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.

[Tail Gunner John]

I'm a Jones ('56). My teen years were also forgotten. I voted for Carter at age 20 but soon came around and quit smoking that stuff and voting for rat bas*ards.

[maine-iac7]

The article never mentions it either but I can remember when America was a free country:

Memories

[patton]

Yep - I get OFFENDED when people call me a boomer.

Mainly, for economic reasons.

D'ja know, those of us born in the '62 cohort have paid more in SS taxes than all the generations preceeding?

And the actuarial tables say we will collect not one dime.

[RacerX1128]

1958 and I'm Jonesin!

[maine-iac7]

Some of them (like our current President) had their time of indulgence, but grew up once they saw the later boomers coming up behind them . . . offering them both competition and a helping hand. Others of the early boomers (like Bill and Hillary and most of Hollywood), had the world handed to them and repaid it by doing drugs, sex and retreating into the make-beleive world of radical politics.

Actually - there's an important dynamic that made a big difference between the Clintons and the Bushes = decent parents on the one hand - trash on the other.

So when the Clinton's went off to college, they drank the koolaide - they had no foundation to fall back on.

[TASMANIANRED]

Guess that splains me...coming from a family of Roosevent Democrats.

[TASMANIANRED]

Pat Cadell is the kiss of death.

[proudCArepublican]

that would be me and I know how I am voting
GOP, so maybe the story has something going for it

[maine-iac7]

This may be a bigger surprise than this article supposes - the pollers can't reach cell phones - so they have no clue how their vote is going to go. This is going to be interesting. (God gets even. His un-aborted children save the country)

[danmar]

The Joneses, who were born between 1954 and 1965,

'57 Jones, and the article is right on! I am about 55-65% upside down to a baby-boomer character in the politics department!
Don't bunch me with them!

[sneakers]

I see I'm in good company. I was born in 1955 as well.
Lets hope our votes have an influence tomorrow.

[Bittersweetmd]

ping

[38special]

That's me to a 'T'.

[John Lenin]

I was born in 57 and definitely am a boomer. And I remember the day Kennedy died like it was yesterday.

[proudCArepublican]

and this is the problem so many people now think Jimmy Carter is a Hero YUK!!!!!!!!on that thought. We doing that time KNOW THE TRUTH about Mr Carter(and I am not talking about Weclome Back ya know the TV show). I remember odd and even days for gas. Double digit unemployment, Double digit interest and the horrible pictures on the news of our people that were held hostage in Iran and Iran hated Carter so much they waited until President Regan was the offical President of the United States. We are the generation who remembers this.

[John Lenin]

Come to think of it I don't fit in with the boomer's, I was born too late to get involved with the 60's crowd. They are the ones who have ruined this country with their do-goodism.

[Interesting Times]

All these years I thought I was a Boomer, but really I wuz just Jones'n...

[Aetius]

I hope he's right.

[singlemomofone]

I'm a Joneser...born in 1962. Brady Bunch, Mashed Potatoes and grateful for Ronnie...man has he got us pegged. :)))

[unspun]

I was born in 1959 and didn't care much for the Brady Bunch. But I did keep both eyes open about Viet Nam, hippies, the SDS, Weathermen, Black Panthers... and that upstart actor turned California Governor that made a brief run....

I also liked Space Ghost.