Visitors to White House site can determine questions president will answer
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is planning an online town hall-style meeting on the White House's Web site this Thursday.
The White House says Obama will answer questions about the economy and other topics at WhiteHouse.gov.(
http://www.whitehouse.gov/OpenForQuestions/) Visitors to the Web site can determine what questions the president will answer.
The White House says the event will be a "community-moderated online town hall" with visitors voting on the submitted questions.
While queries only need to be submitted in text form, the White House is encouraging participants to include a link to a short video of themselves asking their questions.
The Web site allows readers to browse questions in 11 categories: jobs; health care reform; education; home ownership; veterans; the auto industry; financial stability; green jobs and energy; retirement security; small business; and budget.
By midday Wednesday, the White House Web site reported nearly 14,000 people had submitted over 16,000 questions and nearly 511,000 votes had been cast.
During his campaign, Obama used the Internet to connect with voters, mobilize supporters and raise a record-shattering amount of money. He has used that online approach during the first months of his presidency.
President George W. Bush's administration also took questions online at the White House's Web site.
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