2Day in #OpenGov 11/13/12

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NEWS ROUNDUP:

Government

  • Political reform on the agenda? Making voting easier and reforming the campaign finance system by challenging or invalidating the Citizens United decision could be on President Barack Obama’s second-term agenda. He has suggested in the past that he believes shining a light on super PACs would be a good idea. (Washington Post)
  • Texans ask for White House response on secession: More than 27,000 Texans have signed a petition asking to secede from the United States. The White House has said it will respond to any petitions that receive more than 25,000 signatures on its “We the People” website. (The Hill)
  • Analyzing federal technology investments: The federal government is taking steps to measure the effectiveness of investments in technology. The Office of Management and Budget will also be tracking innovative uses of technology in the 2014 fiscal year. (FCW)
  • Improving federal social media: Social media experts from within and outside the federal government recently shared a few tips for the federal social media strategy. The discussion highlighted what is going well and what could be improved. (FCW)

Campaign remnants 

  • Obama victory could have reinforced unlimited campaign cash: Obama’s win may have reinforced the practice of unlimited spending for some groups, which was enabled by the Citizens United decision in 2010, some are suggesting. Obama embraced super PACs for the election instead of trying to fight them, despite voicing opposition to Citizens United. (New York Times)
  • Questions on whether unlimited cash was over-hyped: Some experts are raising questions about what impact unlimited cash had in the election, which was the most expensive ever.  One speculation is that people heard so many negative messages, they tuned out from the ads the super PACs were running with their unlimited spending. (NPR)
  • Voters oust lawmakers facing ethics questions: Several members of Congress who were facing questions about their ethics were voted out this cycle. At least five members who faced ethics charges at the federal or state level were ousted by voters. (New York Times)
Technology
  • Google faces antitrust suit: Obama’s second term means Google will likely face an antitrust lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC panel is said to believe that Google is violating antitrust laws. The makeup of the panel could have changed if Mitt Romney had been elected president. (The Hill)
International
  • China blocks Google: China’s government blocked Google services, including Gmail and Google maps, last week. The sudden block comes as the Communist Party in the country is picking top government officials. (The Hill)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

  • None

HAPPENING THIS WEEK 11/12-11/16: 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

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