READING: Millenial Makeover

According to Winograd and Hais in their book Millenial Makeover, every four decades America experiences a major political upheaval as a new and dynamic generation of Americans gains political power and new communications technologies emerge that allow that generation to mobilize.

As the Millenial generation (b. 1982 - 2003) - the most racially diverse generation in the history of the country - becomes more politically powerful, Winograd and Hais predict America will undergo a 'civic political realignment.'

Characterized by 'cooperative efforts to resolve societal problems and build institutions,' civic realignments are marked by an increasing desire for the government to deal with economic and social welfare issues.

Given the Millenial generation's community-mindedness, more positive view of the government, and literacy with Internet technologies, the book effectively argues that there are large changes afoot in American Politics and that we are entering a period of renewal and expansion of government institutions.

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In the book's Afterword, the authors assert Obama's success with the Millenial vote was one of the main factors that put him in front of Clinton in the primary and McCain in the general election.

By leveraging technologies widely used by Millenials and crafting a political platform that spoke to their political values, Obama was able to win the popular vote by the percentage received by a Democrat since 1964.

The Authors assert that Obama's victory was the beginning of a political realignment driven by generational and technological change.