Oh Boy Obama!

I believe that while total transparency is a good idea in a utopia, it's not quite possible in this time. At least in the first four years of Obama's administration, he's going to have to really get down and dirty to make certain things happen. And while I agree there may be a benefit from it being televised fully, he may be hindered by that as well.

HOWEVER: I'm all for having consistent televised questionings, like they have with the British Prime Minister, similar to the idea in this Scoop: http://www.ohboyobama.com/Policy/Hold-monthly-Presidential-questions-ses...

It would be a great thing for the president to be televised making more decisions, really getting into the nitty gritty for all to see. It would solidify our trust in him that he's really doing his job day in and day out, while getting many people much more interested in the current events because we'll have access to them. It would allow for more "for the people by the people" types of governance, even if it's just visual access, it's more than we're used to.

I totally agree that transparency is incredibly important. The good thing about this is that it can be a central role in his presidency through his own actions, not necessarily as some particular bill. He could run his presidency in the right way and make a huge impact.

I had an idea of some "Accountability Center" for the Obama White House. This center would hold all of Obama's talking points or "promises to america". These would be bulleted out and easy to access and also be updated as they are updated.

Ex:
- Reform Healthcare
- Lessen American Oil Dependency
- Support Renewable Energy
- Support retooling of American Auto Industry
- Responsibly End Iraq War
etc...

Each of these bullets would be updated as something happens, good or bad. If the bill is stonewalled, we will know by who, when and why. This way, we can hold Obama accountable for his promises AND everyone else in Washington that isn't living up to theirs. This could just be one facet of a larger effort, but it could be incredibly useful in keeping the American public informed and the political process transparent.

this is one of the first policies of obama's that made me want to vote for him. it serves as an insurance that not only will obama do what he says he'll do but that he'll do it right and just because we will be able to check.

unless it is important for national security, why is anything in government confidential?

Transparency is undoubtedly a much needed thing in government these days, and this is an issue I care a lot about.

I think that people need to get to know Obama, his story. The lies and miscomprehensions are terrible and will stunt votes.

This will help broaden his audience.

B/c he'll be compaigning actively in Florida and Michigan, he'll have to pick and choose issues to focus on. Working on a transparency issue, such as the website that is already in place, could help bolster his argument. http://www.usaspending.gov/ is the website. He could address weaknesses with the website and further improvements to be made in a policy speech. Hardly anyone knows about this website, so there needs to be a little marketing here.

There's no doubt Obama could pull of a Web 2.0 government, but it would be nice to see this website (and presumeably, subsequent others) be revamped to be as snazzy as barackobama.com.

Conservatives and middling independents looking for an excuse to vote for a guy who they normally wouldn't (someone being portrayed as a tax-and-spend liberal), Obama's transparency commitment is a strong incentive, and perhaps more important, a legitimate justification for their support in conversation.

Obama seems actually quite sensible and thoughtful on this issue, and it could be an issue that cuts across normal party lines. Everyone of all parties is fed up with government waste and back-room shenanigans. This issue is a winner and Obama is on the right side.

this is the number on reason I love obama.. I'm all about transparency

Although the idea sounds nice I don't think it will bring him a lot new voters. I guess people who care about transparency are already in his camp. I think themes like his biography, creating chances for everybody, changing the course of the country resonate with a broader audience. I also think he has to win over conservative rural democrats, that's why I think a weeklong poverty tour with Edwards would be a good idea.

Did not intend to down rate this idea. I fully concur that transparency should be a key issue. Independents will be swayed by an honest effort to reform and return government back to the people.