Obama Camp Still Talking about Transparency
Posted on 06. Jan, 2010 by James Devere in American Politics
On Monday, January 4th, BarackObama.com (the President’s campaign group) sent out a call for donations. These fundraising requests are nothing new, and appear regularly from the President’s camp. The interesting parts in Monday’s request are the reasons sited by organizer David Plouffe, “2010 will be a year of new, exciting challenges. We’ll be working hard with President Obama to finish the fight for health insurance reform…” The donation request goes on to reference that money will be used to “improve transparency in Washington to elevate the voices of the American people.”
This is a curiously timed announcement, considering President Obama, along with the leaders of the House and Senate, made plans Tuesday to skip the formal conference committee for reconciling the Senate and House healthcare bills. Tuesday’s is the latest in a string of decisions to hide the healthcare debate behind closed doors and continues the process that Obama, Reid, and Pelosi have employed since the raucous townhalls of late summer. As townhall meetings made it clear that there was significant public opposition to the brand of reform that the three leaders preferred, debate has increasingly been held in closed sessions.
To make good on an often repeated campaign pledge by Obama to televise the healthcare process, C-Span offered Tuesday to air the proceedings. In a letter to Congressional leaders, Brian Lamb stated, “The C-SPAN networks will commit the necessary resources to covering all of these sessions LIVE and in their entirety.”
President Obama has touted that his would be the “most transparent Administration in history.” Yet his Administration has participated in the closed-door sessions to frame a healthcare bill. When pressed on the decision to forego his campaign promise, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs showed the President plans to be as transparent as a brick wall. Below is a video of Robert Gibbs when pressed on a televised debate process.
Robert Gibbs being less than transparent on the questions of transparency
On this subject, even members of his own party disagree. Representive Raul Grijalva in a statment commented, “I and other progressives saw a conference as a means to improve the bill and have a real debate, and now with this behind-the-scenes approach, we’re concerned even more.” Maybe it is time for the President and BarackObama.com to drop the charade of transparency.
UPDATE 1/7/09
Gibbs, again, addresses the issue of transparency in the healthcare debate.
C-SPAN CEO: Obama Used Us as ‘Political Football’
FOXNews.com
C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb accused President Obama of using his network as a “political football” during the presidential campaign, citing the president’s broken pledge to televise health care reform negotiations on the nonpartisan channel founded to cover Congress.
Y’all stop pickin’ on Obama now. He’ll give you all the transparency you want – just as soon as he finds that durn birth certificate [not the Kenyan one], his high school and college transcripts, his law school records, and that old passport he used when he visited Pakistan. Remember he was a community organizer, not a paperwork organizer, and he didn’t have a full staff back in those years. And he’s been real busy looking for a church in DC to attend with his family, – one where he’ll feel as welcome as he did in Reverend Wright’s church back in Chicago.
As the Greeks used to caution, be durn careful what you ask the Gods for. By the time Obama’s done giving you the transparency you want, you’ll be able to see clear through to the back of your wallet, – nothing in there to block your view.
/s/ Iron Mike
Old Soldier, – Still Good for Parts!