Reply #53: Your question seems to assume boomers swung the 1980 election. not the case.

[Hannah Bell]

First, the liberal vote was split between Carter & John
Anderson, who though he was originally a liberal Republican,
ran as an independent & included liberal appeals (e.g.
antiwar) in his campaign, & ran a "youth"
campaign a la bobby Kennedy style as well.


     %all voters    %Carter    %Reagan  %Anderson   %lib

18–21 yrs    6       44        43        11         55%
22–29 yrs   17       43        43        11         54% 
30–44 yrs   31       37        54         7         44%
45–59 yrs   23       39        55         6         45%
60 yrs+     18       40        54         4         44%


Someone who was 18 in 1980 was born in 1962, tail-end of the
boomers.  The oldest of the boomers were 34.  That age group
was about 1/3 of 1980 voters.  

They voted more liberally than any other age bloc.

Boomers aren't monolithic, never were, but it was older voters
who were the strength of Reagan's vote in 1980.