I have maintained that the boomers must stand aside and let the next generation take over the country's leadership. I am not so sure anymore. We have a vice president who jumbles her words, and it looks like we are about to have a house speaker who cannot speak properly. Take, for example, Kamala Harris's comment on the overturning of Roe v Wade in an interview for CBS
"I think that to be very honest with you, I do believe that we should have rightly believed what we certainly believe that certain issues are just settled. Certain issues are just settled,"
One can figure out what she is saying, but boy, is that vague and confusing.
The next Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, said this recently.
"We're Christmas season. A talk of the majority right now who wants to put a small continuing resolution to bump all the members up two days before Christmas, to try to vote on a package they cannot read, written by two individuals who will not be here, on spending for the entire government."
Again, you can figure out what he is saying, but you have to work at it.
So, what is with these two GenXers? Why can they not speak properly? Both are quinquagenarians from California. They were born in the mid-1960s. When they were three and four years old, the country experienced two political assassinations, destructive riots in major cities, demonstrations, and violent demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. Did they see all this on television? By then, the war was a regular feature of the news, and they would have seen bodies piled into nets and then hauled away by helicopters. Did this traumatize them, causing speech malfunctions to emerge later in life?
Harris has a law degree and years of legal experience, which might explain her skill at sounding unclear. But McCarthy received a businessman's education, so one would think he could articulate his thoughts clearly. Either way, one is next in line to be president, and the other is right behind her. It would be nice to know what they are saying when they speak.