They Grow Up So Fast: Hail, Gen X
Sunday, November 26, 2006; Page D03
Ever since Clinton took the White House in '92 , we've just assumed the baby boomers would hang on to power until it was pried from their cold grasp some decades hence. But all over Washington there's a sudden, spooky change in the wind: Some of the new bosses have birth certificates from the '70s or diplomas from the '90s, and names like "Kirsten," more nostalgia for Nirvana than Led Zep. Your moment has arrived, Generation X -- don't screw it up!
Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.)
Age:32
New grown-up job: chair of House Republican Conference (No. 3 in the GOP leadership).
Benchmarks: first elected to Congress in 2000 at age 26; was a college senior during the '94 Republican takeover.
He's SO young that. . . : He's still got a bit of baby fat on those cheeks, making him an easy target for towel-snapping House colleagues. Last year, Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) called the redhead a " Howdy Doody- looking nimrod" during a budget debate.
Then again: He's a father of four.
Manny Acta
Age:37
New grown-up job: just named manager of the Washington Nationals.
Benchmarks: the youngest current manager in Major League Baseball; was born the year his Nats predecessor, Frank Robinson, played his 14th season in the majors.
He's SO young that. . . : He's fluent in surf-slacker dialect, explaining at his debut news conference in D.C. how he communicates with his younger players. "I can relate to them and talk about every subject out there, while at the same time telling them, 'Hey, you just cannot make the first out at third base, dude.' "
Then again: At an age when many guys are still planning Vegas bachelor parties, he's been married to the same woman for roughly two decades.
Rep.-elect Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
Age:39
