Last night (March 21, 2010) at 11:51 p.m., almost an hour after the health care reform bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 219-212, I received this email message from President Barack Obama:

Mark –

For the first time in our nation’s history, Congress has passed comprehensive health care reform. America waited a hundred years and fought for decades to reach this moment. Tonight, thanks to you, we are finally here.

Consider the staggering scope of what you have just accomplished:

Because of you, every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage.

Every American will be covered under the toughest patient protections in history. Arbitrary premium hikes, insurance cancellations, and discrimination against pre-existing conditions will now be gone forever.

And we’ll finally start reducing the cost of care — creating millions of jobs, preventing families and businesses from plunging into bankruptcy, and removing over a trillion dollars of debt from the backs of our children.

But the victory that matters most tonight goes beyond the laws and far past the numbers.

It is the peace of mind enjoyed by every American, no longer one injury or illness away from catastrophe.

It is the workers and entrepreneurs who are now freed to pursue their slice of the American dream without fear of losing coverage or facing a crippling bill.

And it is the immeasurable joy of families in every part of this great nation, living happier, healthier lives together because they can finally receive the vital care they need.

This is what change looks like.

My gratitude tonight is profound. I am thankful for those in past generations whose heroic efforts brought this great goal within reach for our times. I am thankful for the members of Congress whose months of effort and brave votes made it possible to take this final step. But most of all, I am thankful for you.

This day is not the end of this journey. Much hard work remains, and we have a solemn responsibility to do it right. But we can face that work together with the confidence of those who have moved mountains.

Our journey began three years ago, driven by a shared belief that fundamental change is indeed still possible. We have worked hard together every day since to deliver on that belief.

We have shared moments of tremendous hope, and we’ve faced setbacks and doubt. We have all been forced to ask if our politics had simply become too polarized and too short-sighted to meet the pressing challenges of our time. This struggle became a test of whether the American people could still rally together when the cause was right — and actually create the change we believe in.

Tonight, thanks to your mighty efforts, the answer is indisputable: Yes we can.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

I remember similar historic votes when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 were passed in Congress. I don’t have any kind of personal documentation from 1964 (I was 9 years old then. I lobbied for the ADA for two years and was invited to the signing ceremony at the White House on July 26, 1990. I have plenty of documents and memorabilia from that experience, though none of  it is online. After hearing CBC Spark’s show on personal digital archives, I know I need to do something about that before all that stuff is lost in the clutter.

I’ve been impressed since 2008 by the Obama political  organization’s use of new media, which is why I’m still receiving communications such as this. The email, of course, included a big red button in its footer: Donate.

followed by this disclaimer:

Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee — 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California gestures during a press conference after the House passes health care reform in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Sunday, March 21, 2010. Standing with Speaker Pelosi are Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, (l), and Rep. James Clyburn. [Photo source: AP/VoANews.com]

via On the Media:

Edward Tufte is perhaps the country’s foremost evangelist for the clean, clear and rich presentation of complex information. The Obama administration’s stimulus package is flooding the economy with 787 billion dollars for employment and public works projects. Put the two together, as Obama did earlier this month when he nominated Tufte for the stimulus advisory board with the hopes that the public will have a fighting chance of understanding where the stimulus money went and what it’s doing.

Follow on Twitter: @on_the_media

Our goal is to have people with various types of disabilities participate in this video to show poll workers a large cross section of disabilities that maybe coming to vote at polling locations during any given election.

The participation level in the video could vary from very short statements, to more involved dialogue, to being interviewed about your disability and/or explaining what accommodations/assistance you might need to cast your ballot on election day.  This could all depend on your comfort level.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in this video, please contact Brett Harbage by Dec. 12, 2009 at (614) 387-6039 or via email at bharbage@sos.state.oh.us for more information.

Andrew Rasiej:  Public should be redefined as being searchable and readable on-line. In a connected society we need to redefine “public” in an open framework. We have a right to be re-defined in the content in the technologies we have today.

About the context:

Over 1,000 people earlier this week descended upon the Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall in the Time Warner building in Midtown Manhattan for the annual Personal Democracy Forum. A who’s who in the fields of government, technology, and media, the conference focused on how technology and the Internet can create a stronger democracy.

Follow #pdf09 and #gov20 on Twitter.