Last of the Culture Warriors

Washington Post by Peter Beinart | Nov. 3, 2008 (Opinion)

Why has America turned on Sarah Palin? Obviously, her wobbly television interviews haven't helped. Nor have the drip, drip of scandals from Alaska, which have tarnished her reformist image. But Palin's problems run deeper, and they say something fundamental about the political age being born. Palin's brand is culture war, and in America today culture war no longer sells. The struggle that began in the 1960s -- which put questions of racial, sexual and ... Full Story »

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Fabrice Florin
3.6
 by Fabrice Florin - Nov. 4, 2008

Thoughtful column by Peter Beinart, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, who makes a good argument that the culture wars characterized by Sarah Palin's confrontational style of politics may be coming to an end. The author presents reasonable evidence in a logical way to suggest that these cultural feuds may no longer be relevant to Americans who came of age after the civil rights, gay rights and feminist revolutions -- and even less relevant in the middle of the largest financial crisis the country has ever experienced.

After reading some of the other reviews on this story, I took a step back to re-examine my own review, and adjusted my rating down a bit. Perhaps my enthusiasm and wishful thinking may have gotten in the way. Thank you all for your insights. The system works: this collective evaluation process is a great way to keep each other honest.

Palin’s attacks are also failing because of generational change. The long-running, internecine baby boomer cultural feud just isn’t that relevant to Americans who came of age after the civil rights, gay rights and feminist revolutions. Even many younger evangelicals are broadening their agendas beyond abortion, stem cells, school prayer and gay marriage. And just as younger Protestants found JFK less threatening than their parents had found Al Smith, younger whites — even in bright-red states — don’t view the prospect of a black president with great alarm.

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