Obama Gets Senate to Pass Health Care Reform Bill with Promise of Google Wave Invites
(Washington, D.C.) In a unanimous vote Tuesday evening, all 100 members of the U.S. Senate voted in favor of a controversial health
care reform bill after President Barack Obama promised anyone voting “aye” would receive a Google Wave invite.
In addition to many Republicans vowing to not cede health care reform efforts to Democrats, Senate Democrats faced deep divisions within their ranks over the 2,074-page, $849-billion bill. However, that all changed Tuesday evening after President Obama enticed Senate members with invites to Google Wave, a personal communication and collaboration tool designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging, wikis and social networking.
“He’s been flaunting those Google Wave invites for over a month now, but he’s only given out a couple to a select few who have agreed to regurgitate the administration’s talking points,” said a Republican senator, speaking anonymously. “I believe the health care reform legislation we’ve passed will doom this country, but it’s a Google Wave invite! People can see me type in real time!”
Political pundits are calling Obama’s Google Wave strategy the smartest political ploy since President George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004 after promising a Gmail invite for every vote.