Nobody will argue that Barack Obama is the first Internet President of the United States, much like JFK was the first television president. But now that the donations have been collected and the election has been won, how will he and his administration continue to harness the power of the Internet?
Not long after McCain conceded the race, this site was up and running. The Administration-Elect has a blog. The Presiden-Elect is asking me, you, anybody, everybody to
“share your vision for what America can be, where President-Elect Obama should lead this country. Where should we start together?”
Talk about democracy in action! The Obama Administration is actively seeking input¹ directly from concerned citizens: no Senatorial filters or Congressional messengers. And it’s seeking it in a way that is most likely to appeal to the change-agents of the future: our students. In 8 years, students who are currently in Grade 6 will be given the right to vote. But they no longer have to wait for their voices to be heard. Long before they are granted the power of the ballot, our students have been given the power of the Internet.
Of course, it remains to be seen how this information will be acted upon. I, for one, am grateful for the opportunity to participate.
¹ – People talk debate about technology being transformative. In the ‘old days’ (i.e. before November 4, 2008) students used to send letters (I sent mine to Reagan when I was in 4th grade!) or emails to the White House uninvited, with little hope of them being read and even less hope of a response.
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