Politics

A Setback in the Commitment from the White House

By Ellen Miller

From our perspective, with the appointment of White House Counsel Bob Bauer and Steven Croley to the Domestic Policy Counsel, we have just lost an important fight about how the Administration will handle the duties of ?ethics czar? post Norm Eisen?s tenure. It certainly looks like the White House’s commitment to a more transparent government is teetering.

From an outsider?s perspective it?s clear. Instead of having single touch point within the Administration we will now be working with one person who already has more than a full-time job, and an academic with no government experience. Sorry, but this doesn?t add up to a strong continuing commitment by the Administration to these issues. This concern is magnified manifold when Eisen?s key successor ? Bauer — can hardly be described as having the DNA of a ?reformer.?  This is the man who invented the rationale for the acceptance of ?soft money?? ? unregulated (chiefly corporate) funds that flooded elections to the tune of $1.5 billion between 1992 and 2002, and the man who sided with arch conservatives in their defense of lack of transparency.

Even before this transition, we?ve been shaking our heads.  After making some dramatic statements and issuing important directives, and taking some very positive initial first steps, the White House has already fallen short on delivery of the things we have been promised. We?re now more than 18 months into this Administration, and particularly now, we are wondering what is going on.

We?ve noticed that the data isn?t piling up over at Data.gov. Still only 1 percent of the files are raw data, all the rest are good only if you want to build maps. We?ve noticed that the compromise the White House crafted (or agreed to) on the failed DISCLOSE Act did nothing to either improve it or pass it. We?ve noticed that the White House has done nothing to help move fundamental lobby reform in Congress, or even ask the Congress to make it a priority to pass earmark transparency laws, something the President even called for in his State of the Union Address. We?ve noticed that President?s campaign promise to establish an Ethics.gov appears to be dead. And more.

Sunlight is very concerned about this turn of events. We will be more than happy to be shown that we’re wrong.

Full post as published by Sunlight Foundation on August 10, 2010 (boomark / email).