The America of the Steinem/Clinton generation has changed in hue and 'tude, in other words, and politicians who seek ascendancy with arguments of a boomer past will merely highlight that his or her time belongs to history.

Steinem and Steele may be right that some Americans unconsciously seek atonement through an Obama presidency, but that's clearly not the case among young people who show almost identical attitudes toward Hispanics, blacks and whites, according to CIRCLE's research.

And what about gender? Do people care more about a racist than a sexist past? And is it possible, as Steinem recently claimed in a New York Times article, that "gender is probably the most restricting force in American life"?

Um, probably not.

Few statements could more vividly illustrate the growing gap between yesterday's sisterhood and today's young women. Contrary to the myths they've been fed since birth about their second-class status, young American women today are thriving.

They may be a little lonely in college where they outnumber men. They may be frustrated by a lack of adult male company as their opposites amuse themselves with pixelated playmates and video games. But patriarchal oppression is a hard sell.

The Manhattan Institute's Kay Hymowitz recently reported that half of American men ages 18 to 34 play video games almost three hours a day. Which sex needs saving here?

Trying to convince women under 50 that gender is a barrier to success feels not just stale, but dishonest. And nothing says "yesterday" like a 73-year-old feminist foot soldier who didn't get the memo that she won the war.