There’s a good article at LLRX.com called The American Town Meeting (by Paul Jenks of GalleryWatch.com). It discusses the concept of political discussion among an informed populace “back in the day� and now – when the Web has made primary government documents widely available. This is the heart of the article:
Twenty years ago I was amazed that I could read a bill online; today I can follow the details of decision making in Congress while I lie on the beach in Bimini. Now think about the implications of this.
Civil liberties groups, librarians and "open government" advocates are rejoicing! Everything is in the open, open for debate, critique. Elected representatives are watched and corrected, chastised and supported continuously. The smoke filled rooms are now smoke free. Cronyism, corruption, back room deals are exposed to the sunlight of public inspection. Mainline media groups are no longer the arbiters of news; anyone whether on K Street or Boise can see what is really happening. The American Republic is moving into one giant New England Town Meeting. Everyone knows the others little secrets, nothing is private, and all is seemingly known.
The other side of this coin is gridlock. Political and ideological positions are monitored and anyone, no matter how well informed or ill-informed plays a role. …
It's miraculous that things get done at all.
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