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Joe Kennedy III speaks during a Remembrance and Celebration of the Life & Enduring Legacy of Robert F. Kennedy event at Arlington National Cemetery on June 6, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for RFK Human Rights )
The Rise of the Entitled Millennial Politician
"Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with young people running for office... But simply being young does not mean one has access to the fountain of all wisdom. One must also have good political views."
Sep 21, 2019
Millennials are getting old. Our bones are starting to creak, we get more random aches and pains, we get hangovers infuriatingly easily, and going to bed early increasingly sounds like a wonderful Friday night plan.
On the other hand, we are also reaching the age of power and influence. And so the world is getting a taste of the most obnoxious type of millennial personality: the ambitious apple-polisher. Witness the rise of Pete Buttigieg and Joe Kennedy, two perfect examples of the type -- men who think it all should just be handed to them.
Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with young people running for office. More of us should be doing it, all across the country. But simply being young does not mean one has access to the fountain of all wisdom. One must also have good political views. In part because millennials have gotten the worst of American capitalism ground into our faces like a handful of broken glass over the past decade, we are by most measures the most left-wing generation in American history -- save the Zoomers who are coming up behind us.
But we're not all like that. There are racist conservative millennials, and there are moderate Third Way millennials, and there are millennials who seem to care about little but power and their careers. As Current Affairs' Nathan Robinson writes, Mayor Pete's own book suggests he is one of the latter type. He's a guy who went from Harvard straight to McKinsey, "the world's most sinister and amoral management consulting company." He expressed no serious qualms about that experience in his book, nor much interest in the plight of the poor black residents of South Bend, Indiana where he was subsequently elected mayor.
Read the full article at The Week.
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Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
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Ryan Cooper
Ryan Cooper is the Managing Editor of The American Prospect. Formerly, he was a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.
Millennials are getting old. Our bones are starting to creak, we get more random aches and pains, we get hangovers infuriatingly easily, and going to bed early increasingly sounds like a wonderful Friday night plan.
On the other hand, we are also reaching the age of power and influence. And so the world is getting a taste of the most obnoxious type of millennial personality: the ambitious apple-polisher. Witness the rise of Pete Buttigieg and Joe Kennedy, two perfect examples of the type -- men who think it all should just be handed to them.
Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with young people running for office. More of us should be doing it, all across the country. But simply being young does not mean one has access to the fountain of all wisdom. One must also have good political views. In part because millennials have gotten the worst of American capitalism ground into our faces like a handful of broken glass over the past decade, we are by most measures the most left-wing generation in American history -- save the Zoomers who are coming up behind us.
But we're not all like that. There are racist conservative millennials, and there are moderate Third Way millennials, and there are millennials who seem to care about little but power and their careers. As Current Affairs' Nathan Robinson writes, Mayor Pete's own book suggests he is one of the latter type. He's a guy who went from Harvard straight to McKinsey, "the world's most sinister and amoral management consulting company." He expressed no serious qualms about that experience in his book, nor much interest in the plight of the poor black residents of South Bend, Indiana where he was subsequently elected mayor.
Read the full article at The Week.
Ryan Cooper
Ryan Cooper is the Managing Editor of The American Prospect. Formerly, he was a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.
Millennials are getting old. Our bones are starting to creak, we get more random aches and pains, we get hangovers infuriatingly easily, and going to bed early increasingly sounds like a wonderful Friday night plan.
On the other hand, we are also reaching the age of power and influence. And so the world is getting a taste of the most obnoxious type of millennial personality: the ambitious apple-polisher. Witness the rise of Pete Buttigieg and Joe Kennedy, two perfect examples of the type -- men who think it all should just be handed to them.
Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with young people running for office. More of us should be doing it, all across the country. But simply being young does not mean one has access to the fountain of all wisdom. One must also have good political views. In part because millennials have gotten the worst of American capitalism ground into our faces like a handful of broken glass over the past decade, we are by most measures the most left-wing generation in American history -- save the Zoomers who are coming up behind us.
But we're not all like that. There are racist conservative millennials, and there are moderate Third Way millennials, and there are millennials who seem to care about little but power and their careers. As Current Affairs' Nathan Robinson writes, Mayor Pete's own book suggests he is one of the latter type. He's a guy who went from Harvard straight to McKinsey, "the world's most sinister and amoral management consulting company." He expressed no serious qualms about that experience in his book, nor much interest in the plight of the poor black residents of South Bend, Indiana where he was subsequently elected mayor.
Read the full article at The Week.
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