Huffington Magazine Issue 72 | Page 14

Enter current travails over this website, it’s this: the challenge is at least worthy of the age. More and more, ordinary Americans are using the internet to seek out information and solve complex problems — and they are doing so with the expectations that their demands will be met seamlessly and instantaneously. Fixing this problem honors those expectations, and faces the modern world squarely. In addition, surmounting this challenge is of great benefit to both government and those who seek to govern. It’s going to give future presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, a new lease on vision and innovation, and the sphere of what is possible is going to grow. And ordinary Americans who have experience in this sort of technological innovation stand a better chance of running for office themselves — they’ll look at Washington and think, “Finally, there’s a place there for so meone like me.” Slowly, we might even begin to find people steeped in the modern world wresting control of powerful legislative committees from the old men with bad hair who never learned how to set the timers on their VCRs. You will likely never meet a sin- LOOKING FORWARD IN ANGST HUFFINGTON 10.27.13 cerely well-intentioned individual who isn’t a little bit of a complete screw-up at heart. Screwing up completely is basically the first step to making the world a better place. But the most highly effective wellintentioned individuals own their screw-ups. Obama should consider More and more, ordinary Americans are using the internet to seek out information and solve complex problems — and they are doing so with the expectations that their demands will be met seamlessly and instantaneously.” giving that a try, if only because when he does so, every reporter’s head will explode from the shock. Naturally, if the next round of repairs to the Obamacare website don’t do the trick, he’ll get another chance. But as with the launch of website, the optimal occasion of taking responsibility is now a blown opportunity — it’s over and it’s done and it’s never coming back.