Yesterday I went to a luncheon sponsored jointly by the liberal/progressive think-tank NDN and the New Politics Institute. The luncheon was part of a day-long gathering in Washington, DC entitled, "A Moment of Transformation: A look at just how big a change may be coming to politics, America and the world."
I asked Peter Leyden about what he hoped to accomplish:
The lunch keynote address was given by Morley Winograd and Mike Hais, co-authors of "Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics."
Hais noted that the shift or realignment is due to a new, politcal coming-of-age generation and being facilitated by powerful new communication tools (blogs, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). He ticked through the previous generations to walk through recent political history -- Silent (WWII, pre-depression era), Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Civic (GI Generation and Milliennials).
Digging in...
The 1968 realingment came about as a result of the emergence of an idealist generation whose members attempted to implement their own personal morality and causes through the political process.
* "This year's realignment will be a 'civic' realignment."
* Bad News: "Millennials identify as Democrats by a margin of nearly 2:1, while Republicans had slight advantage among Gen X youth in 2002."
* "[Millennials] are the first generation in at least four decades in which more members call themselves liberals than conservatives."
Winograd picks up the discussion...
* "Millennials think different than generations before them, largely with regard to social issues. This generation has the most gender neutral attitudes (women are on an equal playing field with men). Majorities of Millennials believe that gay marriage should be permitted."
Why?
* "Most ethnically diverse generation ever. 82% support affirmative action."
* "Millennials support inclusive approach to immigration. Majority oppose a fence on the border."
They argue the key generational shift aids liberals: "Millennials also overwhelmingly favor the expansion of the federal government to deal with societal and economic concerns such as health care, education and economic inequality."
After the luncheon, I asked Morley and Mike about their book and how they think John McCain could win the Millenial vote:
If McCain focuses on national security issues, he could win the Millennial vote. Something to keep in mind.
