Barack to the Future--Democracy in the 21st Century

by Jan Searles; April 20, 2009

The text messages your daughter sneaks to her friends at the dinner table are just a hint of a quiet but monumental revolution in American politics.
The new methods of communication spawned by the capabilities of the Internet represent a technology which allows people to have instant access to each other around the globe. Instead of making people more alienated and anonymous, the new Internet is giving individuals more access to each other and more political influence than they have had since politics was the product of discussion in town meetings.
The new technology allows ordinary people to express their desires to their elected officials with ease. By banding together into pressure groups that function as lobbying agents, they can apply political pressure to ensure that their wishes are taken seriously. The voters can compete directly with corporate lobbyists for the attention of their representatives.
In the United States the will of the people is expressed through their elected representatives in Congress, rather than directly through popular vote. Decisions are often made by these elected officials contrary to the will of the people who elected them. A very clear example of this is the Electoral vote vs. the Popular vote in presidential elections.
There have been several times in recent memory when a president was elected because he won the Electoral vote, even though the will of the people as expressed in the Popular vote chose another candidate. The Internet is tipping that balance.
President Obama's youth, originally considered a liability, is proving to be an asset in this arena. The new Internet has created a new environment, one in which President Obama is truly at home. His election was in part a result of a groundswell of public support fueled by people communicating directly with each other and with their representatives through the Internet. Now that he has been elected, Obama is attempting to create a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, using this new technology. He is committed to a purer form of democracy wherein the people of the United States are given a real voice in their government. We, the people, need to let that voice be heard, and help turn this country around.
If you find all this 21st century technology intimidating, just head on down to the local high school, find some kids to show you how, and “get 'er done!”