BARACK OBAMA: THE FIRST INTERNET PRESIDENT!

At almost the moment he took office on January 20, Barack Obama showed that he is a transformational president in more ways than one -- a new interactive White House web site was launched which will undoubtedly change the way the presidency works, much like his use of the internet to get there changed the dynamics of political campaigns for the future.

The site, http://whitehouse.gov/ has many interactive features but the one that appealed most to me at first glance was the invitation to send an e-mail to the president and his staff. Of course, it means the president will now collect the e-mail addresses of millions of Americans, and can send them messages. much like he does now to his over 10 million online supporters.

In a CNN article about the new site, Andrew Rasiej, founder of the Personal Democracy Forum said in part it is "the tip of the iceberg in what's coming in participatory politics and the relationship between the president and the public." Link to CNN story: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/white.house.website/index.html

Rasiej sure got that right, and politicians everywhere should get the message. I chuckle in way at the small city mayor who in his sincere desire to improve communications with his citizens has ingtroduced brown bag lunch sessions at city hall where the folks can come and break bread and chat with him. Nice 20th century idea. He may be better advised to maximize Myspace, Facebook and Twitter and start by looking at http://www.whitehouse.gov/

The future is now. Please add your comments, email me at mj.morris@live.ca or comment on my Facebook page.

Barack Obama gets high approval ratings from Canadians

As Barack Obama assumes office as the 44th president of the United States, two polls show that Canadians overwhelmingly support him.

An EKOS poll done for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation shows that Obama has an 81% percent approval rating among Canadians.

When asked the question: "When watching the excitement surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama and comparing it to our own political leadership I feel disappointed with our options", 47% of the respondents agreed with the statement.

A Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll revealed that 57% of Canadians believe Obama will exceed expectations as president.

I will give my own views on the polls later, but let's hear from you. Post comments here or send me an email at mj.morris@live.ca

More poll info at http://ctv.ca and http://cbc.ca