Posted on 01/04/2008 3:51:25 PM PST by unspun
Iowa Caucus Results Show that 'Spin' is Out, Authenticity is In, as Presidential Candidates Must Match the Generational Characteristics of the Youth Vote
NEW YORK, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The victories of Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama with a good showing for John McCain in Iowa demonstrate that spin is out and authenticity is in, as Presidential candidates address the most important voting block in the 2008 race: Generations X and Y.
"Some have overlooked what Iowans told us with certainty last night - a critical factor in this election is not race, religion, or gender, but speaking the language of Generation X, the language of authenticity and with the tone of optimism and hope of Generation Y," said Ann A. Fishman (www.annfishman.com), President of New Orleans-based Generational-Targeted Marketing Corp. and a commentator on generational trends in politics and culture.
She continued, "Generation X, born between 1961 and 1981, are a huge block of voters in this year's election, and a major key to victory. Although they are proud to be the first generation to consider themselves both color-blind and gender-neutral, they will not elect a President for those reasons alone, nor on the basis of party affiliation. Being practical-minded and averse to being 'sold' on spin or empty promises, they are looking for candidates who address them with authenticity and passion, and not as mere partisans - so far, Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama have connected with them on this level."
"GENERATION Y, born between 1982 and 2000 are the second key to the road to the White House. While Huckabee, Obama and McCain remained true to themselves, a trait necessary for the new-style politics of Gen X, the idealism and hope Obama and Huckabee displayed, perfectly match the optimism and civic-mindedness of Generation Y."
As exit and entrance polling made clear, Obama and Huckabee garnered a disproportionate share of Gen X voters and GEN Y voters in Iowa, to supplement the strength of the former among women, and the latter among Evangelical Christians.*
Based on Fishman's research into the habits and values of the working generations - Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y -, each generation brings a distinctive set of traits, habits and characteristics. These are important as keys to understanding political dynamics and voting patterns in elections.
Fishman concluded, "Understanding the changeover, now underway in American society, from the values of Baby Boomers to those of Generation X and generation Y is a key to understanding what moves contemporary voters and their attitudes. Candidates would do well to heed the call - as it seems, Huckabee and Obama have begun to do."
About Generations X, Y and the Baby Boomers Generation Xers are "latch-key kids," children of Baby Boomers whose divorce rates were high. Xers had to fend for themselves from an early age and are a generation of practical "survivors" whose attitudes are reflected in their politics, values and consumer preferences.
Baby Boomers are the 79 million Americans who were born between 1943 and 1960. Among other trends, they presided over the relaxation of societal standards in a variety of areas, including the liberalization of rules governing the traditional family, loosening strictures on corporate responsibility and the popularization of the drug culture.
Generation Y feels empowered. This generation was raised with the societal supports necessary for young children - strong families, strong religious upbringing and strong government programs for the disadvantaged. This is a generation that wants a voice in its future.
*"Polls of Iowa voters as they entered the caucuses showed that Obama outpolled Clinton among women, and benefited from a surge in first-time caucus-goers and young voters . . . In their victory speeches, Obama and Huckabee struck similar cords and distinguished themselves from their respective fields portraying themselves as unifiers and change agents who didn't view the world in simply Republican and Democratic hues."*
- Associated Press story, January 4, 2008 About Ann Fishman and Generational Targeted-Marketing More information on Ann Fishman's generational expertise can be found at www.annfishman.com/ . Fishman's company, Generational-Targeted Marketing Corp. (GTM), is a specialized marketing firm providing insight into consumer preferences, buying habits and trends affecting the American consumer. As GTM's president, Fishman has served as a consultant to numerous corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations on generational issues and also serves as a member of the Adjunct Faculty at New York University. For further information on GTM, call 1-504-813-7890.
Contact: Michael Frenkel, MFC PR (212) 808-6556/michael@mfcpr.com
SOURCE Ann Fishman and Generational Targeted-Marketing
Michael Frenkel of MFC PR, +1-212-808-6556, or michael@mfcpr.com, for Ann Fishman and Generational Targeted-Marketing
I said listen with open ears, Mr. S.
Here’s my take on the commercial bit. Huckabee didn’t pretend he thought the media wouldn’t leak the commercial, since TV stations had it. And so, he went ahead and showed it, but only on the dimly lit screens standing in the room (and apparently without proper testing of it, since it had so many glitches).
He may have thought a shot across the bow of Romney’s destroyer was enough, while showing him up. Pretty good, effective decision making, it appears, while paying attention to his conscience.
Keep positive yourself, now, Mr. S. What candidate are you positive about?
I must’ve done something right by going to Bama. I don’t remember a whole lot of support for Dukakis or even Bubba though we were temporarily in Jackson that year. Reagan was King in those parts. The folks I knew who were libs all went to MS State. hahahaha. (I admit that most of my State friends were Republican, but I digress.) My daddy was WWII generation, and my mother was a BBer. I think I listened to my Daddy more. :-)
I don’t have a good handle on what most Xers want out of government. We have so many military friends of the same age group (yes, Xers are actually serving in the military as I type. and served during the last Gulf War. And served as Cold Warriors in the war where no blood was lost—not), and our current residence is in the middle of the only libland in the state of AZ. Our military friends are of a less government/strong defense mentality. Our local friends are of a “wewantequality” mentality. They don’t really want that, but it makes them feel good to think that they do.
I find it very disturbing that no Republican candidate is articulating less government and more personal responsibility as a campaign theme. Reagan ran on a platform of lowering taxes and defeating the Evil Empire. What are candidates running on now?
I was born a year later, and I’ve always considered myself a part of the Reagan Generation.
It’s funny I think, how these Gen-X forums turn into an argument about how Gen-X should be defined. What it comes down to is that the prime time for Baby Boomers to have babies was between about 1961/65 and 1978/82 making kids born during that time period the next generation group.
Who cares how else it’s defined? Sheesh. Do you and people you know define yourselves by what letter of teh alphabet is cooler?
BTW, I was born in 1979 and from the the time I was four I was at the very least aware of the Reagan presidency. The second term I remember pretty damn well. Yeah, I was only six, but a school program my parents put me in sort of forced me into it. So, can I be part of your generation, please?
I’m not trying to take anything out on you, so please pardon my tone. I just ended up on you post when finally replying. I was really hoping for some sort of substance in the replies from this thread, but, got what I got instead.
True, but I was born in 1963 and my experience and culture is more attuned to yours then it is to those born in the 50’s.
Those of us born in the 60’s and 70’s did not have any of those things.
That said, I've always sort of admired folks who had stable families, with parents who provided good, solid instruction and guidance. I didn't have that. I'm not complaining about it. It's just the way it was. I was very fortunate to spend some portion of my life living with my grandmother, who was born and raised in a one room shack in Mississippi, and raised her kids on her own through the Depression. She gave me enough of a sense of the school of hard knocks that I was able to learn what I needed to learn to be independent. I've carried my own weight in the boat throughout my adult life. I think that people just get softer and softer, with less and less appreciation of the real facts of life. I'm an American history buff. I sometimes say to people that 150 years ago, families crossed the continent in horse drawn wagons. If they ran out of food, they ate the dog and used his entrails to grease the wagon wheels. Americans, a lot of them anyway, lost their guts and meddle a long time ago. But don't anyone try blaming me for it. All I said was that I did in fact fend for myself. I like to say life taught me the lessons my parents failed to teach me. Again, not complaining. Just a fact. Alan Simpson, the old WY senator had a funny line. He said "I'm a self made man, thus saving God from an awesome responsibility." Funny line, but truth is, I believe I've had God's help all along, even though I don't deserve it. Thanks for writing.
You sound like the fellow I always wanted living next door but I never got that lucky!
Aw shucks. I’m ok as a neighbor. My lawn looks nice. I pick up the trash. I pretty much keep to myself. I wave to my neighbors and say hello. Other than that I mind my own business. Gee, now I’m starting to sound like a serial killer. (seemed like a nice guy, quiet, kept to himself..)
Can I live on the other side of Huck?
“I’m apparently from that generation and when I was growing up we still had the phones on the wall that you had to dial and if someone pissed you off you could brain them with the receiver alone they were so heavy...”
I recently purchased a home built in the late 40s-early 50s with a wall jack in the kitchen. I had to purchase a phone online because I couldn’t find any in the stores. I wanted the basic corded wall phone with a male jack in the back to just plug into the wall and had to resort to online shopping.
Yer embarrassing me now :-) Thanks for being so nice. I can be sort of a wisecracker, especially here online, so I don’t want you to get the wrong impression and think i’m a nice guy or anything. But I’m an ok neighbor I suppose.
I'm going to ask you nicely: Please stop insulting my intelligence by implying that I am not paying attention because I haven't come to the same conclusion you have.
Here’s my take on the commercial bit. Huckabee didn’t pretend he thought the media wouldn’t leak the commercial, since TV stations had it. And so, he went ahead and showed it, but only on the dimly lit screens standing in the room (and apparently without proper testing of it, since it had so many glitches).
When a man says he's not going to do something because it might be dangerous for his soul, then he does it by a slightly different channel, that's being a weasel. Apologizing for it should be beneath you.
Keep positive yourself, now, Mr. S. What candidate are you positive about?
Fred Thompson. Though he has his flaws, I'm positive he's not a weasel who thumps the Bible with one hand while stabbing Governor Romney with the other.
I'll let someone speak for his own soul. He didn't say he disagreed with what he said in the ad. He said he didn't want to run those commercials. He didn't want to change the focus of his campaign. He didn't want to get mired in negativity.
There is a time and a place for every decent thing, under the sun. And there is a difference between saying something once and saying it over and over again.
No, I know what the author is saying, this was me. I grew up middle class in the seventies and eighties. This was the period when mothers really started leaving the home en masse to work, by divorce or choice, thereby leaving the kids to their own means.
My mom worked in my dad's office, my buddy's mom also worked. Two other families in our neighborhood had houses in which a parent split. All of us had the run our houses (and neighborhood, and woods, and arcades...) for hours after school and during school breaks. It wasn't "angsty", "hysterical" (ok, sometimes it was that) or anything dramatic, it just involved junk food, bb guns, discovered stashes of Hustler, atari, experiments with gasoline, and lots of bad cable. Personally I'm often surprised we all reached adulthood with all our fingers and toes.
In any event, those days are mostly gone from the middle and upper class, as nowadays, every minute of a child's day is scheduled with a government approved, developmentally stimulating activity that involves a nutritious snack and regimented water breaks. Probably better, but it seems the pendulum has swung too far.
In any event, I agree with the authors assessment on this point.
And they had cell phones, 500 plus tv channels and IPOD!
You missed it. He was talking about Gen X'ers. We grew up in the seventies and eighties. It wasn't rough, but there was no cell phones or ipods in sight, and 30 channels with HBO was the expensive plan on this new cable service.
And in addition to broken homes, it used to be that one income could provide for a house full of kids.
This is great. I love these articles that sterotype each generation, i.e., all boomers are hippies, drug addicts and selfish bums who think only of themselves and collected their SS. Wish I would be around when they get to my age and the next generations that step up to the plate cast blame on Gen. X & Y. You best hope the Dems don’t take office because the greatest give-a-way is about to take place.
One income can still provide everything it did during the time period you're referring to. It just won't provide digital cable, computers, cell phones, cars that last 10 years, and any number of other things that didn't exist then that we've since decided can't be absent in a life that one enjoys.
We haven't lost the buying power of an income, we've raised our standard of living. Most agree thats a good thing, those that don't don't seem to be giving up the "unnecessary" modern luxuries in any significant numbers.
Not when you count the costs of reasonable real estate and health care.
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