Is Hillary Caught in the Generational Shift?
I've written before about the shift in our culture being caused by the 40-year cycle of generations. Remember, a generation is a period of time, not a group of birth cohorts. 2003 was the tipping point from an idealistic generation to a civic generation. In the sixth year of the transition we can expect to see stunning evidence of the massive cultural shift similar in many ways to 1968.
As a result of this shift in the way people view the world, things that used to work don't work any more. Bill Clinton was perhaps the best campaigner of the previous generational cycle. Now, those same techniques are not working any more and even Ted Kennedy is jumping to the Obama camp. Obama is being seen as fresh and new, someone who gets it, and most importantly as someone who is not stuck in the "old ways." In spite of her huge war chest and her enormous political experience, Hillary is being viewed as old guard, and with Super Tuesday looming she doesn't have much time to rebrand. What worked for Bill won't work for Hillary. It's a different day in more ways than most of us imagine.
At this point, I think the Republicans have little chance this year unless they nominate someone who won't be seen as stale dated. In that regard it seems like Mitt Romney would be the best choice. But choosing the candidate most likely to win the general election is not what the nomination process is about.
I'm not endorsing anyone, but it seems to me that Obama is in the best position to ride the wave of cultural change into the White House. A question for you and your organization - "How can you catch this wave and be on top of it rather than under it?"