican 1943 Boomer Generation
Colorado: Senator Ken Salazar Democrat 1955 Boomer Generation
Connecticut: Senator Joe Lieberman Independent 1942 Silent Generation
Connecticut: Senator Christopher Dodd Democrat 1944 Boomer Generation
Delaware: Senator Joe Biden Democrat 1942 Silent Generation
Delaware: Senator Tom Carper Democrat 1947 Boomer Generation
Florida: Senator Bill Nelson Democrat 1942 Silent Generation
Florida: Senator Mel Martinez Republican 1946 Boomer Generation
Georgia: Senator Saxby Chambliss Republican 1943 Boomer Generation
Georgia: Senator Johnny Isakson Republican 1944 Boomer Generation
Hawaii: Senator Daniel Inouye Democrat 1924 Greatest Generation
Hawaii: Senator Daniel Akaka Democrat 1924 Greatest Generation
Idaho: Senator Larry Craig Republican 1945 Boomer Generation
Idaho: Senator Mike Crapo Republican 1951 Boomer Generation
Illinois: Senator Richard Durbin Democrat 1944 Boomer Generation
Illinois: Senator Barack Obama Democrat 1961 Generation X
Indiana: Senator Richard Lugar Republican 1932 Silent Generation
Indiana: Senator Evan Bayh Democrat 1955 Boomer Generation
Iowa: Senator Chuck Grassley Republican 1933 Silent Generation
Iowa: Senator Tom Harkin Democrat 1939 Silent Generation
Kansas: Senator Pat Roberts Republican 1936 Silent Generation
Kansas: Senator Sam Brownback Republican 1956 Boomer Generation
Kentucky: Senator Jim Bunning Republican 1931 Silent Generation
Kentucky: Senator Mitch McConnell Republican 1942 Silent Generation
Louisiana: Senator Mary Landrieu Democrat 1955 Boomer Generation
Louisiana: Senator David Vitter Republican 1961 Generation X
Maine: Senator Olympia Snowe Republican 1947 Boomer Generation
Maine: Senator Susan Collins Republican 1952 Boomer Generation
Maryland: Senator Barbara Mikulski Democrat 1936 Silent Generation
Maryland: Senator Ben Cardin Democrat 1943 Boomer Generation
Massachusetts: Senator Edward Kennedy Democrat 1932 Silent Generation
Massachusetts: Senator John Kerry Democrat 1943 Boomer Generation
Michigan: Senator Carl Levin Democrat 1934 Silent Generation
Michigan: Senator Debbie Stabenow Democrat 1950 Boomer Generation
Minnesota: Senator Norm Coleman Republican 1949 Boomer Generation
Minnesota: Senator Amy Klobuchar Democrat 1960 Boomer Generation
Mississippi: Senator Thad Cochran Republican 1937 Silent Generation
Mississippi: Senator Trent Lott Republican 1941 Silent Generation
Missouri: Senator Kit Bond Republican 1939 Silent Generation
Missouri: Senator Claire McCaskill Democrat 1953 Boomer Generation
Montana: Senator Max Baucus Democrat 1941 Silent Generation
Montana: Senator Jon Tester Democrat 1956 Boomer Generation
Nebraska: Senator Ben Nelson Democrat 1941 Silent Generation
Nebraska: Senator Chuck Hagel Republican 1946 Boomer Generation
Nevada: Senator Harry Reid Democrat 1939 Silent Generation
Nevada: Senator John Ensign Republican 1958 Boomer Generation
New Hampshire: Senator Judd Gregg Republican 1947 Boomer Generation
New Hampshire: Senator John E. Sununu Republican 1964 Generation X
New Jersey: Senator Frank Lautenberg Democrat 1924 Greatest Generation
New Jersey: Senator Bob Menendez Democrat 1954 Boomer Generation
New Mexico: Senator Pete Domenici Republican 1932 Silent Generation
New Mexico: Senator Jeff Bingaman Democrat 1943 Boomer Generation
New York: Senator Hillary Clinton Democrat 1947 Boomer Generation
New York: Senator Charles Schumer Democrat 1950 Boomer Generation
North Carolina: Senator Elizabeth Dole Republican 1936 Silent Generation
North Carolina: Senator Richard Burr Republican 1955 Boomer Generation
North Dakota: Senator Byron Dorgan Democrat 1942 Silent Generation
North Dakota: Senator Kent Conrad Democrat 1948 Boomer Generation
Ohio: Senator George Voinovich Republican 1936 Silent Generation
Ohio: Senator Sherrod Brown Democrat 1952 Boomer Generation
Oklahoma: Senator James Inhofe Republican 1934 Silent Generation
Oklahoma: Senator Tom Coburn Republican 1948 Boomer Generation
Oregon: Senator Ron Wyden Democrat 1949 Boomer Generation
Oregon: Senator Gordon Smith Republican 1952 Boomer Generation
Pennsylvania: Senator Arlen Specter Republican 1930 Silent Generation
Pennsylvania: Senator Bob Casey, Jr. Democrat 1960 Boomer Generation
Rhode Island: Senator Jack Reed Democrat 1949 Boomer Generation
Rhode Island: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Democrat 1955 Boomer Generation
South Carolina: Senator Jim DeMint Republican 1951 Boomer Generation
South Carolina: Senator Lindsey Graham Republican 1955 Boomer Generation
South Dakota: Senator Tim Johnson Democrat 1946 Boomer Generation
South Dakota: Senator John Thune Republican 1961 Generation X
Tennessee: Senator Lamar Alexander Republican 1940 Silent Generation
Tennessee: Senator Bob Corker Republican 1952 Boomer Generation
Texas: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison Republican 1943 Boomer Generation
Texas: Senator John Cornyn Republican 1952 Boomer Generation
Utah: Senator Robert Bennett Republican 1933 Silent Generation
Utah: Senator Orrin Hatch Republican 1934 Silent Generation
Vermont: Senator Patrick Leahy Democrat 1940 Silent Generation
Vermont: Senator Bernard Sanders I 1941 Silent Generation
Virginia: Senator John Warner Republican 1927 Silent Generation
Virginia: Senator Jim Webb Democrat 1946 Boomer Generation
Washington: Senator Patty Murray Democrat 1950 Boomer Generation
Washington: Senator Maria Cantwell Democrat 1958 Boomer Generation
West Virginia: Senator Robert Byrd Democrat 1917 Greatest Generation
West Virginia: Senator Jay Rockefeller Democrat 1937 Silent Generation
Wisconsin: Senator Herbert Kohl Democrat 1935 Silent Generation
Wisconsin: Senator Russ Feingold Democrat 1953 Boomer Generation
Wyoming: Senator Michael Enzi Republican 1944 Boomer Generation
Wyoming: Senator John Barrasso Republican 1952 Boomer Generation
Published by Michael K. Miller
Human, male, Christian, American || Paladin, intrapreneur, entrepreneur || Writer || Father || Retrograde Subject Matter Expert (RSME) on Life, Living, and Love View profile
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12 Comments
Post a CommentGreat insight and sage wisdom here, the generational torch continues to pass, although perhaps not as brightly as it once was, it still continues to burn. cheers ;)
"American Confidence in Leadership Declines" - Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University See http://www.centerforleaderdevelopment.com/blog/?p=573
I'm always impressed by the depth of your knowledge. Beautifully done. :-)
VERY interesting !!
Great job... good info
Super job you definately did your home work!!!!!!!!
Great article! Very interesting read
"The "Greatest Generation" is Americans involved in World War 2" Amen! Generation X is ready to lead.
Wow - What a great analysis! Lots to think about, too. Some of these guys have just been in there way too long to connect with the average person. On the other hand, we don't want someone who's still sucking a pacifier!!!
very interesting...thank Michael