The following are comments from a news report by FOX about President Barack Obama's Online town-hall meeting today:

President Obama turned to cyberspace Thursday for an Internet town hall meeting, hoping to deepen support for his broad and expensive assault on economic hard times.

 

Over 92,000 people submitted over 100,000 questions on the White House's Web site to be considered at the town hall meeting -- part of a political strategy to engage Americans directly. 

 

The president already has taken that tactic on the road, spending two days on the West Coast last week at town hall-style meetings and appearing on Jay Leno's late-night talk show. It offered easier questions and a chance to get his message to the widest possible audience.

 

Already, the White House is connecting the old-school press conference with the new-media event. It will be an easy contrast between skeptical reporters and supporter-selected questions.

The online version he is doing is an alternative way to get out the same message, in this case on the budget, targeted toward a different audience, usually younger," said Morley Winograd, a former adviser to ex-Vice President Al Gore who now runs the Institute for Communication Technology Management at the University of Southern California.

"In both cases the questioners are just props -- or, in some cases, foils -- for the star, Obama, to deliver his message. But in the latter case, they get to self-nominate instead of be selected by elites," Winograd said.

In a way, it's part campaign-style politics and part "American Idol," said political strategist Simon Rosenberg.

"The president is going back to the safe confines he was always most comfortable with, in this case a friendly audience where the focus is on the sale rather than the substance," Republican strategist Kevin Madden said.

You folks in the media and those in the Republican Party just don't get it.

President Obama and his administration promised from day one of their campaign for office to "go to the American people".  He's asked us from day one, all to listen, learn and stay informed.  And he's said the way to keep us inform is to get the facts out to us by using the grassroots way - going around Washington and the media.

It's really funny to hear those claiming that by taking mostly unfiltered questions it is easier or "safer" than taking questions from the media?  Unlike the former president who screened the audiences, had pre-selected questions formed; this president is willing to answer anybody's question.  He's not afraid to speak his mind or opinion.

Yes the President is telling Americans 'his' facts and figures, however, he's also listening to the American people and answering them as best he can.

He's not answering the questions that the media thinks the story should be about or what the other Party is interested in -- he's answering the AMERICAN PEOPLE's questions.  The people he works for.

Remember when Ross Perot began using posters and graphs to show Americans what the facts were?  At the time the media and other candidates laughed and made fun of him.  Not long after however, we began seeing posters, grafts and charts being displayed on the floors of Congress and during campaigns.  That still holds true to this day.

Someday in the very near future, even during the upcoming 2010 House and Senate election cycle, I'm sure we'll be seeing other politicians going to the 'people' in town-halls and online --instead of going to the media to get their message or views out. 

The media has lost the trust of the American people.  Instead of reporting a story, they ARE the story these days.