Please note this blog will be up for almost 2 weeks until Oct. 5!
This past week the Obama administration launched We The People, a new way to create, view, and sign petitions that go directly to the Obama Administration.You can view the official video about how it works by clicking here. You should definitely look around the We the People site and get more information and see the petitions that are currently open (and sign some if you agree with them!!). The Obama administration has promised to be more accessible and transparent than any other presidency. What do you think about this method of communicating with the President? Do you think this is a positive step? How effective do you think these petitions will be? How does this relate to our discussions of the modern presidency? Finally, if you are interested, would you create a petition and what would it be about?
As always, feel free to comment on any of these prompts or respond generally to the We the People site. The key is to have a conversation with your classmates so respond to one another.
In lines with what we learned in class this past week about the Modern Presidency, which is all about the President taking more of a leadership role, I think this "We the People" website is perfect. With this website, President Obama is taking an active role to hear the voice of the people. Granted, he probably doesn't look at the website (rather his advisors do), I think a website such as this will help him, even if it's just a tiny bit, in gaining public prestige. Whether or not actual change and agenda re-setting happens, I think it goes back to him showing that he has a "feel for the people" - he wants to connect and this shows it. Thinking about it more, however, and being the pessimist that many Americans are, the public may take this website as one big joke. They may create petitions that have no true purpose or the majority of people may not partake in it at all because they know that real policy change would never come from this. Therefore, I think that for the most part, the website is actually just a campaigning trick - a good one I think - though at the end of the day not sincere in its motivations for I don't think true change will come from it.
ReplyDelete-Pamela Apfel
I think this site is a great way to get constituents involved and proactive. This easy to use site can be easy accessed by teenagers, adults and senior citizens. During election time it is important that the candidate reach out to his/her voters and get them involved. Obama's campaign of "we the people" is catchy and memorable. The site has only four steps and is really user friendly. This is a smart tactic by the Obama campaign.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, users are more compelled to donate money after they commit an action or feel like they are taking part in something. By petitioning a bill or providing feedback- voters feel involved and thus are more inclined to donate to a candidate.
Lastly, this attempt of reaching out to the people will help Obama spread the word of his campaign and will substitute his failing trademark of "change", "We the people" is an attempt to replace the failure of "change"..
Good Luck Obama!
This website is clearly a modern day example of a populist presidency. I think "We the People" is fantastic- it gives every person an outlet to voice their political opinion and the possibility to be recognized by the President (or most likely, as mentioned, his staff.) However, I don't think that the overall value of the website is directly correlated to the likelihood of President Obama seeing the website's activity himself. Although the majority of these petitions won't see the light of a staff member's day, I think that the website redeems itself even if only a few gain some national attention. How many other presidents would have ever made this kind of gesture to engage directly with the American people? I give credit to the President and his staff for the creation of this site and plan to periodically check on it and see how I personally can voice my political opinions.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this website is a fantastic idea. Not only does it encourage everyday Americans to participate in the political system but it also serves as a tool to make people think about other issues that may not always directly affect them. This is a very positive step by the president and hopefully future presidents in reaching out to “the people”, utilizing modern technology and making the White House more accessible. However, the only reservation I have about this website is will the petitions ever make it to the desk of the president? While the nifty YouTube video ensured an official response once the 5,000 signature mark has been reached, how do I not know if the response was drafted by some White House intern charged with responding with the President’s official stance on the matter? While being another tool in the president’s arsenal of rhetoric, only time will tell if our signatures really make a difference.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I saw the documentary Page One, which is a year in the life of the Ny Times, mostly discussing if there is a future to American journalism in the traditional newspaper form. With new media literally taking over the world, do we actually learn any news from the morning paper that we haven’t already read online or seen on a Youtube clip? With this documentary in mind, I think that the We the People site is not only very smart, but also necessary in today’s internet oriented society. As people constantly on our computers, I think this is a essential step in Americans feeling and being involved as more proactive citizens. Easy accessibility to creating and signing petitions gives a voice to those who were clueless or unsure on how to do so in the past. I think that this is a smart for Obama’s campaign, because as we discussed in class, the people want to see the President as someone who hears their voice, and understands their needs.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I believe that it can be beneficial just for the people to realize that Congress and the President hear the people's voice and the people feel they can reach out. I am a little bit skeptical of what the people will use this site for. I believe that this site can truly be abused by the people, in that the people may make false petitions or vote for things that may be detrimental to society. Also there are so many people in the United States that there will be so many different petitions that I am sure a lot will be conflicting with one another. So although this site will help the President hear the people, what will he really hear from them? Conflicting messages? I don't know how much that will help. But nonetheless for the people to feel that their voice is heard by the President and that they play apart in politics, just for that feeling and that feeling alone, maybe this is not a terrible idea.
ReplyDelete- Tamar Berger
"We the people" is an interesting idea. Though after looking through the site I did find it to be rather broad, thus leaving a lot of room for backing out one the White House side.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the tutorial never mentions a specific number of votes needed for a petition to be reviewed, it only says if it has "enough votes" than it will be reviewed by White House staff. This leaves a huge loophole for the President to rely on if there is an issue that has a significant amount of votes, but he still does not want to address it.
However, I do believe that the website is good for those making the petitions. While their petitions may never receive federal attention, simply by creating them, they are fueling publicity for their cause whenever someone scrolls through the list and reads their petition title.
I'm not sure if this will work in the long-run, but it is extremely creative and innovative.
Leah Avner
While I think that this is a great way to get people involved and feel that they are important, which on a most basic level has huge value in simply getting more people to vote, I feel that there is a catch-22 involved in this setup which either way minimizes its potential to have a real effect in actions or policy. On the one hand, it simply may not really translate into anything concrete. On the other hand, if does translate into definitive action, this is a dangerous source for it, as it is likely that only a specific portion of the population is actually contributing to the website. What exactly this population is, I’m not entirely sure, but it’s highly unlikely that it is an even distribution of all the people who would potentially be affected by (or want to have a say in) anything coming out of it. For example, to me it would seem likely that younger, more politically minded individuals who are perhaps more extreme in their politics would be more likely to participate in such a program just as a result of their political involvement and technological savvy than older, perhaps more moderate people. That’s obviously a huge generalization and is by no means scientific or remotely accurate, but is simply one of many scenarios I could envision for an uneven representation of popular opinion. So if the success of this new forum is measured simply by means of getting people more involved, I think it’s great. But if its goal or form of evaluation of success is in terms of translation to executive or legislative policy change, I think that because of the aforementioned catch-22 this is a neutral idea at best and worrisome at worst. Which of these two scenarios (ie, involvement or active change) it is to me is an open question, so in my mind the jury’s still out...
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of the sentiments of previous comments. I think this is a very good way for Obama to look like he is trying to keep in touch with the American public. However, I question the value of the website in terms of practicality. The idea that anyone can make a petition on this website, leaves my OCD mind worried that the website will get cluttered and unorganized. I think that there will be multiple petitions about the same thing, but worded differently, and it will be very difficult for one petition to raise the necessary amount of signatures to even be considered. I also agree with an earlier post, where someone said that this could basically be a canvas for jokesters and pranksters to create ridiculous, fake petitions. All in all, I don't think this is a very practical website, and I don't think I would ever create a petition on the sight.
ReplyDelete-Tovah Silbermann
I agree with all of the comments of the posts regarding the site, “We the people”. This site is representative of the vision that President Obama has to lead us for the future and what he planned and wanted to do when coming into Presidency. One of the key and successful parts of his election campaign was the way he used social media and the internet to raise money for his campaign. Furthermore, when President Obama was running for office, he pledged to make government more open and accountable to its citizens. This website is giving Americans a direct and open line to the White House on the issues and concerns that matter most to the people themselves. The topics that are important to many, will receive communal support and people will sign the petition. I believe that the voice of the masses will be heard all the way to Washington and that this is an extremely good and innovative method of getting access to the President. I question whether enough people know about this site and if there is enough participation that could make a difference. I agree with Pamela that it may all be for show and for publicity, but I am impressed that President Obama is trying to reach out to the people and doing what he said.
ReplyDeleteOn the "We the People" homepage, Obama is quoted as saying the site is, "giving Americans a direct line to the White House on the issues and concerns that matter most to them." I think this is a pretty accurate description. The site seems to be a simple and direct way to get yourself heard. What isn't mentioned, however, is how much of an impact the site (or rather, its petitions) will have on the White House's actions. I think it's a great way to get the public involved in the political sphere and make them feel as though their voices are being heard, and I don't minimize that. It is very important to make the people feel that they matter and that their President cares about what they have to say. In terms of tangible action and change, though, I think this site will do next to nothing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first watched that informative youtube video I was elated to see that the President is trying to be in tune with public opinion. Finally, a website that is easy to use and makes you feel like you can actually "make a difference"! However, I realized that I was being a bit naive since people might not take this seriously and I don't know if there are actual moderators in the website, but I'm guessing that if there isn't the website will amount to a big joke. If anyone can post anything they want on the internet, you will no doubt get people who don't take it seriously. The fear of this happening was brought up by other students but I am surprised to see that no one else brought up the fact that the out of the first 10 "popular" petitions 4 involve the same topic. Four out of ten of these petitions fight for the legalization of marijuana. Obviously, this is a topic that many Americans feel need to be discussed further but I would think that there should be a way to organize the petitions better.
ReplyDeleteAlso, one of the topics that is dear to me is the state of Israel and when I searched the word "Israel" and "Palestine" only one petition came up. Unfortunately, it is not a pro-Israel petition and it has many signatures and I still wonder why there aren't any other petitions concerning the matter. Perhaps, if I searched for another term. But, again, I think there are still some kinks that this website needs to work through.
On the most basic level, I think this is a fantastic website. It gives the people a voice in an user friendly setting that involves the internet--win-win. However, on a deeper level there are a few points that need to be brought up. 1. In order for a petition to be read by the WH staff, it needs 5000 signatures. That seems like a lot of people, but honestly if the website is accessible to every citizen in the US, 5000 is a very low threshold, thereby these petitions will not be representative of the masses. 2. There have yet to be any responses to the petitions, but it will be very interesting to see the nature of the responses. Will they be somewhat generic? Will they simply state that the president is looking into the matter? Or will they represent what the administration really thinks about these issues.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Israel/Palestine issue: This is a very popular issue in Congress and in the WH. I think that these petitions will be used for issues that aren't front and center on the administration's agenda. The reason the only petition on the issue was anti the administration's stance is because there is no need to sign a petition for something the administration already believes in and is dealing with. That being said, I'm sure that if the administration did something blatantly anti-Israel, there would be a flood of pro-Israel petitions, as well as an onslaught of lobbying appointments and phone calls/emails to Congress.
A week ago Sunday I received an email from a girl I went to seminary with whom I have not spoken to since the end of our year together two years ago. I was shocked to see her name pop up in my inbox until I realized that it was just a forward of a public message. Although I usually ignore such generic emails, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what information was important enough to prompt this girl to reach out to me after two years of silence. As it turns out the email was regarding a petition entitled, “Call an Investigation into Allegations of Prosecutorial & Judicial Misconduct in the Case of Sholom Rubashkin,” which was posted on the We The People petition website THE day that the website started running. I was blown away by the prospect of what I had just received. There was no way that without such a website I would have had an opportunity to help make a difference in this individuals life. It was exciting to have such a quick and easy way for me to voice my opinion on such official matters, especially from the comfort of my own home.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, two days later I went to check to see what this weeks blog was about and I was shocked to see that it was finally on a topic that I had what to write about. Using the link on the blog page I returned to website in order to view the petition I had signed only two days prior to find a major surprise. The petition, which only required 5,000 signatures by October 22 had in two days already received 20,000 signatures from people all across the US and London! Such a feat prior to this website would surly have been impossible. Whether the government will actually respond to the voice of the people through these petitions remains to be seen but the potential of this site is really unbelievable.
The Obama administration’s creation of the “we the people” website is definitely a modern and technological step forward for our country. No longer will people have to sign their names with a pen but now they can access a site to have their voice heard at their convince with the click of a button! The world around us is changing and advancing everyday, and as discussed the Modern Presidency implies that the presidency should also advance giving the president more roles to play out. This website allows the president to be more actively involved with really seeing matters that are important to his nation. When trying to get a petition signed by hand its difficult for someone across the country to be aware that such a petition exists. So not only does this allow the president to be more connected to his people, but also in addition our nation will have better communication with each other to really get matters raised and recognized. A doubt I have with the website, is that as others above have said is that people will look at the petitions carelessly, easily press a button and add their name to the list of signatures without really knowing what they are signing for. But perhaps this is a problem with all types of petitions, even hand signed ones don’t require a person to be educated about what they are signing for? The creation of this online sight is a great way for Obama to really “feel for the people.” He (and his staff) will really get to know and read what matters are important to the people, and hopefully be able to implement change for our nation. Its important for citizens to feel their voice is being heard and for them to have a connection to the president about issues that they feel are crucial to be worked on.
ReplyDeleteI too had a very similar situation to Elana, and recently received a seemingly random e-mail to sign my name on this "new petition website" to help free Sholom Rubashkin from his lengthy sentance. To be honest, after receiving the e-mail I did not immediately jump at the opportunity to sign this petition. Although in theory this is an amazing opportunity, I am extremely skeptical as to whether or not this will actually make a difference and be brought to the President's attention. As Leah said, the website seemed very vague and does not give any specific number at all as to when they will begin to take the petition into account. I remember back in high school my teacher gave out extra credit for calling the White House directly and telling the operator our political views for him to take note of for President Bush. At that time we used to call the White House and tell them that we wanted Jonathon Pollard to be released. Although I participated in this and called the White House many times to voice my opinion, in retrospect I have a very hard time believing that these phone-calls, which were pouring in from Jews all over the world at the time, made any difference whatsoever. I think "We the People" is a brilliant campaign idea. It gives even the smallest person a voice and the opportunity to feel like they are speaking to the President, which is how we felt back in high school when we called the White House. However, I do not know if we will actually see any results from this, or if it is merely a campaign tactic to help Obama get votes. I am curious to see how long it lasts and if Obama continues to use it if he is re-elected or if it will be shut down by a new president.
ReplyDeleteThis website is really cool. It is something that the modern american can relate with in this "facebook age." By now we are all accustomed to invitations to events through facebook or being sent petitions via email to sign, this is just a more direct way of doing things. I don't know if I trust anything to actually happen through the website, especially since one of the first petitions is for the legalization of marijuana.
ReplyDeleteIf taken seriously, the site has the potential to accomplish a lot. Having said that, as we keep bringing up in class, the president does not have the power to pass a bill on his own. So just having 5,000 Americans sign petitions does not ensure any kind of outcome- acknowledging that 5,000 signatures means only 100 people per state, which is not exactly representative of most Americans.
Again, if taken seriously, I think that this site has the potential for greatness, although I think by now, there is so much information on the internet that this might not have the impact that the Obama administration is looking for.
I think that the "We The People" website is a really good step for President Obama. I think that it is a really modern way to involve the people into the Presidents role in making decisions. I also feel that it is a good way of informing the public of the issues we are facing. Modern technology has become our number one source, so a website seems right on target. I personally am a fan of online petitions because I think that with enough signatures, they do make a difference- big or small. I also agree with Stephanie (above), that it is a good campaign idea because it does include every person, and every voice. At the same time, I hope that it isn't just a campaign strategy, and that it actually does make a difference and that President Obama really does take things from the site and each of the petitions and create changes.
ReplyDeleteThe Obama administration has promised to be more accessible and transparent than any other presidency. Initially, when I learned about The White House initiative “We The People” I was confident that this website is a step in the right direction. People now have the opportunity to directly inform policymakers of their concerns and opinions. The website, simple to use and accessible to all, held the promise of allowing people to feel that they can personally communicate with the Obama administration and have a direct influence on government policies.
ReplyDeleteHowever, after reading the thoughts of others in the class regarding this website I started getting doubtful of this new method of communicating with the President. Is President Obama sincerely interested in these petitions or is this website is a clever campaign scheme? Like other students mentioned, the website is not carefully cleaned of clutter and petitions can repeat themselves making the entire system inefficient or a platform for pranks. If “We the People” is a serious attempt at creating a more accessible and transparent government I wonder why this project is so poorly managed.
Posted for Rebecca Abrams:
ReplyDeleteI think that ‘We the People’ is great! It excited me to look at the website and I was impressed by the simplicity of the video. Even though it was not such a big hassle to pick up a pen and paper and write to the White House before, and despite the fact your congressman is one phone call away, this makes it even easier to now feel that you have a say in what goes on in politics. It can be intimidating to write that letter or make that call but there is something about computers that makes people who are not extroverted much more comfortable with speaking out. Additionally, I think that many people turn to the computer as a way to fill the void of extra time. Many people will shop or do quizzes in their spare time on random websites and now they can apply their mindless typing skills to something more serious. I think it is interesting to browse through the various petitions and get a taste of the concerns of fellow Americans across the country. As long as advertising is good, I do not see any reason why this website would not be successful. I can picture little kids repeating bits and pieces of the commercial and trying to log on just as adults. The website has an inviting appearance which I think will attract people to sign and create more petitions. The “We The People” website is another example of how the modern president is expected to be creative in trying to keep a captive audience. Hand in hand with rhetoric goes listening. They say that the most important skill to ensure a healthy relationship is communication. This website makes it look like the government is really trying to listen more closely to everything the nation has to say.
Rebecca Abrams
"We the People" is certainly an excellent idea. The idea of creating communication between the American people and the President ( or at least his administration) is one that is necessary and long over due. The Obama campaign was heavily based on understanding the needs of the people and hearing the peoples thoughts; therefore it is nice to see a president actually following through on thoughts mentioned on the campaign trail.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I wonder if this website will have any practical ramifications as opposed to just serving as a mechanism to make the people "feel better" during Obamas 2012 campaign. My concern is that the website seems to be an outlet for people to vent their opinions via petitions and these petitions will not be taken seriously.
I hope that "We the People" succeeds in effectuating a positive feel within the country while simultaneously effectuating actual change. I look forward to seeing a positive outcome from this innovative idea.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLike Elana, I also got an email and signed the Sholom Rubashkin petition (which by the way is very close to the current threshold of 25,000 signatures in 30 days if anyone wants to sign it or spread the word -- it went up from 24,181 to 24,200 signatures just over the course of writing this comment!).
ReplyDeleteI have a couple things to say about "We the People." Overall, I think it's great, and I think we can all at least agree that there's certainly no harm in creating it.
Regarding the pretty prevalent opinion that it might not get anything done as far as real action is concerned -- I think that in a lot of ways this is an outlet that will serve a purpose similar to the phone calls that Stephanie mentioned, which I think is mainly for the White House to get a feel for what the people really care about. But I think that this will actually be more effective. With facebook and the digital age, people like everything to be public and to actually see what other people are thinking. This provides that kind of open forum and also holds the guarantee that some kind of response will be provided for large petitions. Regardless of whether or not "real action" is taken, the petition will be addressed and taken note of, and that certainly means something when it comes to the people having a voice.
I think we can also be less skeptical about these petitions by nature of the fact that they will be responded to only if they're signed by 25,000 people (in which case, who cares if people put up petitions that are there as pranks or to vent?). Any petition that gets 25,000 signatures in a month deserves to be taken seriously and will be taken seriously, and the White House doesn't really have to concern itself with any of the others.
I think it is helpful that the website has an option to view the petitions based on number of signatures. I think that will actually help reduce the redundancy. If there are similar petitions that keep arising, it is probably because they are popular topics. People would be less inclined to create a new petition if they saw one similar to their own that was already doing well.
It will be interesting to see what becomes of the Rubashkin petition, and it might be nice to have a petition for Jonathan Pollard as well.
Posted for Michelle:
ReplyDeleteI think this website site is a way for Obama to take advantage of the internet as a medium to access the people. Like Sara(h) mentioned today in her presentation there are new emerging forms of media, and different ways to reach the people. By creating this website Obama is using this new reality to his advantage. Regardless of whether or not the people take it seriously it good that the administration is evolving with the times. I think site this will be equally effective in pushing policy as all regular petitions or phone calls to the White House are. This website is just an updated version of what has already existed, the ability to petition the government.
I agree with people that it is a good campaigning tool to show that the administration is being as transparent and accessible as they promised, but the downfall of that argument is the lack of build up and advertisement of this site. Had it not been for this blog I doubt I would have ever stumbled upon the "We the People" site.
Michelle Zivari
I think that everyone is bringing really great points to this discussion and I hope I don't sound too repetitive because I happen to agree with a lot of what people are saying.
ReplyDelete"We the People" seems to connect a lot with what Sara brought up in class today about media and its effect on the President and running in his campaign. The video explaining this website was very clear and concise and really perfect for all ages to understand. This website makes it so much easier to communicate your views to the President (really not directly to him) and get involved in things you believe in. It is so simple to navigate on; a few easy steps and you are on your way to getting your opinion out there and hopefully making a difference. I think that the public will love what Obama is giving them here with this opportunity. In this generation, people like quick and easy instructions that are clear, concise and to the point.
This website is also beneficial to people that are as unaware as I am about different issues we face today. It provides us with information about subjects that pertain to us and subjects that we never really knew about and can now get involved in. Not everyone reads the newspaper, but almost everyone goes online several times a day so in this day and age, this is a great way to get the public's attention.
However, I do agree with Adeena who said that people may take this as a joke and just write irrelevant things that won't help improve what the President can do for us. In the end, this seems like a great idea, but I don't really know if it can really make a difference or help the public voice their opinion.
-Tamar Benzaquen
I am not absolutely sold on the idea of this website. I was initially introduced to it about three weeks ago when I was bombarded with e-mails and Facebook messages begging me to sign the petition for the investigation of prosecutorial misconduct in the case of Shalom Rabashkin. I saw that only 5,000 signatures were needed so I abstained from signing, simply because I figured the petition would get the required number of signatures within several hours without my signature (which it did).
ReplyDeleteThe issue with these petitions, as mentioned before, is that many of them only represent a small number of people with very particular interests. Although around 25,000 people (who I’m assuming are mostly Chabad and Chabad affiliated Jews around the world) signed the petition, I doubt they know much about the actual case of Shalom Rabashkin other than the fact that he is an orthodox Jew in prison for a number of criminal charges. So it begs the question, do we want decisions made based on the desires of a small number of potentially uneducated people with highly particularized interests?
My second issue is the actual efficacy of the website. The YouTube clip is very vague about what actually happens when a petition reaches the required amount of signatures. Who looks at it? What kind of response will it get? Will it simply be a perfunctory “we thank you for your participation” or will it count towards actual decisions?
Someone mentioned that on the first page of petitions four out of ten were about the legalization of Marijuana. I know that last year there was some kind of vote on the legalization of Marijuana in California (which is basically Weed City, USA), and even that did not pass, so how far will a couple thousand signatures on a petition really advance a decidedly unpopular political issue?
While I doubt that much policy will change because of this website I can see some benefit to it. First of all, it promotes cooperation and could generate more of an interest in politics if people decided to further research the topics proposed in the petitions. Second of all, it promotes transparency in Government. Being allowed to view petitions and the White Houses responses is great because it allows us to hold our government more accountable depending upon how they respond or do not respond to popular requests. So, while I doubt these petitions will really get us anywhere, I do think this website is good for encouraging participation among a younger, more computer saavy generation, and for promoting a more transparent government.
I just received a response from We the People to a petition that I signed. As I expected, the response was not helpful in the least, as the White House "declined to respond." So much for sharing our voice with Obama and getting answers. If this is how We the People will be operating as a general rule, I don't think it will change very many realities about our government. Oh well.....
ReplyDelete