“Millennial Makeover” is about
political realignment theory,
which posits that in the U.S.,
generational changes cause
critical political realignments
in predictable 40-year cycles.
The authors predicted that 2008
would be a realigning election
and, if the theory holds true,
the coalition responsible for
the Democrats’ electoral success
in that election will continue
to put more Democrats than
Republicans into office for
about the next four decades.
Authentic Messages, Delivered by
Credible Messengers
Book Review:“Millennial
Makeover: MySpace, YouTube and
the Future of American
Politics,” by Morley Winograd
and Michael D. Hais
By
Andrea Balzano
APRA Connections -
Winter, 2009
Click to read the complete
review
"I've belatedly read Morley
Winograd and Michael D. Hais's
book, Millennial Makeover:
MySpace, YouTube, and the Future
of American Politics, which
is available in a post-election,
paperback version. Winograd and
Hais (fellows and bloggers at
NDN) presciently predicted a
sharp Democratic turn in
American politics, thanks to a
new generation of Americans who
were more likely to vote and
more aligned with the Democratic
Party than their predecessors.
They also advised exactly the
kind of campaign—with a softer
ideological edge, heavy use of
social networking tools, and
promises of transparency and
participation—that carried
Barack Obama on his improbable
journey to Washington. Obama won
by appealing to the very values
and preferences that Winograd
and Hais detected among
Millennials; and young voters
were his advantage from the Iowa
Caucus through Election Day. I
think John McCain's loss was
almost inevitable, but Obama,
Clinton, or Edwards could have
won the nomination. Obama took
it on the strength of young
voters."
Winograd and Hais, Millennial
Makeover
By Peter Levine
A
blog for civic renewal
March 2, 2009
Click to read the complete
review
"Candidates and political
parties and movements from all
realms are increasingly figuring
out how to utilize social
networking to their advantage,
and as older individuals join
social networking sites, it
can’t be assumed that the online
community is comprised of
millennials."
Extreme Millennial Makeover
Edition
Blog - Erica Lawton
June 14, 2010
Click to read the complete
review
"Although Republican strategists
like Karl Rove, as well as a
number of political analysts,
saw the terrorist attacks of
Sept. 11 as triggering a
realignment that would confirm
Republican hegemony for many
decades to come, the authors of
'Millennial Makeover' — both of
whom are Democrats — argue that
9/11 is more likely to encourage
'the Democratically inclined
Millennial Generation to vote in
large numbers' and thus make the
2008 presidential election 'more
likely to be a realigning
election that favors
Democrats.'”
Why Are These Democrats
Smiling? It’s Cyclical
By Michiko Kakutani
The New York Times
April 22, 2008
Click to read the complete
review
"Democrats are far ahead of
Republicans in using these
tools, both to connect with
voters and raise money. This has
ominous implications.
Republicans once led in
fundraising through direct mail
to millions of small donors and
in winning elections with
massive TV advertising. But
these are less effective today.
In 1965 a party could reach 80
percent of 18-to-49-year-olds
with three 60-second, prime-time
television commercials. Now it
would take 117 of these TV spots
to achieve 80 percent coverage.
The Internet is not only an
easier way to contact young
people, it's cheaper. 'History
suggests,' according to Winograd
and Hais, 'that those who find
ways to integrate the new
technology with existing tactics
to produce multi-faceted
campaigns that reach all voters
will be especially successful in
future elections.' Barack
Obama's presidential campaign is
the reigning example. "
Machine
Politics
Will the new technologies
make a difference in November?
by Fred Barnes
Weekly Standard
August 25, 2008
Click to read the complete
review
"Throughout the pages of
Millennial Makeover Winograd
and Hais tell us more about what
this new generation thinks and
what it expects than anyone has
done before or is likely to do
again. This is not the political
punditry of "talking heads" who
merely spout trendy theories
without analytical substance.
Rather, it is a well researched
and well written review of the
factors that have helped shape
the Millennial Generation
(1983-2003) now coming of age,
together with some insightful
commentary on the impact this
generation is likely to have on
our country and our world."
Brace Yourself: The
Political "Norm" Faces a Major
Transformation
By Matthew Elias
HyerStandard.com
April 13, 2008
Click to read the complete
review
"This is a remarkable book, and
one that I'll be referring to
often this election. If you want
to understand the historical
context of the 2008 election,
read this book. A "realignment"
book, that goes into the history
of US elections to describe two
types of realignment, idealistic
and civic, and how they have
influenced history. More
importantly, how it's happening
again. What makes the book all
the better is that its a
terrific read. Very easy to read
and I found myself gaining a new
insight every chapter."
Millennial Makeover: MySpace,
YouTube, and the Future of
American Politics
by Jerome Armstrong
MyDD.com
Click to read the complete
review
"Messrs. Winograd and Hais
believe that the Millennials
could spark a political
realignment and that they have
already revolutionized campaign
and fund-raising techniques in
ways that may reverberate for
years to come. I think they're
on to something important. While
I don't agree with every point
in their analysis, I think that
"Millennial Makeover" will be
read with pleasure by Democrats
and should be read with careful,
worried attention by
Republicans."
Politics May Never Be the Same
By
Michael Barone
The Wall Street Journal
Click to read the complete
review
"In its portrayal of America's
future, Millennial Makeover
is a
brilliant, prophetic…and, in
some respects, even frightening
book."
—Sander
Vanocur
"Anyone interested in the
present and future course of
American politics should read
this insightful work, which
could be titled Millennial
Takeover. According to
interdisciplinary analysis by
Winograd (Marshal Sch. of
Business, Univ. of Southern
California), a former adviser to
Al Gore, and Hais (former vice
president, entertainment
research, Frank N. Magid
Assoc.), as we enter this
critical 2008 election year we
find ourselves on the cusp of
another political transformation
and realignment wrought by
technological and demographic
revolutions. The epicenter of
this power earthquake is the
Millennial generation, those
born between 1982 and 2003.
Armed with numbers, new
attitudes and values, and "netroots"
(MySpace, YouTube, Facebook)
technology, the Millennials have
the potential to revitalize
citizenship, civic engagement,
political alliances, the two
major political parties, and,
more broadly, American culture.
Their impact may well start with
the 2008 presidential election.
With sound analysis, the authors
persuasively contend that the
prospect of Millennials going
viral (using their numbers,
values, commitments, and
sociopolitical networking to
effect change and demand new
political leadership) must not
be underestimated. If their
conclusions are accurate, 2008
will be remembered as a turning
point in American politics.
Highly recommended."
—Stephen
K. Shaw, Northwest Nazarene
Univ., Nampa, ID,
LibraryJournal.com
"In the spirit of their subjects, Morley Winograd and Michael Hais
have mashed up history, pop culture, and sociology to produce a
compelling and pathbreaking portrait of a generation poised to
reshape American politics. There's more insight, provocative
thinking, and eye-opening connections in this original and
optimistic account than you'll find in a month of political chat on
the tube—or maybe a year."
—Ronald
Brownstein, Political Director, Atlantic Media
"Millennial Makeover builds a strong case for how today’s rising
generation is poised to become a political powerhouse, re-energizing
civic spirit and transforming both the substance and process of
American politics. With new technologies, attitudes, and agendas,
this generation could define the 21st Century just as fundamentally
as the G.I. Generation defined the 20th. Winograd and Hais build a
strong, historically rooted case for how this could unfold."
—Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of "Generations: The History
of America's Future, 1584-2069"
