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White House now requires ‘We the People’ petitions to have 100,000 signatures for official response
Daily Caller ^ | Wednesday, January 16, 2013 | Neil Munro

Posted on 01/16/2013 5:36:09 AM PST by upchuck

President Barack Obama’s deputies have quadrupled the number of signatures that petitioners on the administration’s “We the People” website must collect to get an official response from the White House, following a series of popular, provocative and disrespectful signature drives by his critics.

Some of the petitions sought approval for states to secede after Obama’s re-election, while others called on the White House to disavow executive orders that restrict gun rights, or to deport CNN’s British-born, progressive host Piers Morgan.

“Starting today, as we move into a second term, petitions must receive 100,000 signatures in 30 days in order to receive an official response from the Obama Administration,” said an early evening Jan. 15 statement from Macon Phillips, the White House’s digital strategy director.

“This new threshold applies only to petitions created from this point forward and is not retroactively applied to ones that already exist.”

Phillips claimed the increased threshold was caused by the increasing use of the site.

“That ‘good problem’ is only getting better, so we’re making another adjustment to ensure we’re able to continue to give the most popular ideas the time they deserve. … It’s wonderful to see so many people using We the People to add their voices to important policy debates here in Washington and bring attention to issues that might not get the attention they deserve.”

When the administration first established the petition system in September 2011, Obama’s aides promised that any petition with 5,000 signatures would receive a formal written response from White House officials. That threshold was raised to 25,000 for 2012.

The new 100,000-signature threshold follows a series of provocative, awkward or embarrassing petitions, some of which attracted enough signatures to meet the threshold set by Obama for getting a formal White House response.

Usage of the petition site has spiked since the election, partly because more than 600,000 people have signed various secession petitions.

“In the first 10 months of 2012, it took an average of 18 days for a new petition to cross the 25,000-signature threshold,” said Macon’s statement. “In the last two months of the year, that average time was cut in half to just 9 days, and most petitions that crossed the threshold collected 25,000 signatures within five days of their creation.”

Six out of 10 petitions that met the 25,000 threshold passed in November and December, said Macon.

Read the rest here: http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/16/white-house-now-requires-we-the-people-petitions-to-have-100000-signatures-for-official-response/?print=1


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: holdervsamerica; movinggoalpost; obamavsamerical; tyrantinside
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“This new threshold applies only to petitions created from this point forward and is not retroactively applied to ones that already exist.”


21 posted on 01/16/2013 6:00:58 AM PST by TheZMan (Buy more ammo.)
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To: albie

There responses are always BS. I am not convinced they worry much about any of this. I think they are raising the threshold to make us work harder, spin our wheels and consume more of our resources.


22 posted on 01/16/2013 6:02:26 AM PST by plain talk
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To: TheZMan
Thanks!

I think it is going to make it to 25,000.

23 posted on 01/16/2013 6:03:47 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (TYRANNY: When the people fear the politicians. LIBERTY: When the politicians fear the people.)
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To: upchuck

24 posted on 01/16/2013 6:04:32 AM PST by wastedyears (Obama and Democrats to Republicans: "LOL!")
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To: upchuck

Oh, my. Does that mean the gun free zone petition around obama and his family was getting too close to the 25,000? I guess he wants to make his ridiculous answers less frequent and less transparent as people make fun of him.


25 posted on 01/16/2013 6:05:55 AM PST by freeangel ( (free speech is only good until someone else doesn't like it)
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To: upchuck

When you’re losing, move the goal line.


26 posted on 01/16/2013 6:14:14 AM PST by muir_redwoods (Don't fire until you see the blue of their helmets)
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To: muir_redwoods

Its a fake goal line to begin with.

Online petitions have zero legal or constitutional legitimacy in our form of government.


27 posted on 01/16/2013 6:20:55 AM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: upchuck
Hot?


28 posted on 01/16/2013 6:23:43 AM PST by John 3_19-21 (If you tax them, they will come.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Existing petitions are grandfathered, so this one will make it.

The response should be very interesting. Prolly worth posting here on FR.


29 posted on 01/16/2013 6:28:42 AM PST by upchuck (America's at an awkward stage. Too late to work within the system, too early to shoot the bastards.)
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To: SMARTY

HA! You’re cheating. You can sign the petitions just once.


30 posted on 01/16/2013 6:31:08 AM PST by upchuck (America's at an awkward stage. Too late to work within the system, too early to shoot the bastards.)
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To: albie

Does anyone really think that a “response” will be anything more than more BS?

***
Yes, I do; signing onto such a petition just makes it a little easier for them to keep track of the dissenters.


31 posted on 01/16/2013 6:32:57 AM PST by Bigg Red (Sorry, Mr. Franklin, I guess we couldn't keep it.)
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To: upchuck

The people have a right to petition. In reality, two is a sufficient number.


32 posted on 01/16/2013 6:35:47 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: upchuck

It was all an exercise in futility anyway. There was no way that Obama was going to do what any of the petitions requested unless the petition was for him to destroy the US and its economy.


33 posted on 01/16/2013 6:40:01 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (The only thing that Hollywood gets right about guns is that criminals will always get them.)
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To: upchuck

Well, folks, the White house has put a new line, in the ever-shifting sands of The Oval Office of Obama.

They think that they can shut the mouths, and cramp the fingers of The People.

Time to shine!


34 posted on 01/16/2013 6:44:08 AM PST by Terry L Smith
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To: Blood of Tyrants

You’re right of course. But poking Satan’s brother in the eye with a big public stick is such fun.


35 posted on 01/16/2013 6:49:48 AM PST by upchuck (America's at an awkward stage. Too late to work within the system, too early to shoot the bastards.)
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To: Terry L Smith
Time to shine!

Time for FReepers to take some civics lessons and stop acting like low information democrats. The legitimate method of petitioning government is by way of our legislators and it sure as hell ain't some meaningless online petition.
36 posted on 01/16/2013 6:50:56 AM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: Jet Jaguar; NorwegianViking; ExTexasRedhead; HollyB; FromLori; EricTheRed_VocalMinority; ...

The list, Ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/


37 posted on 01/16/2013 6:51:29 AM PST by Nachum (Back on the Google blacklist- www.nachumlist.com)
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To: Jet Jaguar; NorwegianViking; ExTexasRedhead; HollyB; FromLori; EricTheRed_VocalMinority; ...

The list, Ping

Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list

http://www.nachumlist.com/


38 posted on 01/16/2013 6:52:29 AM PST by Nachum (Back on the Google blacklist- www.nachumlist.com)
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