Barack Obama / Reddit
President Barack Obama is seen at the keyboard in a photo submitted to Reddit as part of the website's "ask me anything" live chat verification process.
By Rosa Golijan
President Obama and his staff are quite savvy when it comes to technology ? and social sites, in particular???so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they turned to the social sharing site Reddit today. But it did. With little advance notice, Obama held an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) live chat, offering to take questions directly from the Reddit community.
"I am Barack Obama, President of the United States ??AMA," he posted on Reddit, adopting the sites terminology.?Several Reddit moderators and Admins quickly chimed in to confirm that they've verified Obama's identity and that the post isn't part of some sort of prank. Reddit's general manager Erik Martin told TODAY.com that the site's staff was in contact with Obama's staff.?Obama additionally posted a link to a tweet from his official Twitter account, pointing to that Reddit thread, along with a photo showing the president sitting at a laptop.
A Reddit AMA is basically a question-and-answer free-for-all. Any of the site's users are able to post questions in hopes that the individual hosting the AMA will answer. Celebrities such as Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Stephen Colbert, Deadmau5 and Ron Paul have conducted Reddit AMAs in the past, but ordinary individuals occasionally serve as hosts as well.
"Hey everybody ??this is Barack," the president wrote at the start of his AMA. "Just finished a great rally in Charlottesville, and am looking forward to your questions. At the top, I do want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with folks who are dealing with Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf, and to let them know that we are going to be coordinating with state and local officials to make sure that we give families everything they need to recover."
Obama was due to answer questions on Reddit for about half an hour. More than 10,000 comments piled up by the time the conversation passed the half-hour mark. Here's a rundown of the topics Obama covered:
Are you considering increasing funds to the space program? "Making sure we stay at the forefront of space exploration is a big priority for my administration. The passing of Neil Armstrong this week is a reminder of the inspiration and wonder that our space program has provided in the past; the curiosity probe on mars is a reminder of what remains to be discovered. The key is to make sure that we invest in cutting-edge research that can take us to the next level ??so even as we continue work with the International Space Station, we are focused on a potential mission to an asteroid as a prelude to a manned Mars flight."
Is Internet freedom an issue you'd push to add to the Democratic Party's 2012 platform??"Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the Internet remains the open forum for everybody ??from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although their will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle ??and it will be reflected in the platform."
Favorite basketball player? "[Michael] Jordan ??I'm a Bulls guy."
How are you going help small businesses in 2013 and 2014? And what if any bills are you going to implement for small businesses, in 2013, and 2014? "We've really focused on this since I came into office ? 18 tax cuts for small business, easier funding from the SBA [Small Business Administration]. Going forward, I want to keep taxes low for the 98 percent of small businesses that have $250,000 or less in income, make it easier for small business to access financing, and expand their opportunities to export. And we will be implementing the Jobs Act bill that I signed that will make it easier for startups to access crowd-funding and reduce their tax burden at the start-up stage."
What is the first thing you'll do on Nov. 7th, win or lose??"Win or lose, I'll be thanking everybody who is working so hard ? especially all the volunteers in field offices all across the country, and the amazing young people in our campaign offices."
What was the most difficult decision that you had to make during this term? "The decision to surge our forces in Afghanistan. Anytime you send our brave men and women into battle, you know that not everyone will come home safely, and that necessarily weighs heavily on you. The decision did help us blunt the Taliban's momentum, and is allowing us to transition to Afghan lead ??so we will have recovered that surge at the end of this month, and will end the war at the end of 2014. But knowing of the heroes that have fallen is something you never forget."
What are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term??"Money has always been a factor in politics, but we are seeing something new in the no-holds-barred flow of seven- and eight-figure checks, most undisclosed, into super-PACs; they fundamentally threaten to overwhelm the political process over the long run and drown out the voices of ordinary citizens. We need to start with passing the Disclose Act that is already written and [has] been sponsored in Congress ? to at least force disclosure of who is giving to who. We should also pass legislation prohibiting the bundling of campaign contributions from lobbyists. Over the longer term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional amendment process to overturn Citizens United (assuming the Supreme Court doesn't revisit it). Even if the amendment process falls short, it can shine a spotlight of the super-PAC phenomenon and help apply pressure for change."
What's the recipe for the White House's beer? "It will be out soon! I can tell from firsthand experience, it is tasty."
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