President Obama’s Twitter campaign, #My2K, may effectively persuade voters to pressure congress into passing his debt deal as the deadline for the fiscal cliff nears. The White House argues that the average middle-class family will pay $2,200 more in taxes if Congress fails to act by the end of the year.
“This guy won the White House with technology” said Eric Yaverbaum, Associate Publisher and Co-founder of Social Media magazines, of Obama’s Twitter outreach. “The only difference is he’s making sure he doesn’t tone down the machine. He’s going to kick up the machine.”
Obama is using his re-election campaign arsenal—Twitter, Facebook, blogs and email blasts. Monday, he held a twitter town hall urging voters to post their stories and demands to Congress on social media.
“The President of the United States can come into the living room of voter up to 30, in their comfort zone, talk to them one -on-one, make an issue about their 2000 dollars”, Yaverbaum says. “You’re gonna see a lot more of this. He’s going to do it with every issue.”
There’s no doubt that the President has the fan following that some entertainers crave. With at least 24 million twitter followers and nearly 34 million Facebook ‘likes’, he is perhaps one of the most popular guys online. But, Yaverbaum believes that this lobbying tool will work.
“Technology is changing the art of persuasion.”He says, “President Obama is able to get the message to people who are versed in technology. People who are participatory in technology know how easy it is to reach a Congressman or a Senator using technology.”
Aparna Zalani