Take This Opportunity to Lean More about the Millennial Generation's Impact on Politics

The Millennial Generation, a name coined for the first generation to come of age in the new millennium, is an audience that we at NDN and the New Politics Institute have studied extensively. Having worked with preeminent Millennial experts like the late William Strauss, we know how truly unique this dynamic generation is. And they are changing politics in a way we haven't fully understood until now.

The Millennials are an unusual generation, not like young people we have seen for a long time. As first noted by Strauss and Neil Howe, they are not individualistic risk-takers like the Boomers or cynical and disengaged like Generation Xers. Research indicates that Millennials are civic-minded, politically engaged and hold values long associated with progressives, such as concern about economic inequalities, desire for a more multilateral foreign policy and a strong belief in government.

In their new book, Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics, Morley Winograd and Mike Hais explain how Millennials are driving the next historic political realignment. Like prior shifts, this one is rare - the first since 1968 - and is marked by generational and technological change. It also rewards one political party more than the other. This time, as the co-authors point out, progressives stand to benefit the most from the shift. We obviously agree.

Their argument, which was articulated on our blog and in an op-ed for the Washington Post, is consistent with the work we at NDN and NPI have done. Our essay, The Greatest Generation Yet, set up our two reports on the Millennial generation, which you can find here and here. We've also done a video report on their behavior, and reported on two new tools they utilize on a day-to-day basis: mobile phones and social networking sites. For video of past events, including this one of William Strauss discussing generations at our 2006 Annual Meeting, check out our website at www.ndn.org, or www.newpolitics.net.

A little information about the authors: Morley is a former policy advisor to Vice President Gore, and Mike is a former pollster, professor and Vice President at Frank N. Magid Associates. They've participated in the political process almost as long as they've studied it. And we're happy to have introduced their ideas to our family across the nation. They provided the keynote to our March 12 forum and will be featured at a West Coast event in San Francisco today, April 17, and an East Coast event in New York City, on April 28.

But don't just take our word for it: Morley and Mike's book has received great reviews from The Wall Street Journal and MyDD.com.

The two authors will use the findings of their book to discuss the potential impact of the Millennial Generation, in this political cycle as well as in the decades to come. Event details for both San Francisco and New York are below:

Discussions with Mike Hais and Morley Winograd, co-authors of Millennial Makeover