We got a little preview of the State of the Union address this weekend, but for now we’re more intrigued that the White House is embracing technology in the lead-up to the speech Tuesday night.
Concerned Americans can pose their burning questions to President Obama via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Given that the president owes much of his 2008 campaign success to social media, his effort to make citizens feel more involved via the Internet comes as no surprise.
On one hand, we are all for broadening the horizons of political interactions, allowing voters to come face-to-face with their leaders and express themselves.
The nation stands on the cusp of a new era when nearly anyone, regardless of age, income or location, can question the people who are supposed to look out for their best interests. We understand there will be a vetting system to weed out people without legitimate questions and to throw the president some soft ones. But that’s how most political discussions occur now.
On the other hand, we have to wonder how someone could pose a pertinent and important question that’s still specific enough to elicit a thoughtful response in only 140 characters.
All problems aside, anything that gets people thinking about what our elected officials are doing and saying contributes to the good of our society.
