

Barack Obama posts a question on LinkedIn - jkush
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/startups-small-businesses/small-business/STR_SMB/95900-11932467?browseIdx=0&sik=1189594542354&goback=%2Eahp?trk=techent1
His question: How can the next president better help small business and entrepreneurs thrive?
======
mynameishere
What can the government ever do?

1) Generally, do nothing and so cause no harm.

2) Specifically, subsidize a particular business, and so do harm that is
beneficial to said business.

3) Regulate natural monopolies. (viz, there is only one shortest distance
between two points, and so that is typically where the highway has to go.)

4) Regulate natural commons. (viz, prevent toxic waste dumping, radio wave
jamming, etc.)

Only #2 is a serious vote getter.

------
acgourley
Too bad LinkedIn doesn't seem to allow users to mod up the better responses,
there is too much noise there.

------
far33d
I think this is an interesting use of the answers service as a marketing tool
- but also for market research. Who knows if Obama is actually going to read
the answers, but you can't say he didn't ask.

Nice to see some (positive) focus on tech entrepreneurship from a Presidential
candidate. I hope this thread doesn't devolve into a discussion of the merits
of the candidates though. (comment copied from my now-dead dupe submission of
this same topic)

~~~
iamwil
What's also interesting about the post, along with other news of B. Obama on
social news sites is that he seems to get the new media. It's often repeated
that the presidents that win are the ones that understand the power of the new
media (i.e. Nixon lost in that debate when TV first came on board), and know
how to utilize it.

He's got some advisor or campaign manager that knows what's going on here.

~~~
comatose_kid
Just like Howard Dean.

~~~
rms
But four years makes a big difference.

------
jkush
My answer: "This one is simple: if anything, make sure that net neutrality
remains intact. If net neutrality has bitten the dust by the time the next
president takes office, I hope he or brings it back."

------
ahsonwardak
Wow, beyond Facebook and YouTube, this has to be the first major use of the
social-networking website towards a targeted group of constituents. Could more
creative social-networking campaigning be coming? What would it be?

