Tired of That ’70s Show

February 10, 2004

Comments

Citizen Smash on the Bush-Kerry Vietnam debate:

I have to say, as a member of Ã¢€œGeneration X,Ã¢€ that this constant replay of the hot-button issues from the early 1970Ã¢€™s is getting very tiresome. For me, the most important issues of the time were diaper training and learning to tie my shoes.

Indeed, the situation was reversed in 1992 when President Bush was a WWII hero up against a challenger accused of dodging the Vietnam draft. Twelve years have passed since then. As I noted yesterday, my guess is this issue has very little saliency for those under the age of 45. And quite possibly most of those over 45 as well.

6 responses to “Tired of That ’70s Show”

Fersboo

February 10, 2004 at 4:12 pm

Don’t know about that Bubba. My father came back from Vietnam with two silver stars and DIDN”T throw his over the fence. I’m 35 and sure as hell ain’t about to let Hanoi Jane’s buddy off the hook. I am already making plans for telling JFK’s story throughout Anne Arundel county.
jen

February 10, 2004 at 5:37 pm

I’m with Smash. I’m sick and tired of the same old arguments and laments about Vietnam – it’s as if the Boomer generation is still fighting and protesting it. I think we need to move on from it, especially whether or not someone went over there or didn’t. There are larger issues at stake here.
dw

February 10, 2004 at 6:13 pm

I don’t care about the war; what I care about is whether people held up their committments. Kerry did, even if he had a Damascus Road experience that led him to throw his medals. Dubya used connections to duck overseas duty, may or may not have served his full term, then was allowed out to head to HBS. Clinton ducked the war using education. Gore should have gone the Dubya route but got forced into active service to keep his father’s flagging Senate career alive.

On the one hand, what happened while I was in diapers doesn’t matter. On the other hand, I find it annoying that the Bushes and DeLays of the world got to sit out the war at home while my father and uncle got shipped off to Vietnam because they had no connections. I give Kerry credit for not taking the easy way out. At least he didn’t spend the war defending Texas from Oklahoma (and failing miserably — the Sooners beat the Horns in the Cotton Bowl during Dubya’s service!) or using a Fullbright to get out of the country.
Al Bee

February 10, 2004 at 8:59 pm

I was there. It no longer matters to me who went and who didn’t. I was career and expected to go. Clinton’s whining, waffling and begging pissed me off. Especially his “I hated the mlitary”. Not many went to his lengths. Bush signed up for National Guard as many others did. If there was waffling on his part there just as many of the others NG volunteers waffling.

I HONOR KERRY FOR FOR HIS SERVICE. He went. His dash in the jungle to tackle a Vn citizen(?) was foolhardy and not in line with cool military judgement. He could have brought down a whole shithouse of trouble for his detachment.

Throwing away his medals, symbolic or otherwise, disgraced his own service and the deaths of his comradeS and my comrades. That act will NEVER FORGIVEN as he also disgraced the country I swore to defend.
JW

February 10, 2004 at 9:14 pm

Fine. All us Gen Xers are tired of hearing about the 60’s and 70’s and listening to the boomers about it all yet again. THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BREAK THE FIXATION ON ISSUES THAT DON”T MATTER TO US IS TO VOTE IN LARGE ENOUGH NUMBERS–which it seems, we are hell bent for leather on NOT DOING.
Queenoftheland

February 10, 2004 at 9:15 pm

Kerry didn’t have enough guts to through his own medals. They were someone elses. Just a big phony.

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