- Sunday Times - Political life shouldn’t be a family affair
We all despise nepotism, but don’t we just love a dynasty? We are intrigued by the fatal glamour of political clans like the Kennedys and Bhuttos, the cascading wealth of Windsors and Rothschilds, the artistic talent gliding through generations of Waughs or Renoirs. Even the random trashiness of our celebrity culture cannot escape — why else did Carol Thatcher become queen of the jungle a few years ago?
- Newsweek - Obama harnessed the grass-roots power of the Web to get elected. How will he use that power now?
Barack Obama is the first major politician who really "gets" the Internet. Sure, Howard Dean used the Web to raise money. But Obama used it to build an army. And now, that army of digital kids expects to stick around and help him govern. Crowd-sourced online brainstorming sessions? Web sites where regular folks hash out policy ideas and vote yea or nay online? A new government computer infrastructure that lets people get a look into the workings of Washington, including where the money flows and how decisions get made? Yes to all those and more. "This was not just an election—this was a social movement," says Don Tapscott, author of "Grown Up Digital," which chronicles the lives of 20-somethings raised on computers and the Web. "I'm convinced," Tapscott says, "that we're in the early days of fundamental change in the nature of democracy itself."
- New York Times - A Rewired Bully Pulpit: Big, Bold and Unproven
Roughly 10 million of Barack Obama’s closest friends and supporters began opening their e-mail in-boxes last Tuesday to find a message from his campaign manager, David Plouffe, labeled “Where we go from here.” In it, Mr. Plouffe asked backers to “help shape the future of this movement” by clicking to an online survey, which in turn asked them to rank four priorities in order of importance.
- DC Examiner - Obama Should Use Technology to Bring About Real Change
The history of the American experiment has seen a constant struggle for fundamental change and reinvention. President-elect Obama ran on change, and now faces high expectations for a radical transformation in how the public relates to the presidency.
- Linux News - By the People: Citizen Involvement the Open Source Way
Everything's going open source Rackspace is the expert when it comes to delivering Windows and Linux hosting solutions. Click here to learn more. Latest News about open source nowadays. Why not government?
- Roll Call - Op-ed: Is It Too Much to Ask Congress to Read Bills Before Voting?
When Members of Congress moved to bail out Wall Street, they settled on a tried and true, “old school” legislative tactic: Don’t give anyone a chance to read the bill. Negotiations were done in secret, staffers were forced to leave their BlackBerrys at the door and the bill was dropped less than 24 hours before a vote was held.
- Marketplace - Early lessons for Dems in fundraising
Steve Chiotakis: The election's over, time to think now about swearing in. But before the officiating starts, incoming Democrats are at this very moment learning the value of money in politics. Congressmen John Dingell is co-hosting a fundraiser for the freshmen today. Here's Marketplace's Nancy Marshall Genzer.
- St. Louis Times Dispatch - Obama reaches out to the young with first weekly YouTube talk
President-elect Barack Obama delivered the weekly Democratic address on YouTube on Saturday, speaking not just on radio but — a presidential first — in an Internet video as well.
- Federal News Radio - Goverment Transparency
John Wonderlich, Program Director of the Sunlight Foundation, speaks with Federal News Radio about Sunlight's open letter to the incoming Obama administration and government transparency
- Washington Post - Role of Federal Tech Czar to Be Defined by Obama
The most talked-about tech job in government is one that never before existed.
- The Washington Post - The YouTube Presidency
Today, President-elect Obama will record the weekly Democratic address not just on radio but also on video -- a first. The address, typically four minutes long, will be turned into a YouTube video and posted on Obama's transition site, Change.gov, once the radio address is made public on Saturday morning.
- ABC News - Government Rescue Spending: Clear or Cloudy?
How much will the AIG bailout ultimately cost? What are the banks applying for the government's $250 billion capital purchase plan? Who is the Federal Reserve lending to and how can taxpayers be assured they'll get their money back?
- McClatchy News - How will President Obama wield his vast Internet army?
WASHINGTON — A powerful new lobbying force is coming to town: Barack Obama's triumphant army of 3.1 million Internet-linked donors and volunteers.
- Roll Call - Scandalized Lawmakers Face Voters
While there’s never a shortage of scandal on Capitol Hill — the sins of lawmakers exposed in recent months range from secret love children to unpaid taxes — misdeeds in the 110th Congress just aren’t generating a commotion this cycle.
- Aspen Times - Letter to the Editor: Information is empowering
Dear Editor:
Disclosure of the campaign contributions that fund our political candidates is the bedrock of our system of making politicians more open and honest. As some Aspenites note in your article “Internet donation information makes some Aspenites uneasy,” (Oct. 30) the availability of this information has improved dramatically thanks to the Internet.
- Bloomberg News - U.S. Chamber Focuses on Congress, Bows Out of Presidential Race
Former ``Sopranos'' television star Vincent Curatola has a new role: Helping the U.S. Chamber of Commerce try to stop Senate Democrats from winning a 60-vote supermajority.
- Agence France-Presse - A web guide to the US election
WASHINGTON -- The following are some of the most popular and useful resources on the web about the US election campaign: