Responses of the Obama administration to online petitions has been ... less than encouraging.

However: the administration created the petitions process, and petitions are online. What has and hasn't been responded to is a matter of public record.

If, at some point, another political party (or even a different administration of the same party) comes into power, and changes this in any significant way (including, possibly, improving the system, though I suspect it might go the other way) will be notable.

Regardless of the follow-through, Obama did set a precedent.