Will Obama give up his Blackberry!?
We’re just one day away from the new president elect’s inauguration and one of the main topics of conversation or prominent question on people’s minds besides which breed of dog the Obama’s will decide on, is whether or not the new president elect will have to relinquish his Blackberry?
There was quite a bit of talk in this year’s campaigning from how it was more of a widespread campaign empowered by the use of technology. The Internet, the podcasts, the YouTube videos, the online mailing lists and social networking sites to name a few. The Obama administration specifically used this technology to their utmost advantage in reaching out and targeting people of all ages especially the younger hip generation which turned out a very promising and historic win!
The president elect cited the use of technology in many of his speeches and how his administration would be much different than previous administrations that were somewhat technophobic and backwards thinking. He even ran ads throughout the campaign criticizing his republican foe on his lack of computer skills even going as far as letting us know that ‘he didn’t even know how to use email’. The promise was that the greater use of technology by the government would usher in a new age of politics, by using technology to facilitate government administration. But before this new brand of politics can officially take off it must already hurdle an obstacle, the soon to be president will be forced to make a tough decision of whether or not to surrender his Blackberry phone. One of his most important communication tools that he relies upon to keep himself connected.
Could this spell the end of this new techno savvy political age before it’s even had a chance to officially get off the ground?
The last time Obama was questioned about this topic he had this to say, “They’re going to have to pry it out of my hands”, it’s one of the hardest things about being president. How do you stay in touch with the flow of everyday life?”
Which brings up a very good point and concern, how will the new president stay in touch without one of his principle communication and productivity tools which many Americans just take for granted in their own everyday lives? Unfortunately, for all the power that’s afforded to the new Commander in Chief, the use of cell phone and email communications isn’t one of them.
The concerns are obviously very real. The Secret Service, FBI and the National Security Agency all believe that Obama would be susceptible to hackers on Blackberry’s RIM network. They also feel that his Blackberry could be used as a homing device due to the constant signal that is being sent out to nearby transmission towers making the new president a constant target. And lastly, there’s the whole issue with this supposed freedom of information thing. Under the Presidential Records Act, Obama’s emails and text messages would be subject to public archive and potential disclosure which could create a very embarrassing and somewhat comprising situation for the new president should he ever opt to exchange any type of personal communication that he did not want seen by the public eye.
Those who feel that the new president should be afforded the right to keep his trusty sidekick device, argue that the concerns are far too exaggerated and that the use of an electronic medium does not make him any less of a target or any less susceptible to public scrutiny as any traditional written media would. In fact, they feel that depriving him of such a critical productivity tool might severely hinder or at the very least limit the president elect from efficiently managing his huge demanding presidential workload. With all the critical issues facing the new president elect there’s no doubt he could use all the help he can get.
But even in the face of all this bureaucratic uncertainty that has quickly encircled him, Obama still seems pretty intent on pulling his office at least partially into the 21st century. His aides have mentioned in the past that he hopes to have a laptop computer on his desk in the Oval Office, making him the first American president to have this, however due to the reasons already mentioned, hopes of becoming the first emailing president seem very dim. No doubt the use of podcasting and online video content will still be used to carry out messages and public presidential addresses. And hopefully his eager embrace of technology will permeate throughout the government ranks in hopes of providing a more efficient government to the people. And of course many also hope that his ambitious plans of fixing the economy, the environment and healthcare through the use of modern day technology will also come to fruition.
Those that are in favor of the newly elected president keeping and continuing the use of his blackberry also point out that such a commitment would clearly establish Obama’s open government credentials which would set a fine example for having clear and open direct dialogue with the people and send a strong following message to the rest of capital hill which still for the most part shrouds in secrecy.
There is no doubt that would set a huge precedence for the rest of government to follow but regardless of how Obama chooses to go, as we all know addictions can be tough to overcome and just like the cigarette addiction he faced previously, this one promises to be a tough one as well. Even if they end up by Obama’s own admission, “prying it out of his hands” living without his ‘Crackberry’ just might prove to be a tough new adjustment indeed.
