White House Seeks Web 2.0 To Enhance State Of The Union Address

By Harrison Golden

WASHINGTON – In an effort to encourage voter openness and ease political tensions prior to Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address, President Obama has decided to create a vaster online political forum, tapping into a variety of social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter.

The White House website devoted to attracting voters not only to the speech, but also to the primary issues that will presumably be discussed on Capitol Hill on Tuesday night. The Obama Administration’s new Internet initiative, asserting the nation as one “of Google and Facebook,” as the speech transcript states, also includes a frequently updated app chronicling preparations for the address.

In addition, Facebook and Twitter pages in which top presidential aides can answer questions from the public have been implemented in a similar vein. Viewers of the address are also invited to ask questions, in real time, to the president as well as his cabinet members, such as Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, via the website and other social media sites.

Furthermore, during the State of the Union speech, WhiteHouse.gov, the official website for the Obama Administration, will be offering a companion stream of visual aids such as charts and corresponding statistics in an effort to better emphasize the key issues, including the economy and national security.

According to representatives from Sunlight Live, a journalistic collaboration made up of the Sunlight Reporting Group, The Huffington Post, National Journal, CQ Roll Call, and the Center for Public Integrity, “This platform of real-time investigative reporting will provide real-time transparency of the annual State of the Union and make analysis participatory in a way we couldn’t have before the Web.”

Although The White House has previously been known for its technological savvy, this more in-depth plan marks a new endeavor to inform and unify the voter base. Washington officials hope to use this spreading of information to diminish ongoing polarities between Democrats and Republicans, as fueled by not only the January 8^th shooting in Tucson that killed six and injured fourteen, including Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, but also a variety of rage-filled Tea Party protests nationwide.