Is The Third Time The Charm?

On Nov. 4, 2008, the United States will elect its 44th president.
It will most likely be a Baby Boomer.
If so, it will be the third consecutive occupant of the White House from our generation.
Which leads to the question: Is the third time the charm?
No matter what side of the political ledger you’re on, it’s probably fair to say the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have split our country pretty sharply. Divisive times, for certain. In particular, the past six years have been combative and, I’m sure historians will conclude, not real productive.
In 2008, can we change that course? Can Baby Boomers produce a leader who will bring our society together? Who will lead our nation down a better path? One that will solve our problems instead of creating new ones?
Can we travel through an election season without the political debate deteriorating into a bitter quarrel? Can we inaugurate a new president on Jan. 20, 2009 with the country feeling optimistic? With everyone pointed the same direction?
The thought comes to mind because this afternoon my wife, Mary, and I went to political events within walking distance of each other in Oakland for the two leading Democratic presidential contenders.
Campaign workers were opening a new office downtown for Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who was born at the tail end of our generation in 1961. Two blocks west, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who was born at the dawn of the Baby Boom era in 1946, spoke to a crowd of more than 10,000 people at a “block party."
It was gratifying, even inspiring, to see the young volunteers smiling broadly at the Obama headquarters, gleams of hope in their eyes. It was equally heartening to see the mix of old and young listening to Senator Clinton’s vision for America.
It harkened me back to 1968. A time when our nation was divided over an unpopular war. When the incumbent president wasn’t running for re-election. When members of the Baby Boom generation were voting for the first time.
Vice President Hubert Humphrey was the establishment candidate for the Democrats. The contender who was trying to rid himself of any links to that war halfway across the world. Much like Senator Clinton.
New York Senator Robert Kennedy was the 40-something candidate who had a flock of young followers at his footsteps. He spoke adamantly against our soldiers fighting in a foreign land. Much like Senator Obama.
Humphrey wasn’t really inspiring. He portrayed himself as the experienced, competent candidate. Much like Mrs. Clinton.
Kennedy was poetic. Audiences hung on his every word. He was a fresh choice. Much like Mr. Obama.
While there is much to compare, let us hope the 2008 election ends differently than the one 40 years ago. In 1968, Senator Kennedy as well as civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were gunned down. That summer, demonstrators clashed violently with police outside the Democratic convention in Chicago. And in the end, Richard Nixon won a close battle over Humphrey and became president. Nixon would proceed to drive a wedge deep into this country, pitting generation against generation. He eventually would resign in disgrace.
Let us hope 2008 turns out differently. That a Baby Boomer ascends to the White House and rises to the occasion. That our third Baby Boomer president heals a divided and distraught nation. That he or she grabs the wheel of our drifting ship and boldly steers it toward calmer seas.
Let us hope the 44th presidency is something the Baby Boom generation can be proud of.