Especially among the netroots, I’ve noticed there’s been some fully-justified complaints that Obama has been afraid of taking bold policy positions, and has struggled to articulate new ideas that are both progressive and a break with political orthodoxy. The senator has complicated matters with a post-partisan style, which has at times seemed out of step with Democratic voters’ expectations.
But Obama seems to be connecting in a major way for the first time this year. His approach to overhauling U.S. policy towards Iran was well-received, and today, Obama is scoring points with a bold “Innovation Agenda,” unveiled at Google.
Barack Obama will unveil several new technology policy initiatives today during a visit to Silicon Valley, including a proposal for a national technology czar called a “chief technology officer,” VentureBeat has learned. […]
The CTO’s mandate under the plan is significantly different from the cybersecurity czar position created by the Bush administration. The CTO’s main responsibility would be to ensure the government holds open meetings and records live Webcasts of those meetings, and that blogging software, wikis (Web site pages where multiple people can edit a document at the same time) and open comments be used to communicate policies with Americans.
Obama’s technology plan covers everything from providing new subsidies for Internet broadband access to increasing permanent visas for skilled immigrants.
His campaign has long stressed the need for open government meetings and more transparency. But his plan reveals more specifics. He wants Cabinet officials, government executives and rule-making agencies to hold meetings open to the public and transmitted with a live feed. The CTO’s mandate will be to ensure this happens, according to Obama’s campaign managers, who spoke with VentureBeat.
I should concede that this isn’t exactly my area of expertise, but Matt Stoller, who hasn’t exactly been an Obama cheerleader this year, had very positive things to say about this technology agenda, explaining that Obama’s agenda would “create organizing opportunities the likes of which we haven’t dreamed. Imagine the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley combined with the power of government and the movement building organizing capacity of the netroots, and that’s a start.”
And then, of course, there’s Lawrence Lessig.
In some communities, Lessig is not only a household name, but is actually one of the nation’s most important thinkers on issues relating to technology, media, and democracy. Today, Lessig endorsed both Obama’s innovation agenda and his presidential campaign.
As recently as a couple of weeks ago, I started to wonder if Obama had lost the netroots forever. The gospel concert in South Carolina was a dumb mistake, compounded by additional dumb mistakes. Taking on Social Security solvency proved to be very unhelpful. He took the right stands on telecom immunity and the Mukasey nomination, but only after others got there first. The disappointment in many corners of the blogosphere has been palpable.
But now the pendulum seems to be swinging in the other direction. Stoller, who wrote Obama off in September, is now leaning towards voting for him. Yglesias hinted at an endorsement today. Lessig’s support will probably translate well to those who worry about the democratization of media.
To be sure, an “innovation agenda” appeals to a specific, clued-in audience, and may not matter at all in most parts of Iowa and New Hampshire. But it does help Obama extend a bridge to an active community that was skeptical about his priorities. In that sense, today’s announcement may be a game-changer.
Stay tuned.