Obama has talked
(Constantly)
about Transparency.
about Transparency.
But the Facebook grassroots campaign and the "openness" of the new administration seem to be a thing of the past. Immediately after being elected, Obama hedged on his promises to do a great number of things quickly within his first term. His "transparency" allowed only 4 reporters to the re-do of the oath Wednesday. Senior officials refused to be referenced by name (until the Press Secretary made a blunder and referred to one by his first name.) Only one outlet was given an inauguration interview: one that donated to his campaign. Does this sound like Change and Transparency?
But this is not the first time a leader has come in with promises of Change, promises to fix a broken economy. To change the standing of a people in the international world. Think of 1933 Germany.
Transparency was the unique promise Obama gave to the American people: we could follow the change in our country like we were a part of it, somehow. It was part of the reason Obama became the media's darling. Now that the campaign is over, so is that Transparency. But people are still following, some blindly, without thought to the Change within Obama himself and all his previous promises.
Right now, the only transparency for Obama are ice sculptures like the one Wash. U. commissioned for its campus.
(picture taken by me, outside the Student Center)
1 comment:
I fear a bigger threat to transparency may be coming soon: the "Fairness Doctrine." This mandates that opposing views must be given equal time on each radio station. That may sound inocuous, but talk radio is one of the few outlets that tilts a little to the right. Hollywood, the print and video media lean left (witness the adoration for Obama from all of those sources). Obama is already trying to silence the conservative talk radio hosts - witness Obama's admonition to Congressional Republican leaders to "stop listening to Rush Limbaugh." I don't think Teddy Roosevelt had this in mind when he spoke of the "Bully Pulpit."
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