The predicted "Obama baby boom" is turning out to be a bust.
Evidently, some thought that the American people would be so overjoyed by the results of the 2008 presidential election that they would be inspired to. . . er, procreate.
. . . Yeah, I tell you, nothing puts me in the mood for romance more than a presidential election. ;o)
But putting aside my personal quirks (g), it turns out there is no bumper crop of little left-wingers this year. (Or at least no more so than usual.)
But before you start blaming the Prez, listen to this excuse: According to Donald Bogue, a University of Chicago demographer and sociologist, "Births are now predominantly planned and not very responsive to good news."
So, let me get this straight. . . If there had been an increase in births right about now, we'd be hearing about how this was all due to people's love of Obama. "Oh, the people felt such an upsurge of joy and hope for the future that they knew it was the perfect time to have that child they'd been putting off during the Dark and Dreadful Bush Years. Obviously." But now that it hasn't panned out, it couldn't possibly be linked to him in any way, shape or form.
Yeah, that seems about right. *sigh*
The article I linked to above concludes with a bright note:
"In 2008, the name Barack set what's believed to be a record for the Social Security Administration's annual Most Popular Baby Names list by skyrocketing more than 10,000 spots on the list, from No. 12,535 in 2007 to No. 2,409 in 2008. And the Social Security Administration predicts the name will even crack the top 1,000 this year."Maybe it's just me, but I'd hesitate to name my innocent child after an unproven president. (Actually, I can't see myself naming a child after any president, but that's beside the point.) Even if you're happy that Obama was elected, are you that convinced that your child will be proud to bear his name in ten or twenty years? There's no telling what might happen-- what kind of leader he'll turn out to be-- in the next three or four years. Why not leave the name for your grandchildren or great-grandchildren? People think they're making some grand gesture, I guess, but I'm not impressed.
Anyway, now you know the big story of the day. You're welcome. ;o)
P.S. I wasn't going to mention this, but something I read just ticked me off, so. . . If ObamaCare passes, I have a feeling that some people might think a little longer and harder before making that decision to have a child. I know it would at least be in the back of my mind.
+ I saw a comment on the article linked above to the effect that maybe some of the women who became pregnant during the Obama Glow Period decided that they didn't want to be "punished with a baby". Just a thought.
