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    Obama Using Web to Bypass News Media ... Online Townhall ... TODAY 11:30 AM EDT

    By oldenGoldenDecoy on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 9:00am |

    Very very interesting . . .


    From an AP report (see top 10 health care questions below):

    Obama turns to Web to bypass news media

    WASHINGTON (AP) -- Call it Round Two of the news conference, with a big Internet twist.

    President Barack Obama took questions from the White House press corps on Tuesday in a prime-time, East Room session that represented the most formal and time-honored of president-and-reporter interactions. On Thursday, he is taking to that same room for another public grilling -- this time by regular folks armed with questions submitted via the Internet and in person, as part of a political strategy to engage Americans directly.

    "It's a way for the president to do what he enjoys doing out on the road, but saves on gas," press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Wednesday.

    By 3 a.m. Thursday, the White House Web site had already logged more than 70,000 questions.

    --snip--

    Obama's aides are taking that step forward, incorporating tools that let visitors to the White House Web site pick the questions Obama will answer, turning the president's Thursday event into a democratic press conference.

    "Average people get to shape the outcome, like 'American Idol,'" Rosenberg said. "This is not a couch-potato age. Average people are expecting to be part of the process."


    White House online town hall: http://www.whitehouse.gov/openforquestions/


    Here are the Top 10 questions by vote to be asked during the online Townhall:

    Popular questions:

     

    "Why can we not have a universal health care system like many European countries, where people are treated based on needs, rather than financial resources?"
    richard, sd, ca   
     

     



    "Why is marijuana still illegal? Cigarettes and alcohol are far more harmful, and with the taxes put on the legal distribution of marijuana the US could make millions"
    Ben R, Washington, DC   
     

     



    "Are you going to make eliminating insurance companies ability to deny coverage based on "pre-existing conditions" a part of your health care reform policy? I'm afraid to go to the doctor, because what if I have a condition, but then lose my job?"
    T.Kapanka, San Francisco, CA   
     

     



    "Why has "single payer" been taken off the table as an option for health care reform? As my friend with MS says, "we don't need health insurance, we need health care.""
    Hollyw25, Portland   
     

     



    "Insurance companies run healthcare in this country. True healthcare reform cannot happen until health insurance is revamped. The current system ties the hands of both docs and patients. What plans are there for reform in this area?"
    maxfun, Hillsboro, OR   
     

     



    "In the campaign you called for a public option so that anyone could have the same coverage as Congress. Unfortunately some members of Congress have said they won't vote to let us have the same coverage they have. Will you fight for a public option?"
    Karl S, St Paul, MN   
     

     



    "Why isn't the right to good health care just as important as the right to police and fire protection?"
    Shari, Eugene, OR   
     

     



    "Wouldn't we all be better served if health insurance was government-managed ONLY? The for-profit model we live under today works for the stock-holders first, so of course costs keep climbing. Will your plan fix this?"
    PNStoneham, Oakland, CA  





    The White House is open for questions.

    We invite you to participate in our community-moderated online town hall. Submit your own question about the economy and vote on submissions from others. We also encourage you to include a link to a video of yourself asking your question (ideally 30 seconds or less), but text submissions are all you need. Come back on Thursday to watch the President answer some of the most popular submissions live at WhiteHouse.gov.

    UPDATE: The online town hall will be TODAY at 11:30 AM Eastern, the voting will close at 9:30 AM.

    68,371 people have submitted 74,687 questions and cast 2,848,143 votes

    White House online town hall: http://www.whitehouse.gov/openforquestions/


    ~OGD~

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