Generation Jones could give GOP surprise win in midterms

The Washington Times ^ | Nov 2, 2006 | Suzanne Fields

[politico 2006]

...there's a voting cohort between Generation Xers and boomers that bears watching. They're the not-so-young of Generation Jones. If they're not "the lost generation" they're invisible to most of our culture commentators. The Joneses, who were born between 1954 and 1965, are usually included in the boomer cohort, but Jonathan Pontell, a pop culture consultant who coined the name, says that's a mistake. He thinks the Jonesers may be crucial in next week's congressional elections. "Coming of age politically in the late 1970s and early 1980s," he says, "Jonesers were the much discussed 'ReaganYouth,' and is the most conservative U.S. generation by a considerable margin." He credits Jonesers, particularly the women, with tipping the election for George W. in the swing states two years ago when they comprised approximately a quarter of the electorate. They are disproportionately represented among theme voters, such as NASCAR enthusiasts, Office Park Dads and Soccer-Security-Mortgage Moms. They cluster around issues of "moral values," and were polled as pulling away from conservative candidates after the Foley scandal. Now the latest polls show that they have conspicuously returned to the Republican base (apologies to Peggy Noonan). What makes them different from the boomers is that during their formative years, while their older brothers and sisters were indulging the hedonistic pleasures of Woodstock, they were at home watching the Brady Bunch and supping on mashed potatoes with both parents at the dinner table. They were not traumatized by the Kennedy assassination, but were terrified by Jimmy Carter's Iranian hostage crisis. They weren't interested in kicking Richard Nixon around, but were grateful to Ronald Reagan for restoring America's strength in the world... Next week we're likely to learn which candidates kept up with the Joneses. Copyright © 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Armed Civilian]

I stand corrected I am a Generation Reagan. I was in High School from 82-86 and rebelled against my dad who was the President of a Union in South Florida and was a DEM. I felt safe because of Reagan being President, My first Presidential election was for Bush Sr. My soon to be 16 year old is going to have 8 years of PResident Bush and has met him and got to shake his hand. He isn't going to rebell. He will be part of the Bush Kids Generation. Plain talking, Straightforward, Fearless and compassionate. He will be 18 after the 2008 election which really sucks, He can't wait to vote.

[pollyannaish]

We lost the cool moniker because we were stupid enough to embrace asymmetrical haircuts, mullets, shoulder pads for women and parachute pants.

Frankly, I'm relieved we got away with something as dignified as "Generation Jones."

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

We can't be too smug, we did have to live through disco.

LOL - well some of us actually had fun DANCING to it. (True Confessions Time: I won prize money as a disco partners dancer. :-) The music really wasn't half bad.... OK, much of it wasn't half good either, but it wasn't half bad. ;-)

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Only why do they call us "Jones"?

I think we're from the "Keep up with the Joneses" era. That's why.

[goldstategop]

I guess I'm both a Jones and a Gen Xer. Keeping up with the Joneses and the Xers here.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[Henchster]

1961 VRWC member chiming in.

I took Political Science at San Jose State in 1980 with Dr. Alden Voth, who just happened to be Nixon's Middle East Foreign Policy expert.

While he could never say it in class, he made it quite clear that Carter's expertice in International Foreign Policy consisted of the fact that he once had breakfast at an International House of Pancakes, and he was begging for Reagan to knock the dipstick out - which - he did!

[Maurice Tift]

Coming of age politically in the late 1970s and early 1980s

I was on the phone campaigning for Reagan as part of a group called 'Teenage Republicans.' I think that makes me part of the group they're talking about. I remember meeting other Teenage Republicans on our trips to D.C. and it was a very very enthusiastic bunch of Reagan fans. We will be voting!

[spkpls4]

This article is one I sent my sister in 2005

Jones.http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20050410/ai_n13598602

[Salvation]

Bump for the Jones' generation. Funny, but I know several families that fit that profile.

And they are voting Republican!!!!!!!

[Lancey Howard]

Huh. I guess I'm a Jones, too. Pretty close to the (older end) cusp, though.

[Rembrandt_fan]

I never embraced mullets, thank God, although during the 80's I did occasionally embrace women wearing shoulder pads and parachute pants.

Since I was a soldier during a good chunk of the 80's, I had high-and-tights, which is about as 'symmetrical' as one can get, so I struck out on that one, too.

[qam1]

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.

[vollmond]

I was born in 1962, and have always been Republican even though my parents are Scoop Jackson Democrats. I had an incident with a friend of mine in Social Studies class when I was in the 7th or 8th grade - we had scored the highest on a quiz the previous day, so we were selected as Presidential Candidates to play an election game with the rest of the class. It was supposed to demonstrate the Electoral College, so it must have been September or October of 1976.

Neither of us wanted to be the Democrat, and our teacher got mad at us. She ended up making us flip a coin.

As I recall, the 1976 election was one of the few time that the "school house poll" failed to predict the winner of the Presidential election. Gerald Ford won that poll hands down. There might be something to this "Jones Generation".

[kalee]

Agreed. I spent all of Clinton's years in office opining that if he's the best my generation can come up with, we're sunk. Glad to hear I'm not in his generation, but have my own. :)

[Hardastarboard]

We have to be careful not to paint all government workers with the broad brush of lazy entitlement junkies

Amen. I know a lot of them. I also know some that would get fired from a car wash.

[ballplayer]

I dont know about that I grew up with Roy Rogers ,Superman, Fury, Sky King,Hopalong Cassidy,and I love my country but the stinking commie left has still come back again to haunt us and Hillary the death knell is now our future

[LadyNavyVet]

I always resented being lumped with the boomers, too. They seem flighty, self-indulgent and irresponsible to me. I was born in 1962 and have nothing in common with the Woodstock generation. I can barely remember Vietnam, so it had no effect on me. I do remember the gas lines under Carter and odd-even rationing. I voted for Reagan in 1980, the year I turned 18. I've never voted for a Democrat and I never will.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I was born in 1964, but I've always culturally identified and socialized with Gen X people, even if they are few years younger. I don't know if there is a "Gen Jones", in fact, but no one I know in my age range identifies with the Boomers. ;)

[stainlessbanner]

Strong young men like your son give us hope for the future of our republic!

[rep-always]

Me too. 1961. Yeay I made the difference for President Bush in Florida 2000.