Mar 09 2008
The Politics Of Change And Sandwiched Boomers
The soaring rhetoric from presidential candidates has been about the concept of change - and the electorate is energized by the buzzword. But is the idea of change really so new? In 1944, the Republican governor of New York, Thomas E. Dewey, ran for President against three-term incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt on the slogan “It’s time for a change.” Although not using the specific word, John F. Kennedy, in 1960, promised change with “Let’s get America moving again.” In the 1980’s, Ronald Reagan emphasized the importance and challenge of individual citizens initiating action, saying, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” In his 1989 farewell address, looking back on his years in office, Reagan said, “We meant to change a Nation, and instead we changed a world.” In 1992, one of Bill Clinton’s themes was “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow” and he used the word change 10 times in his nomination speech.