Don’t Panic, That’s Just the Death Rattle of a Boomer-Controlled Congress: What to Expect From Gen X and Millennials Moving Forward
Armed with fresh data, generational expert Amy Lynch offers insight into leveraging one of the biggest generational shifts Congress has ever seen.

The Boomers are in control, but for how long? Maybe not that much longer, says generational expert Amy Lynch.

Lynch, the founder of Generational Edge, a firm supporting leaders and companies as they overcome the dual challenges of generational shift and business disruption, expects a big change in 2018.

“(Generation) Xers will almost certainly win a majority in the House in 2018 and in the Senate by 2024, if not before,” Lynch explains. “During the 1990s, The Atlantic proposed that Xers had adopted “political apathy as a way of life.” But it’s not apathy we see in this new generation of leaders. It’s realism and a Reagan-ish longing for smaller, more efficient government.”

Lynch says the U.S. is in for a big political shift as the aging Boomers fade out of power and Gen Xers make their mark on Washington.

“Gen X came of age when America was embracing the free marketplace and unabashed capitalism,” Lynch explained. “Their mantra? ‘Government is not the solution. Government is the problem.’ That is a complete 180 from what Boomers assumed when they entered Congress.”

Meanwhile, Millennials are waiting their turn. Of the 435 seats in the House, only 13 are held by Millennials. There are no Millennial senators. Their influence simply isn’t there yet.

Per Lynch’s findings, Millennials may not have much influence yet in Congress, but their influence at the polls is a completely different story.

“Their large numbers give Millennials tremendous power when they choose to use it,” Lynch explained. “Millennials were a major factor in Obama’s first election, and they pushed Bernie Sanders to unexpected prominence in 2016. When they decide to vote — and they often don’t — Millennials are a juggernaut.”

Meanwhile, says Lynch, each of the generations that make up the American voting bloc has strong feelings about political parties, both the Republicans and the Democrats.

Baby Boomers
• The highly polarized political parties as they are now are in many ways Boomer creations.
• Boomers are passionate about ideals, tend to see issues in terms of right and wrong, and are drawn to extremes.
• “If you could count the frequency of all the words Boomers say in the course of a day, “compromise” would not be high on the list,” says Lynch.
• Boomers have always been a divided and divisive generation.

Generation X
• Xers are skeptical about all institutions, including political parties. Xers leaned Republican when they were younger. Now more of them lean Democrat.
• As leaders Xers will look for the workable over the ideal, make tough choices and take the necessary risks to keep moving forward.
• One potential downside of Gen X leadership is that as they make hard, fast decisions in the midst of a disruptive time, Xers may lack empathy or underestimate the cost of decisions.
• With Gen Xers in power, Congress will be more centrist and productive.

Millennials
• It’s not about political parties. Only 38% of Millennials are affiliated with any political party. Most say they are independent. For Millennials, it’s not about political parties, it’s about ideals. It’s about solutions.
• They believe in causes, not parties. “Millennials have chosen business as their tool for making social change, not political parties,” says Lynch. This generation expects companies to have a positive impact on society as a matter of course, putting purpose and profit on equal footing.
• Millennials want government to do more, not less. That runs counter to the general mood of the country right now.
• Millennials influence isn’t there yet. Of the 435 seats in the House, only 13 are held by Millennials. There are no Millennial senators.

Find more expert generational advice from Lynch in her e-book 3 New Generational Realities: And 38 Killer Strategies You Can Use to Crush Gen Conflict Now, available on her website: http://www.generationaledge.com.

About the Author: 
Amy Lynch  is author of the forthcoming Gen IQ: Generational Intelligence for an Age of Disruption. She founded Generational Edge, a firm supporting leaders and companies as they overcome the dual challenges of generational shift and business disruption. Her blend of humor, substance and authenticity make her a game-changing speaker.