James Miller, professor of Politics and Liberal Studies at The New School for Social Research and author of Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977, was featured in the New York Times Opinionsection in an article titled, “From Woodstock to Sarah Palin, or Not.”

The editors of the Times use the 40th anniversary of theWoodstock music festival to ask prominent authors and academics to address the event’s political, cultural and economic impact. In his response, titled, “Counterculture as Cash Register,” Miller states that one of the effects of Woodstock was to solidify counter-cultural artifacts as successful commercial commodities, especially within mainstream media. He ends by pointing out that 40 years later, President Barack Obama has transcended many of the political identities established in the 60’s.