REGARDING A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE WITH LINK AND EXCERPT BELOW:
Vote.com is a website from which public opinion is
registered on selected issues of the day to convey to political leadership
the views of citizens of the United States who choose to register their
opinions and email addresses and zip codes. At this moment opinions are
being collected on the Diallo case verdict, the presidential primary, term
limits for congressional members and police drug searches in automobile
traffic checkpoints. The site links to voting on the issues, an archive
of previous votes and an issue discussion area. The site aims at
development of a powerful political force for the views of the public that
will command attention of elected officials and government leaders.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204-4584
jwne@astro.temple.edu
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Source: New York Times (NYT)
Author: ROBIN TONER
Title: The Right to Click
Source Date: February 27, 2000
Resource Type: News Article
Description/Keywords: Online Polling, Websites, Vote.com, Public
Opinion, Political Pressure, Political Issues
URL: Listed Below Article Summary
(Free Registration Required by the New York Times)
February 27, 2000
The Right to Click
By ROBIN TONER
Almost anyone who spends much
time around Capitol Hill or the
White House these days comes to the
conclusion that what's wrong with our
politics is less an arrogant disdain for
public opinion than a slavish obedience
to it.
Dick Morris, former Clinton pollster,
now a political commentator and author
of ''Vote.com,'' would disagree. In fact,
he would see that as a classic example of
elitist, discredited Fourth Estate thinking,
the kind of thinking that has led to a
pent-up, frustrated and furious public that
can be liberated only by the Internet --
and the creation of a new political
community that he calls the Fifth Estate.
In this era of direct democracy, he
happily declares, ''Congress will have to
listen to us.''
''Through interactive political and news Web sites, people will be
able to vote on any issue they wish,'' he writes. ''Internet referendums
will not, in the beginning, have any legally binding effect, but they will
be politically binding. As the number of people participating in these
votes grows from the thousands well into the millions, they will acquire a
political force that will compel our elected representatives, anxious to
keep their jobs, to heed their message.''
Check My Articles on Database Searching on CyberPlayground by Clicking
on Ringleaders and Then My Name at the CyberPlayground Website:
http://www.Edu-CyberPG.com/
Full Story May Be Read At:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/27/reviews/000227.27tonert.html
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