Politics are different this year

I've noticed this difference between Democrats and Republicans, at least this year. In 1980, it was thought among the Dems that it was Walter Mondale's "turn" to run for president. In 1996 it was Bob Dole's "turn". In 2000 it was Gore's "turn". By this I mean that when there seems a generally accepted party consensus that the senior or otherwise perceived most experienced party member's turn to run for President, there seemed to be little opposition. Not so this year. By all accounts it was Hillary's "turn". If this race followed the pattern of previous races, then she should have coasted. Instead, Obama is stealing all of the thunder. What an interesting change in public politics and political race perception among the public.