I don't write many political articles or opinions, but do comment on quite a few if still remaining in civil discourse when I get to them. I "love to hate" politics, but mostly I love to analyze things... to question. I question most everything, and especially our countries leaders. I don't care who they are or what party, try to keep an open mind, but have to think about what motivates them to make the decisions they do.
Yesterday I read an article in here that kind of irked me though... not so much on political grounds, but on the ability to question something, to give my thoughts without being prejudged. It wasn't the first time either. To blindly agree is not my style, but in the post the many comments said something along the lines of "now let the right-wingers come out and find something wrong with this," and "they all want him to fail" etc... Huh? I don't think I fit that category myself just to question the issue. That almost makes me want to think even deeper about the news, and it did.
I think this a relatively minor event really, and will soon be gone from news if it even really gets any attention anyway, but irked... I share some thoughts on politics in general here, and even started a new group for a place to do it.
President Obama just announced he has agreed to release the records of White House visitors for the first time in history, calling it "achieving his goal of transparency in government" and "Americans have a right to know whose voices are being heard in the policy-making process."
Umm, if they are after a certain date that is....?
By doing this it will also negate some lawsuits (link below) currently in the courts that go back to the Bush years I believe. Bush would not release those records, calling them private to the President and not a public record subject to the Freedom of Information act. So President Obama's move sounds cool huh?
BUT... and it's a big "but"... records of President Obama's visitors will NOT be released for his first 8/9 months in office.
Ahh... why?
It's obvious isn't it... they would be embarrassing in the least, and quite controversial in the most. Those records will be kept SECRET for now anyway. Some special "narrow" requests however may be released on review by the WH... but I won't hold my breath.
See link to story~
Obama yields on White House visitor logs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32447886/ns/politics-white_house/
Now, what does all this really mean; at least to me? It means that anybody like the make-up/character of the guests he had at the beginning of his term ( big pharma etc.?) just won't meet at the White House anymore. Plain and simple. Better those kinds of visitors meet "off-site" as it were, perhaps Camp David or some other undisclosed location I'm afraid. There is no real transparency here, it is a shell game. It almost insults my intelligence to say this is a new day of transparency in politics, and I'd like to think most Americans can see through this. This isn't so much an article to "diss" on Obama, he may well become the most open President in history, as it is an example of politics in play people should take note of... It could be any President. Frankly, I don't see how any President can function without some secrets, including some of whom they talk too; so lets get a little real here, and not make it out to be more than it is.
I would rather President Obama just continued along the Bush lines of "Nunya Beewax" than this facade, and that the lawsuits be thrown out of court. Nothing has changed except locations in my mind, and the idea in Washington that somehow we are all easily fooled I don't get.
The only thing really transparent here is "the game" that all politicians play to make points with voters, and a way to settle some lawsuits "voluntarily." It's just politics folks... my 2 cents.
What do you think, am I over-analyzing?
Do you think there will ever be real transparency in government?
Join my new group Plain Politics if interested, and give your 2 cents.
Thanks.. ;-)
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Comments: 59
Hmmm...might send my ABC freewrite through, too.
What's your ABC freewrite?
But I have always been of the opinion that WE,THE PEOPLE, do not "need to know" everything the government does. Some things, IMO, are better left unsaid.
I have often been included in that group of "right-wingers" that some Gather members are so afraid of/hate. But I like to consider myself as a "Blue Dog".
The group is a good idea.
Perhaps when what-ever is no longer that sensetive, it will be alright to reveal these visitors names.
That's why I think it will just happen someplace else to be kept secret...
Omaba worshipers will continue to defend and protect, regardless of the issue. The truth is what it is and then saying "perhaps when what-ever is no longer" - what, no longer incriiminating? We already know he has a huge deal with Big Pharma because they "DONATED" $90-100 MILLION to his healthcare plan. Doesn't that raise ANY red flags? Are HIS worshipers that blind?
It's all smoke and mirrors to me, the WH is just changing what gets documented where is all; and probably part of a deal to get those lawsuits dropped. They'll be careful who gets on that visitor list in future.
Some things have to stay private when it comes to government. I agree, if it's not done at the White House they'll just find another place to do it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Do you expect President Obama to release all his emails? ... I don't.
Would I like a chance to peek at Bush's or Obama's... you bet, ha!
Having a secondary system, and then claiming there were no records of it is a lie. If you impeached Clinton for a little lie about Lewinsky that was not even relevent to the case under investigation you should be shouting for Bush and Cheney to go to jail.
You agree...?
The fact is that for it to be a new day of transparency does not mean this is the only criterion out there or that you or others have the right or the facts to call Obama a hypocrite on this one issue.
You sloughed off criticism of Bush which was totally valid, and now your aiming a whole bunch of invalid junk at Obama and pretending like nothing happened or everything is the same on both sides. Everything is not the same on both sides - and the only traction this kind of crap gets is with those who are ill-informed or so partisan they don't care about what they say or hear as long as it is anti-Democrat.
I think given the climate of attack, if there were people like Van Jones who resigned, then the President is right to keep the log secret in order to avoid or limit neverending stupid attacks when he and the Congress need to be working.
I don't care much about this log issue, actually, but in principle I think there is way too much secrecy in government. The biggest issues of the Bush administration outnumber in quantity and magnitude by this log thing it just makes Republicans appear to be neverending whiners.
I criticized Bush many times, but as mentioned, I haven't written much in the way of political posts, just comments. This isn't about him anyway. I never just sloughed off anything Bush did... some things I agreed with him, others I did not. I hardly call my questioning of President Obama invalid, and the facts are above. I question them all, as we all should.
I'm also not a fan of political parties, this is true.
Thanks again.
What I see is a Republican party that is so desperate and out of control that they are going out and finding the smallest items and blowing them up and making the claim that they are significant in a big picture they do not even bother to explain.
It is like waking up and going outside and looking at the thermometer and if it is colder than yesterday pulling out a megaphone and delivering a long-winded speech that global warming is wrong. I find it a big concern that Republicans are so uneducated and ill-informed that they will riot over this kind of silliness.
Any kind of unthinking mob is a concern to me. We see the unthinking mob at John McCain's rallies. When he mentioned Obama they practically burn effigies and hold up hangman nooses, and McCain says that Obama is the President and our leader and we need to support him, they drown him out with boos.
Republican leadership has turned completely irresponsible since the days of Bush I. Their goals have stopped being for American business and fiscal responsiblity, they now focus on monolithic consolidation of govenrment, military and corporate power.
It wasn't the Republicans or me that did this, though I bet there are those within the party that will take advantage. That's politics! It comes with the territory.
Again, I have to ask why keep the past 8/9 months secret, and then on the other hand say it is a new day in transparency? What is it then...?
I didn't make this up, I just read between the lines of what he said and did.
And that says a mouthful! I do agree that for "security" reasons, not all things should be "out there". However, a meeting with the pharmacy industry... hmmmmm
Yeah, I hear you... I can't say what should be public or not really or who should decide? I just don't like the way they're trying to sell me the idea this is all some new transparency of doing business for the WH on this issue.
Decisions based on that little motto affect all of us.
We do have some multi millionaires in the administration board who have some early financial connections with the Pres. Doesn't give me a good feeling.
If you want to compare fine, President Obama may be more open than Bush was, but so what. It doesn't change what Obama does today, or a means of not scrutinizing what the current President does. As mentioned, I question them all and have no issues doing so... we all should.
I also like to analyze things, and I've been trying to figure out since I got that letter from Jon Kyl why he would put such outrageous lies in a letter that would obviously be read. I can't for one minute believe that he actually believes the lies he wrote about health care and would want anyone to have it. Got any thoughts, John? You've been a resident of AZ longer than I. Perhaps you know him well enough to have some thoughts on this.
I didn't see the letter from John Kyl so can't speak to it... did you get it in the regular mail, or by email? I do think that both sides of the issue are throwing all kinds of crap out there though. I blame political parties for that mostly, and one reason I don't put any faith in them. It's all about "winning" with parties, and both major parties are guilty.
Thanks again for your thoughts.
Thanks.
I'll drop you a note. Take care.
By the way, what do you think about my post, ha ha?
Government is the problem but we created it despite all the rules to bound it made by our ancestors.
Take care.
nope.
Thanks.
There are a number of lawsuits involved in the financial collapse, and guest lists at the White House might come into play. The meetings with the drug people seem like a "gray area," because that's also a legitimate group to get input from. Either way, it looks as if Obama will be forced to have the most "open" administration ever, by his conservative critics.