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Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?[W: 104]

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Josie

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President Obama said recently his administration is the most transparent administration in [American] history. Do you agree or disagree?
 
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Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

It was the first of many campaign promises he broke (that I cared about) that lead me from Obama voter to Obama detractor. Almost immediately after taking office he began with the backroom deals and closed door meetings with insurance execs and such. Any claim he makes to transparency is a huge freakin' lie.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

President Obama said recently his administration is the most transparent administration in [American] history. Do you agree or disagree?

Of course it is! Obama would never lie to us. If not for those "Bush policies" that our congress critters will not remove it would be obvious that he is telling the truth. I have no trouble seeing right through Obama, he is quite transparent. ;)
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Obama makes Nixon look like saran wrap.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Obama makes Nixon look like saran wrap.

I don't see how on that one, actually. Watergate and the Pentagon Papers were pretty serious swings. Not to say that this President is the most transparent, but he's certainly not the worst for transparency. I'd say he's fairly....well, typical for our day and age.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Transparency? Not until Obama tells us how he repaid his donors. They're all crooks.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

I don't see how on that one, actually. Watergate and the Pentagon Papers were pretty serious swings. Not to say that this President is the most transparent, but he's certainly not the worst for transparency. I'd say he's fairly....well, typical for our day and age.

Obamacare and the lead up to the legislation, that was a pretty damn huge closed door thing. And close after making the promise of transparency too.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

I cannot recall a transparent administration in my 28 years.

Though given what little research I've done, and by that I mean the last episode of the Daily Show, the President has refused many information requests from Congress in regards to both Benghazi and Fast and Furious.

I would assume his is not the most... I wonder if Carter ever stonewalled...
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Obamacare and the lead up to the legislation, that was a pretty damn huge closed door thing. And close after making the promise of transparency too.

Wouldn't you expect that for big legislation? Battle it out in two different fashions: one in public, the other in private. Try to use the former to influence the outcome of the latter.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

The most transparent was John Adams. Why? He didn't hide his despotism; he silenced free speech openly.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Wouldn't you expect that for big legislation? Battle it out in two different fashions: one in public, the other in private. Try to use the former to influence the outcome of the latter.

No, especially not when transparency was such a huge campaign promise. If fact that's precisely where he promised the transparency would come about in government - no closed door meetings.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

No, especially not when transparency was such a huge campaign promise. If fact that's precisely where he promised the transparency would come about in government - no closed door meetings.

You didn't actually want to hold him to that, did you? It was something to get the angry Democrats on board. It's self-defeating, for any party, to conduct the entire process in front of the public.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

In order to make that call, one would need a clear understanding of how transparent Zachary Taylor's administration was. I, for one, have no idea. More transparent than Bush? Certainly, but that's not difficult. More transparent than Jimmy Carter? Than Rutherford B. Hayes? Than Calvin Coolidge? Who knows. It's a meaningless boast.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

In order to make that call, one would need a clear understanding of how transparent Zachary Taylor's administration was. I, for one, have no idea. More transparent than Bush? Certainly, but that's not difficult. More transparent than Jimmy Carter? Than Rutherford B. Hayes? Than Calvin Coolidge? Who knows. It's a meaningless boast.

In general, things were closer to the chest. In many other areas, however, well, if you are on the side of decreasing government secrecy, you'd might get a kick out of the last few minutes of this video (starting at 7:23, if I remember right).

 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

President Obama said recently his administration is the most transparent administration in [American] history. Do you agree or disagree?

It's a rather low bar, but I'd agree with those who say he's rather typical. Not worse, but not more transparent either.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

You didn't actually want to hold him to that, did you? It was something to get the angry Democrats on board. It's self-defeating, for any party, to conduct the entire process in front of the public.

I most certainly did. I bought it hook, line and sinker. And I stuck around to inspect what I expected. That's why I quickly turned from Obama voter and supporter to Obama hater. It's not as bad when someone lies to your face when you know it's a lie. But when you believe them and find out later, that's where I was.

And no, it's not self-defeating to hold public business in front of the public.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

The most transparent was John Adams. Why? He didn't hide his despotism; he silenced free speech openly.

He kept the XYZ affair pretty close to the chest ;)
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

And no, it's not self-defeating to hold public business in front of the public.

It certainly is. Public opinion has a strange effect on a negotiation process that is often unwieldy if you let it dominate. Your leaders need to be able to jostle for position, present alternatives and conduct an agreement without outside interference.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

He kept the XYZ affair pretty close to the chest ;)

Fine, how about Andrew Jackson? He openly defied the Constitution and murdered a good amount of Cherokees.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

I don't know, nor do I really care :shrug:
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Fine, how about Andrew Jackson? He openly defied the Constitution and murdered a good amount of Cherokees.

Fairly open, but he didn't exactly spell out to everyone that he was taking his political advice from friends instead of his cabinet.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Fairly open, but he didn't exactly spell out to everyone that he was taking his political advice from friends instead of his cabinet.

Well, with anyone else do we even have that evidence?
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Fairly open, but he didn't exactly spell out to everyone that he was taking his political advice from friends instead of his cabinet.

Well, okay, that and if you wanted to push it on the Bank crisis, he did put federal money in banks that were favorable to him. You could make the counter-argument that it was needed given the climate, but it's a point of contention.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Well, with anyone else do we even have that evidence?

Don't quite know what you're asking.
 
Re: Is the Obama administration the "most transparent administration in history"?

Don't quite know what you're asking.

Do you think Obama and the other presidents haven't had the same kind of system?
 
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