The 20th Century had Franklin D. Roosevelt and his fireside chats. Now we’ve got Joe Biden and his fireside Google+ Hangouts. Isn’t progress wonderful?
Yes, everyone’s favorite sitting vice president will chew the fat with the American people this afternoon via everyone’s—um, let’s see… fifth-favorite?—social network. The topic: reducing gun violence. Nothing like hanging out and talking gun violence with your old pal Joe, right? Just to keep things casual, the session will be moderated by PBS NewsHour’s Hari Sreenivasan and will focus on the White House’s current slate of policy recommendations, such as a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and increased access to mental health services.
According to a White House press release, “Google+ users from around the country will join the discussion, including Guy Kawasaki and Phil DeFranco,” apparently the most prominent Google+ users they could find.
Biden’s hangout isn’t actually the first for the Obama White House. Past sessions have featured various cabinet members shooting the breeze with the public on issues such as human trafficking and mortgage refinancing.
Today’s bull session with Biden begins at 1:45 p.m. eastern and will be available on the White House’s Google+ Page. Alternatively, you could watch it live on WhiteHouse.gov, but that would require giving up the charming notion that you are “hanging out” with the veep and admitting that you’re basically just tuning in to C-SPAN.
