I don’t buy your meanspirited, narrow, greedy, deadly vision, Mr. Rove. I don’t buy your cheap excuses to continue economic discrimination, Mr. McCain, just as I didn’t buy your rationales for opposing a national holiday for Martin Luther King. And Mr. Davis, all your indisputable facts miss the biggest picture, I fear.

Consider these ten:

10. Instead of Ralph Kramden, Mary Richards, Hawkeye Pierce, Archie Bunker, Fred Sanford, Jodie Dallas, Reverend Jim, and Murphy Brown, they’ve had to settle for Chrissy Snow, Joseph ‘Joey’ Gladstone, Joey Tribbiani, Jack McFarland and Lorelai Gilmore.

9. Instead of Marilyn and Julie Andrews, they’ve been stuck with Britney and Paris Hilton.

8. Instead of Little Richard, they’ve endured Flava Flave.

7. Instead of the Church Commission, they’re taught to accept White House hacks snubbing their noses at efforts to gain their Congressional testimony about illegal actions and coverups.

6. Instead of Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, they’ve been stuck with Jerry Falwell, John Hagee and William A. Donohue.

5. Instead of Muhammed Ali, they’ve idolized Rocky Balboa.

4. Instead of defeating or resisting serious villains like Hitler, Stalin, Emperor Hirohito and Mao, they’re told to settle for a half-assed effort to get a two bit gangsta punk like Osama Bin Laden. And to demonize every man, woman and child who shares his religion.

3. Instead of Emma Goldman and Abbie Hoffman, they’ve had to strap on iPods to drown out the noise of blood-dripping empire.

Oh sure, it’s not really so bleak as every example I’ve provided here, but my overall point is that elderly Americans and all but the youngest Baby Boomers were treated to a number of serious challenges and rose to meet most of them while accepting the risk of incarceration, social marginalization, physical violence and death. And those older generations have allowed age and experience to temper idealism with pragmatism, which is normal and healthy. But there’s more they should consider.

2. Instead of FDR, Ike, JFK and RFK, the younger generations have had to consider Reagan, Mondale, two Bushes, Dukakis, Kerry and, by comparison, Bill Clinton is considered as good as it gets.

1. Instead of Edith Nourse Rogers, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug, Pat Schroeder, Ann Richards and Barbara Boxer, the reach of the vision of their elders now only extends as far as Hillary Clinton.

No woman and no non-white man has ever advanced as far as these two candidates in our political history. It was less than two years ago that another woman, Nancy Pelosi, advanced to the point of second in line to the presidency, behind the Vice-President. Such is the inevitable advance of history: stupid barriers fall and will keep falling.

And why should one group’s advance be viewed as a denial of the other’s? Why isn’t the victory of one considered to be an advance for all of us? Sure, a woman feels a common identity with another woman. A Black person feels the same towards a Black person. But if age has granted us wisdom, isn’t it also pragmatic to expect that every candidate has flaws, that no President will magically cure all the woes of the country, nor of the people of one gender or race?

Those of us who have been parents hope like hell we leave behind a better society of increased opportunity for our children and grandchildren. And we encourage our descendants to follow their proclivities and talents and dreams in whatever direction they wish to contribute and express themselves. I recall, as a boy, being inspired by a president and I wanted to be president someday, too.

I didn’t surrender that dream because my path was blocked, nor because I felt I couldn’t get there. I consciously set it aside because I recognized there were too many compromises, too much corruption in that profession, and other dreams beckoned that seemed far more attractive and every bit as great as any great president has been or could be. Is it really any lesser a pinnacle or lesser a public service to be a great artist, a great musician, author, doctor, CNA, social worker, teacher, truck driver, cook or even - yes I can I hope - a great blogger?

I think we’ve over-stressed realistic expectations to younger generations by lowering our own. At the same time, I think some of our generation and our parents’ generation are putting forth our own desire to see an historic milestone achieved, even if that achievement requires an acceptance of a candidate we’ve lowered our expectations to.

These younger generations are excited by and motivated by a charismatic man in politics unlike any that’s excited the electorate in the past 40 years. That excitement cuts across racial lines, gender lines and regional lines within those younger generations. What do they have to really compare this experience to? Lech Walesa or Nelson Mandela or Benazir Bhutto maybe, from a great geographical distance.

Many in my Boomer generation have been motivated by political leaders like RFK, JFK, MLK, Cesar Chavez, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and other such leaders mentioned previously in this post. Even though we came to learn of the flaws and weaknesses and mistakes of each, they influenced our ongoing dreams, and helped set our nation’s direction long after some of them died.

Sure, I’m skeptical and sometimes cynical, especially when it comes to politicians. But I’m glad I’ve had such inspirational political leaders, some of whom never achieved high political office, because they continue to motivate how I vote and act even today.

As arrogant and obnoxiously know-it-all as my own children can be, I’m content in the knowledge that life will provide its own lessons to them and I needn’t be a diehard pooper of their party. I don’t presume I know it all, after all, so I don’t want them thinking of me as a repressor of their enthusiasm, the quasher of every random streak of idealism.

That’s ultimately the reason I decided to step aside from my quest for the most progressive alternatives for the presidency - all of whom have left the contest. I want those younger generations as engaged as I have been from those who really did make me glad to be an American and motivated me to put some extra effort into the betterment of society. Despite my own tempering, I’ve never surrendered the visions of what could and can still be.

There was a time when conservative politics reigned in our country and it really was necessary to accept a conservative DLC approach that offered a few human rights advances, just to get past the complete stranglehold of Republican conservatism over everything. But there was also a time of Camelot, and a Great Society and a New Deal. Each of them, to some degree, rocked our world permanently.

I tried to inspire my daughters with stories of their foremothers in numerous fields of endeavor, every bit as great and fearless and innovative and inspirational as any mere politician. And including women political and social leaders.

Ultimately, I determined that while either one of these candidates can win and won’t destroy our country, that the longterm advantage to our country comes from how these younger generations will be shaped for decades to come. If they have a dream, who am I to deny it? The only dreams I’ve ever surrendered for my own life has been for them and theirs.

If us elders truly have achieved wisdom and foresight, I think these are worthy considerations, aiming for the most farsighted and elevated vision of what might yet be. Ultimately the most critical glass ceilings to break are the ones we erect in ourselves.

Addendum: And amid the contentiousness, some elders are being seen as in league with rather serious soul-crushers. What legacy will you leave behind to inspire?