Congratulations, President-Elect Obama.
You are our first Gen X president, and represent the best of a generation that others brandished as “lazy,” “apathetic,” “slackers.” You bring many of the best attributes shared by your Gen X sisters and brothers. Among them:
- Your pragmatism. Gen Xers have always been lodged between two larger generations: Baby Boomers and Millennials. In that demographic center, we have learned to work diplomatically with groups that outnumber us. We have learned how to find common ground, advocate for and re-position changes that will help us all. We know that we cannot do it alone. The Gen X vote will never be enough to elect a President. We must work with all generations for change.
- Your sense of inclusion. America is a different place today than it was for John McCain’s generation. Whites are now - or soon will be - a minority in our largest cities. Your rallies reflect the New America that is our inheritance. Gen Xers are the first generation to come of age and lead in this New America. Gen Xers don’t see New America as a cause for alarm; we see talent, goodwill, and potential in all people.
- Your embrace of technology. You are the first candidate to use technology to both run a well-organized campaign (focus on likely voters, organize volunteers, get out the vote) and engage a new electorate through the tools (cell phones, Facebook, MySpace) they use to connect with those they care about, and organize their lives.
And here’s one area where you have outshone your Gen X sisters and brothers: While many Gen Xers - raised on a news-diet of missing children on milk cartons, crumbling U.S. institutions, and declining American scores in every competitive index - became skeptical, you asked us to have hope. You have vividly painted pictures of an America we can believe in. You have helped us see - and believe - that just because we’re a smaller generation, we don’t have to sit idly by and watch as established leaders and larger generations build - or destroy - institutions with fluctuating relevance. Generation X can believe in a brighter future. We can take the reigns - working with millions of others - and be the change we want to see in the world.
The next generation commends you… as one of our own, and as a next-gen leader who can redefine how leadership can - and should - be executed for our New America.
