He would like to have a word with you about your tweets
No White House in history better knows the awesome
ability of social media and blogs to affect the national narrative than the
current one, an administration swept into power thanks in large part to those
very platforms. To keep this momentum heading into the 2012 election cycle, the Obama
administration is now making moves to integrate an online rapid response
team inside the White House communications office.
The Huffington Post reports that Jesse Lee, formerly
of the administration's New Media Department, will be installed as the first
ever Director of Progressive Media & Online Response. Lee would be the first White House staff member to hold such a position.
In an internal memo
provided to the Huffington Post, White House Communications Director Dan
Pfeiffer described Lee's newfound role as such: "For the last two years, Jesse has
often worn two hats working in new media and serving as the White House's
liaison with the progressive media and online community. Starting this week,
Jesse will take on the second role full time working on outreach, strategy and
response."
Rapid response has long been the responsibility of each
party's respective national committees, with the White House's political arm
focusing more on the crafting of a narrative and maintaining a level of message
discipline. But what is most interesting about Lee's hire is the signal it
sends regarding the administration's plans to take a more aggressive approach to
online organizing in the run up to 2012.
The Obama administration has not been shy about taking to task what
former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs termed the "professional left" for
not falling in line behind administration policy in the past. Part of Lee's new
role, the "progressive" portion as it were, will likely focus on wrangling the
disparate factions of the MoveOn.org/Daily Kos wing of the Democratic party
that was so essential to the grassroots success of Obama's 2008 run.
What Lee's installation ultimately means for administration
messaging and policy remains to be seen. But it is becoming clear that the Obama
White House sees online presences such as social media as not just a factor in
political organizing, but a permanent pillar of political communications. Jesse
Lee may be the first West Winger given the responsibility of overseeing response to the
world of blogs and social media; it is highly doubtful he will be the last.
