President Obama Opens Up Records, Shuts the Revolving Door
"Executive Order 13233 of November 1, 2001, is revoked."
That simple line that concludes President Barack Obama's "Presidential Records" Executive Order of January 21, 2009 is music to the ears of any historian or journalist who wishes access to presidential records. It's the first blow (and hopefully not the last) against the regimen of secrecy and contempt for the public's right to know that characterized the Bush administration. Researchers will no longer face Bush-era stonewalling and obstacles when seeking public records. It's a long-awaited opening for truth and reconciliation and Obama showed wisdom and good judgment in taking this step on day one of his presidency. I cannot begin to convey my appreciation that we now have a president who clearly recognizes the need for candor and openness to help historians keep the record straight.
Another of President Obama's early executive orders, titled "Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel," sets very clear standards and rules for everyone who works in the departments of the Executive Branch. It bans hiring lobbyists who had plied their trade over the past two years, and no department will hire anyone who lobbied that same department. Once employees leave the Executive Branch they will be barred from lobbying the administration as long as Obama is president. The aim here is clear: President Obama is seeking to break down the old "revolving door" model of business-as-usual in Washington. We all know the modus operandi of the past eight years has been for high-paid lobbyists to be placed in plum positions inside the departments that could do them the most personal good only to return to the private sector after their stints in "public service" to be paid even more lavishly than before.
It would be difficult to construct a more inherently corrupt system of governance.
By breaking the nexus between lobbyists and government departments President Obama is doing something that hasn't been done before. He has raised the ethical bar higher than any previous president. The last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, simply replaced Republican lobbyists with Democratic ones without altering the corrupting influence of K Street. President Obama has slammed shut the revolving the door. It will be a high standard for future presidents to meet. This action will have immediate effects. It will cool the jets of the Rick Davises and Vickie Isemans and Steven Grileses of this world, and might even keep some of those self-centered, greed-driven government job seekers out in the private sector where they belong.
But the Congress is a different story.
I would call upon Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass anti-lobbying legislation similar to the standards that President Obama has set forth for the Executive Branch. The nature of the Legislative Branch, with its collective dependency on big campaign donations to finance frequent elections, makes lobbying reform of any kind an upward battle. But Obama has shown real leadership on this issue and the Congress should do its part to clean up how Washington does business. An opportunity like this might not come along for years and the Democrats in Congress should put their money where their constantly yapping mouths are. Let's see if the Democrats in Congress have the same impulse to clean up Washington as does their standard bearer.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. President Obama also: Ordered Guantánamo Bay shut down; Banned torture; Ordered a full review of U.S. detention policies and procedures; and Delayed the trial of Ali al-Marri, whose case is at the center of the Supreme Court's review of indefinite detention policies.
We're off to a pretty damn good start.
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This bill may seem like a good idea but it really is part of the beginning of the end of freedom as we now know and embrace.
Be watchful and wary for there may still be time to save ourselves.
Please, I would LOVE for you to explain what freedoms will be taken away from you!!!
Then the next thing he does is "The Obama administration has waived its ethics rules to allow William Lynn to serve as the deputy secretary of Defense."
Is he for ethics rules only when he wants to apply them?
On the other hand the waiver that they are putting in place for William Lynn doesn't cover the whole ethics rule! In other words Mr. Lynn will not be able to lobby for ANYONE while the Obama administration is in place!
And for what it's worth, I would rather have a President institute a new rule like this and then admit that they are making exceptions rather than something like the bush admin who would place a rule like this and then tell us all that Mr. Lynn hadn't been a lobbyist, but rather worked as a govt contract specialist or some other lie!
See Joseph A. Palermo's Profile
It's kind of like Bush burns down the whole town and when the fire department comes in it begins to put out the fire and succeeds in putting it out but there are a few sparks still flying around and then the people who supported Bush the arsonist complain about sparks.
Yes, secrecy and government do not mix. With secrecy comes unaccontability and poor policy, as Bush demonstrated. Mr. Palermo, there is a great article in this month's Atlantic magazine about the Bush misrule. It begins: "For the past eight years, George W. Bush has treated the White House much as Kenneth Grahame’s Mr. Toad treated a new automobile—like a shiny toy to be wrecked by racing the motor, spinning smoke from the tires, and smashing through farmyards until the wheels come off. Bush got to the Oval Office despite having lost the popular vote, and he governed with a fine disdain for democratic and legal norms-..."
It goes on to say the Founder's left the Exeecutive Branch too undefined in terms of its powers. It concludes, among other things, that we should have an elected instead of appointed Attorney General, sort of as a watchdog on the executive. It would be great to have an Attorney General who consistently follows the law instead of sycophants like Mukasey who would not even define waterboarding as torture or investigate a Bush appointee in the Justice Department who lied to Congress about his partisan hiring practices.
See Joseph A. Palermo's Profile
Thanks Johnie2xs et al. I always look forward to your comments, even on my blogs that get buried in the din -- The Right is pushing a cynical line about limits on what Obama can do and smearing him as usual -- the NYTimes reported that Karl Rove and Karen Hughes didn't like Obama's inaugural speech -- well, boo hoo, waa, waa!
Another blogger on HuffPost, reporter Phil Bronstein, even agreed with the Karen Hughes criticism. I left him a note saying instead of worrying about the hurt feelings of Bush, he should be concerned about those who lost half their savings with the stock market collapse or those who lost a son or daughter in the illegal war in Iraq. Bush has been so protected from the consequences of his actions and has remained a child his whole life. Let him witness and hear about the destruction he has caused.
Two pebbles lost in a sea of millions during his Inaugural speech, a historic event watched all day world wide. How silly and insignificant their sorry comments were. Like a drop of water in the ocean. Hardly noticeable, seen, or heard, or even matters.
"It bans hiring lobbyists who had plied their trade over the past two years, and no department will hire anyone who lobbied that same department."
Yes, that is exactly what the Ethics Executive order did, which was immediately ignored as several high placed individuals hired and/or appointed by the Obama administration were lobbyists in the last two years. If you saw the first press conferernce after this Executive Order where the press asked a few questions you would've of cracked up laughing. The only thing they came up with is that there have to be exceptions. Oh well. Same old, same old. I hope this is what we can expect -- an attitude by the Obama Administration that laws and executive orders are just PR that they don't really have to follow when not expedient.
See Joseph A. Palermo's Profile
We just got done with one of the most corrupt administrations in history, please give Obama some time to clean out this mess. Be patient people, the Right is already screaming that nothing can or should be done.
I am very proud of this new President and his direction.
I'd like to ask our fellow readers for their constructive and collaborative advice on a matter that bothers me:
In watching the inauguration and the President's first days in office, I was stunned to find myself seeing 30 seconds of FOX news coverage (the 'Hannity and Rush' show) that was so offensive, vile, and downright rude in trash-talking agenda, it was truly beyond belief. It was pretty outrageous. I didn't feel this was a right, accurate, or fair portrayal, and being protective of President Obama and his new direction of change, I wondered, 'what can I possibly do to help?'
I guess my conscience spoke to me.
I wrote to the White House and those other news agencies with their fair coverage, expressing my appreciation for our President; I wrote to FOX news regarding my displeasure. I'm speaking to my friends and neighbors. I encourage you to do the same. But, what else?
Beyond simply not watching the atypical Faux news, do you, the readers, have any other practical advice of how we should handle or curb this same old 'revolving door' of hateful folks and their reporting? President Obama says he needs our help-- and we should remember to 'have his back' in this regard when he's making all the right moves and changes that, undoubtedly, upset some on the far right.
Any thoughts or ideas? Thank you.
I have an idea, watch Fox and cnn, so you will get all the info. If your not watching Fox as part of your information gathering you are being mislead.
"True Blue American" (shouldn't that be "Ruby Red American"?) writes: "I have an idea, watch Fox and cnn, so you will get all the info. If your not watching Fox as part of your information gathering you are being mislead."
Watching Fox News to get information on US politics? That's like shortwave-radio listeners getting their information about Cuba from "Radio Havana."
Hey "American", a correction: If you are watching Fox, you're being mislead. There's enough Kool-Aid there, in just one day, to run a lemonade stand all summer.
Or we can stop watching Fox and simply get our right wing news from the right wing media without resorting to a mouthpiece for the far Far FAr FAR right!!!!!
Perhaps an example of the vileness would help. What exactly are you referring to?
I have a similar problem, but the vileness I witnessed and heard came from the left. I can give you specific examples if you're interested.
I think Mr. Obama truly wants to change the tone in Washington to one of civility. That was demonstrated just yesterday when he was obviously dissaproving of Mr. Biden taking potshots at Justice Roberts. You could tell Mr. Obama thought it was inapporpriate. It was. Mr. Biden, like many of his colleagues are so used to taking cheap shots they don't think. Whatever.
Mr. Obama has called us to end childishness. Many of his supporters seem to think he's only talking to right wingers. I didn't see any nastiness from the right through the transition or inauguration, but I saw plenty from the left. Was it really a good idea to vent vitriol at President Bush during President Obama's inauguration?
Will we judge him a good leader if his followers don't follow??
Thank you. I didn't cite the specific examples of vileness, wishing not to give credence or even the time of day to such hateful talk. What I'm referring to was the Hannity show of January 21, 2009: calling President Obama contemptuously as 'the Messiah' and 'the Anointed One' continuously, declaring his agenda as 'racism in reverse', and (Rush) saying words to the effect 'that we need to bend over and grab our ankles' along with similar vitriol. One thing I can say, these guys had an agenda-- and they are pissed.
So how do we handle such things, whether from the right or left, hopefully with some Grace? I'm hoping the reader will offer credible suggestions and action, as opposed to opinion.
I wish Pelosi and Reid would follow Obama's lead on lobbyists but I won't hold my breath. I am thrilled that we won't be running gulags anymore. It's beginning to look like America again. The world is breathing a collective sigh of relief.
I agree! We need to stop BOTH the revolving doors on our govt leader's buildings! In addition to that I would LOVE to see a law (or perhaps a Constitutional amendment, don't know what it would require) that takes away corporate "personhood" as regards the civil rights we all enjoy! I'm tired of hearing how a company spending MILLIONS of dollars on re-election campaigns for politicians to get BILLIONS in govt contracts is protected by the first amendment right to free speech!!!!!
See Joseph A. Palermo's Profile
Yes, the Congress is where much of the really torrid lobbying takes place and it needs to be put in its place like Obama did in the Exec Branch -- Obama always passes Ethics legislation, he did in the Illinois state house, and in the US Senate, and now as pres.
I agree.
Mr. President, well done.
You are beginning to restore my faith in MY government.
Thats why we voted for him in numbers pundits thought he wouldnt get. Thats why 99.9% of the rest of the world wanted him elected. Because for the first time in a long time, certainly in my life we have a president for the people.
As a historian-----this is tremendous. And as for the Gitmo and torture---we are on our way to a new day!
Amen, My Brother Joey, Amen !! A damned good start indeed.
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