The Ultimate Transparency

At first glance, it would seem that Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)...

...and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak

have very little in common.

But nice-guy personalities aside, they do share a single common bond: the man behind Apple and the congressman who eats the fruit both use Twitter to pander for votes... for dancing. The Woz for his bid on ABC's Dancing With the Stars, and Kucinich for his wife Elizabeth's bid on Cleveland's Dancing With the Stars.

We're used to hearing about celebrities moonlighting as (sometimes prolific) Twitterers; Mariah, Demi, Ashton, Diddy... I'm talking to you. But lest we not forget with whom it all started:

The Big O.

Yes, it was our very own President Barack Obama, who twittered (and Facebooked, MySpaced, and blogged) his way to the White House in 2008. With more than half-a-million followers under his belt, he is the most followed person on Twitter. Supporters and critics alike flocked to his tweets throughout the election - not only for news and information, but for unprecedented access to the man himself.

Consider this - back in the olden days of 2000 and 2004, the 160-character 'tweet' was but a sci-fi figment of our imaginations. If you wanted to kvetch to your congressman about how badly they were representing you in Washington, you had to write them through official channels. Maybe your letter might make it past Assistants 1-3, the Lead Adviser to the Congressman, and the Official Anthrax Tester, but even then there are no guarantees. Fearing all the red tape, how many Americans failed to even try to contact their leaders to voice their wants, needs and concerns? Enter the Senator from Illinois, backed by a very Web 2.0-savvy team, who fully took advantage of all the (free!) tools of social networks like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Suddenly, the entire country was given free, instant, and constant access with the man running for the highest office in the land(!) And it wasn't just an illusion - Barack Obama actually read what people had to say, and aptly used FAQs, stories and ideas to help explain his own agenda. Time and time again, in the confines of only 160 characters, he was able to understand his constituents' questions and concerns, and distill his answers down for the LCD. And as a direct consequence of receiving constant information and access, people listened. They learned. They followed.

Now here we are, just three months since Obama took office, and having figured out the equation, other lawmakers are starting to jump on the bandwaggon.

Enter, TWEETCONGRESS!

Now everyone - including you! - can follow your Congressperson, Senator and Governor's every move! Not only moving towards a more transparent government, but a more transparent governing body - like in the literal, individual sense.

This is HUGE. With just a click and a scan, I can find out that Nancy Pelosi is "investing in women and children" at the same time that John McCain is congratulating Curt Schilling on his illustrious baseball career! Wow, thanks TweetCongress!

Coming soon to a Twitter near you: TweetSchoolteachers. TweetCalTrans. TweetVPutin! Everything will be transparent. It'll be like 1984, except we all get to be Big Brother, creating a positive checks-and-balances utopia...

Perhaps I'm reaching. But in this New Dawn of Possibilities, I can't help but feel like the sky's the limit.

Thanks, Big O.