The Dem generational divide seems to be due to the fact that boomer liberals lived through decades of ideological defeat, so they don't believe we can win. They only know dashed '60s dreams & 50 years of right-wing ascendance. They think of themselves as "battle-weary realists."
The young, in turn, have only lived through the atrocities of right-wing domination and the catastrophic failure of the "Diet Republican" strategy of combatting it. We also think of ourselves as "battle-weary realists"—but the realism of seeing that we need to try something new.
When the boomers see bold fighters today, they think of feckless hippies that failed to stop the right-wing ascendance in the 70s and 80s. When millennials see tepid non-fighters, we think of the feckless consultants that failed to turn the tide in the 00s and 10s.
My one message to the older 'realists': the world has changed a lot since 1992. Hillary won people under 40 by +30. 75% of Dems under 35 are for Warren or Bernie. We have learned from reality (as pragmatism instructs us to do!)—and thus are ready for a bold, new direction.
(And of course, I share this all not to advocate generational warfare, nor belittle any of the great work many boomers have done to advance justice, nor oversimplify anyone's experience with politics. Just sharing a potential analysis of what might be happening with the divide.)
