Today marks the beginning of a new era.
In a break fromtradition, Americans have voted to have a middle-aged, married, wealthymale Christian politician as their next president.
And not onlyis Barack Obama a lawyer by profession, but he went to Harvard and iswell connected – both politically and technologically.
Ifthis alone does not convince you that major changes are in store forthe United States, it became clear during the campaign that PresidentElect Obama is not only capable of poking you on Facebook, but he alsoknows how to send text messages and his campaign has used the Internetto accept donations.
Chances are, he will not appear rudeduring dinners with foreign leaders, because Obama seems like a man whoknows how to set his cell phone to vibrate. In fact, he probably evenknows how to roll down the window of the presidential limo.
Totop it off, Obama is on record as saying he believes he can get“broadband to every community in America.” Notice he didn’t say heactually would, only that he knows enough about telecom to say hebelieves he could.
In a paperon technology and innovation, Obama also pledged to appoint achief technology officer who would “oversee the development of anational, interoperable wireless network for local, state and federalfirst responders as the 9/11 commission recommended.”
This,Obama promised, “will ensure that fire officials, police officers and(emergency medical technicians) from different jurisdictions have theability to communicate witheach other during a crisis …”
Havingvision is great, and both goals are laudable. If, by 2012, everyAmerican community has broadband and every police and fire departmentcan communicate with each other, plus the agencies of neighbouringmunicipalities, then Obama will have walked the walk. If not, he willprobably be a shoe-in for a second term, provided his opponent doesn’tuse mashups.
