>I suppose I think that in the same way that it took Bill Clinton to turn me
>into a communist (not all on his own, mind you, but, wow, was I
disappointed
>in him), maybe Obama will have the same effect on younger people who
>actually expect him to do something.
Speaking as someone under 30, I'd say so. I never had high hopes for Obama and the Dems- but shit. On foreign policy, I expected Obama to do pretty much what he said he was going to do and escalate Afghanistan. No surprise there. But on domestic policy goals like the public option and card-check, even I've been kind of floored at Obama's unwillingness to fight for these things. So much so, that I really have to wonder whether or not I wasn't as deluded as a die-hard Obama supporter. Consequently, I think I've shifted further to the left in the last six months than I have throughout the rest of my life (something that I don't think would have happened under a Republican administration, ironically). Though I'll be damned if I know how representative I am of younger people; when talking with friends and aquaintences in the last few months, I've received gasps of disbelief, howls of protest, and at least one middle finger when I've criticised Obama and the Dems.