Millennial Makeover

A 2008 New York Times Notable Book of the Year It happens in America every four decades and it is about to happen again. Americas demand for change in the 2008 election will cause another of our countrys periodic political makeovers. This realignment, like all others before it, will result from the coming of age of a new generation of young Americansthe Millennial Generationand the full emergence of the Internet-based communications technology that this generation uses so well. Beginning in 2008, almost everything about American politics and government will transformvoting patterns, the fortunes of the two political parties, the issues that engage the nation, and our government and its public policy. Building on the seminal work of previous generational theorists,Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais demonstrate and describe, for the first time, the two types of realignmentsidealist and civicthat have alternated with one another throughout the nations history. Based on these patterns, Winograd and Hais predict that the next realignment will be very different from the last one that occurred in 1968. Idealist realignments, like the one put into motion forty years ago by the Baby Boomer Generation, produce, among other things, a political emphasis on divisive social issues and governmental gridlock. Civic realignments, like the one that is coming, and the one produced by the famous GI or Greatest Generation in the 1930s, by contrast, tend to produce societal unity, increased attention to and successful resolution of basic economic and foreign policy issues, and institution-building. The authors detail the contours and causes of the countrys five previous political makeovers, before delving deeply into the generational and technological trends that will shape the next. The books final section forecasts the impact of the Millennial Makeover on the elections, issues, and public policies that will characterize Americas politics in the decades ahead. For additional information go to: Millennial Makeover website.