White House defends We the People petition responses

The White House took umbrage with comments and blog posts claiming it hasn't taken its responses to petitions posted on its new We the People website seriously.

"Every petition that reaches the threshold is put through a review process that begins with the policy experts who deal in the appropriate area," White House Digital Strategy Director Macon Phillips wrote in a blog post. "There has been some frustration with the answers from those who disagree with Administration policy, and that's fair," Phillips wrote. But "while people may not agree with a position, it's crucial to understand its rationale . . . If these petitions are fostering a debate that might not otherwise take place about the issues Americans care about, that's a positive thing." We the People is averaging about 20,000 new users and 31,000 new signatures each day, Phillips said.