White House Annouces “We The People” Online Petition Initiative

Finally, something somewhat promising comes out of Washington.

Today the White House announced a fascinating new initiative called We The People; and if taken seriously, it could truly revolutionize the way every day, web-surfing people like you and I participate in the ongoing political discourse of our nation.

According to the White House website, We The People will allow every day citizens to utilize social media to float online petitions across the web. Generate 150 signatures and your petition will be searchable on the Whitehouse.gov website. Snag 5,000 petitions in 30 days and “it will be reviewed by a standing group of White House staff, routed to any other appropriate offices and generate an official, on-the-record response.”

If they’re serious, this could definitely make things interesting in this country. And perhaps even our readers should  be on the lookout for a few BYP-generated petitions in the near-future.

But for now we’ll remain skeptical. Is this a genuine attempt at bringing the voices of the American people closer to the forefront of American politics? Or is We The People simply the Obama Re-Election Campaign’s latest attempt at reigniting its once-fiercely loyal base as they hurdle haplessly towards 2012?

Or is it both?