Former President Bill Clinton, administers the oath of office to Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio as his wife Chirlane McCray, second from right, Dante de Blasio, center, and Chirlane McCray watches on the steps of City Hall Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

I believe both of these sentiments are correct and important, and it will be that "youth vote" - the millennial generation - that will fulfill these political maneuverings. As many analysts have already noted, the millennial generation is already more libertarian and/or progressive than previous generations, and we are not shy about it. Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) enjoyed many young libertarians' support during his presidential runs in 2008 and 2012, and young people on the left flocked towards Obama as he was always billed as the more "progressive" candidate. I think we've all seen how that has worked out.

It's likely that liberals' disappointment with Obama is driving this progressive surge, in the same way conservatives upset with the wars and deficits of the Bush/Cheney years drove the libertarian surge on the right. As millennials slowly become 75 percent of the population by 2020, we will likely continue these trends. The post-9/11 world that my generation has grown up in has been fraught with wars on terror, wars on drugs, wars on gays and even wars on civil liberties, combined with a ballooning national debt that we all will inherit. That's why so many of us admired politicians like Paul and former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), and now, thankfully, we have more lawmakers on both sides just like them.

Because of these new libertarians and progressives in Congress, in 2013 we saw the start of some policy reforms in areas where political adversaries could agree to work together:

1. No More Unnecessary War

The "war on war" had a big victory this year when the public outcry over a potential invasion of Syria (due to its alleged use of chemical weapons) caused the Obama Administration to first seek Congressional approval for military action, and when it became clear that a bipartisan majority would not support it, the Obama Administration took more diplomatic means. This is an area where the ol' anti-war-hippie-left was able to work with newfound allies in the anti-war-libertarian-right, a trend that will only continue as millennials and most Americans grow more war-weary in the 21st century.

3. End the Failed War on Drugs

In addition to Washington and Colorado fully legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in 2012, many other states across the country reformed drug laws in 2013. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called for mandatory minimum drug sentences to be cut, and Rand Paul and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) hilarious agreed on Twitter last week to continue work on drug law reforms in 2014. So look for more changes on this in the future, as it's an issue where progressives and libertarians can agree again. Most millennials also feel the War on Drugs has been a failure and that adults should be allowed to use marijuana responsibly if they choose.

4. Support Gay Rights

When The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was found to be unconstitutional this year and more Republican lawmakers changed their stance on gay marriage, it became clear that gay rights were here to stay. As progressives have supported this issue for years, people should know that libertarians want all Americans to have their personal freedom, often asking, "Why is government involved with defining marriage at all?" Millennials are surrounded by an increasing amount of openly gay peers and friends alike, so we are a-OK with the gays and feel everyone else should be, too. The bigotry of the past against gays, fueled by ironic religious hate, will continue to dissipate as millennials get older.

As you can see, issues like these transcend party lines. In 2013, it took progressives and libertarians working together to start some positive changes in these areas, with their only opposition often being the Washington establishment. I hope we'll see more of the same in the coming year and beyond. After all, if millennials don't have a progressive/libertarian presidential candidate to vote and volunteer for in 2016, you can be sure we'll run one of our own down the line. See you all in 2020!