I hope we have seen the last of boring disassociated politics where Washington is a walled garden and we the people just observe what happens but only participate every 2 and 4 years in the democratic process.
Since the Internet is one of the most powerful mediums for communication, collaboration and more I truly hope that Barack Obama harnesses this power to bring the people back into the democratic process. Our nation was founded on the idea of “by the people, for the people” but as I have observed it, it feels more like “by Washington for Washington. “
It looks like all the evidence is pointing to our new president will use the Internet in new and fresh ways to get his message out and to involve the people to let their voice be heard. It will also be interesting if he does choose the first CTO and he does in fact surround himself with smart technologists.
Our new president has chosen Change.Gov to be the destination where he plans to continually outline his plans for government. He has expressed interest in having more regular video messages from himself and others on his site updated fairly regularly. This will break the mold in a positive way away from only hearing for our President frequently and generally in times of distress.
Obama has also said that he will take feedback from the people on all legislation he is working on that is not immediate presidential decisions. This will allow the people’s voice to really be heard in new ways we have not seen before.
He also plans to use the site to inspire and encourage people to get involved and serve in their community to make it better. I applaud this greatly and truly hope that he accomplishes this. I know that this will go over quite well with the younger generation who already desires to make a difference in the world.
At the end of the day I truly hope that we are making progress to overcome the incredible wall of indifference that has kept American’s, not all but a majority, from truly caring for their neighbor. Obama highlighted this in his victory speech when he pointed out that it is not just about us but also about caring for others. This is a motto we should all live by.
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