On Monday I did a post on Obama and the Net Generation speaking up in Iowa. While the combination of Hilary’s  comeback in New Hampshire and her big lead in a few vote-rich states indicates a major upset might not be in the cards, it certainly feels like we’re approaching a key turning point (tipping point?) in American politics that’s worth paying attention to. For this post, I’m simply going to provide more links to many of the interesting developments and stories that abound that relate directly to wikinomics. To start with, my favorite quote from Obama’s speech in relation to citizen engagement:

Once I’m elected, it’s not about what I can do as President. It’s about what you can do to change this country.

For an excellent story on Obama’s “grassroots” approach to citizen engagement, check out this Globe & Mail story published on Saturday – The man who would be President. At minimum, Obama’s chosen path is an inspirational story – but it could just be a blueprint for a true societal transformation. Might that be why we’re seeing a mobilization of the U-30 set unprecedented in the last 30 years?

A story I particularly love is from the Roanake Times of all places. It seems that at Patrick Henry High School both the Teen Republicans and Young Democrats organizations have been dormant for years, and members of both clubs banded together to help get their fellow students to register. The Dallas News also has a good story about tech-savvy youths and their increasing involvement in politics. My favorite quote:

“Young people very much want to be included, and in this particular election, young people are really wanting a voice,” Mr. Burstein said. “We saw it in Iowa and New Hampshire. Young people are staking a claim. In this case, they’re saying to the politicians, ‘I want to be a part of what you’re doing.’ “

I also have to link to this article because Mark Hanson got the buzzwords right – is it time for President web 2.0? One of the best parts of this article is the review of what Howard Dean got up to in 2005 in terms of engagement - “this wasn’t a story of clever gimmicks and whizz-bang technology; it was all about talking at eye-level to the voter and letting them talk back.” And have you heard that one of Obama’s jobs as president is to make government cool again? Another interesting note that may resonate with students as tuition keeps going up and up… apparently Obama just finished paying off his student loans.

There are so many questions and lessons at work here that they’re impossible to list – but my biggest one for wikinomics readers is simple. Are we at a moment in history where the political process changes for the better?