Posted 11:23 AM by Blah blah

Howard Dean: Will Our Next U.S. President Blog? (Politics)

As a sign of his Internet savvy, Howard Dean is one of the first and only presidential candidates to write a regular blog: Blogforamerica.com! Check it out. Lots of smart, earnest people are having passionate discussions there and giving their sincere ideas for how to improve this country.

Former Colorado Senator Gary Hart, ex-presidential candidate, also writes a very thoughtful and articulate blog. He decided against running next year.

This week, Dean began guestblogging on the blog of Professor Larry Lessig, a true sign of his Internet street smarts! This is the first time ever that a presidential candidate has blogged on someone else's site! Prof. Lessig is on my reading list. He teaches at Stanford Law School and is a national leader in cyberlaw and intellectual property (IP) law. Before Stanford, Lessig used to teach at Harvard Law School.

Please read the comments on both Dean's and Lessig's blogs! Lots of thoughtful, smart people about IP law and government are making suggestions and debating various national issues. I love the power of the Internet to allow this kind of direct discussion!

Not only that, but Dean just wrote "one of you asked if there would be a White House blog. Why not?"

Imagine the possibilities of a U.S. President writing a blog!

Since I worked for Sen. John Vasconcellos (then Assemblyman) before, my jaw just drops. Most of the time it was WE, the staff, who answered his letters and phone calls. Actually, that summer, only three people worked in his barebones San Jose district office, while he was away in Sacramento fighting to pass the budget. Only three people: his long-time chief of staff, his loyal and motherly secretary, and I. I was only 20 and answered 90% of his phone calls. I answered many of his constituent letters.

I know how difficult it is to really have a direct talk with a politician. I never even met or talked to Vasconcellos. Look at this New York Times article about how difficult it is now to email Bush.

Dean sounds very hip and exciting. I hope he pulls it off. Someone needs to knock that smirk off of Bush's arrogant face.

(About the New York Times article, Bich Ngoc wrote me: "The guy who discovered the email 'problem' is one of Zack's closest friends! He made a PowerPoint presentation showing how many clicks it takes to get to emailing Bush, and he sent it to his friends. Somehow it made its way to the New York Times, and they interviewed him for the story. He called last night when they posted the story and we all laughed.")