Reform groups' policy wishlists receive attention from Obama transition team

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From: Open House Project Google Group

Obama transition - unique - Your Seat at the Table and Agendas of meetings

Posted by: "kimoC"

Video intro here - two way discussion they post all submissions to
Obama and you can post your own submission or comment

http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/seat_at_the_table/

and

Sam Stein, writing in the Huffington Post today, reacts to Obama
transition team chief John Podesta's announcement that the team will
publicize the names and agenda items of the groups that are meeting
with it, not just the organizations that are meeting with the president-elect
and his staff, but also the documents (policy "wish lists") they bring
with them.
"Every day, we meet with organizations who present ideas for the
Transition and the Administration, both orally and in writing," reads
a memo from Podesta to the Obama staff. "We want to ensure that we
give the American people a 'seat at the table' and that we receive the
benefit of their feedback."

http://calaware.typepad.com/calaware_today/2008/12/open-government-obamas-transparent-transition-consultation.html?cid=141603976#comments


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• Barack Obama has promised the most transparent administration ever. Is that a good thing?

Sign petition to President-Elect Obama for principles of open government

Government reform orgs. deliver news on major events within their areas of expertise.
From: OpenCongress

Open Government: 3 Principles for the Obama Administration

December 2, 2008 - by Donny Shaw

It’s clear that Barack Obama believes in the power of the internet to make government more transparent and participatory. His weekly addresses on YouTube, the interactive health care discussion he’s hosting on Change.gov, and his decision over the weekend to place all content on Change.gov under the freest Creative Commons license, all indicate that he’s serious about implementing the technology ideas that he spoke about during his campaign.

As the Obama-Biden Transition Team is settling in and establishing the tone of their operation, we’ve joined a host of other open government advocates – including Mozilla, Change Congress, EFF, and our sister organization, PCF – in sending them a letter to encourage them to take a few more crucial steps towards being truly open. For example, while posting videos on YouTube is a step towards integrating government information into the flow of culture, the platform doesn’t allow users to download videos so they can be remixed and used in new ways.

Click here to read the letter and to sign on.

Here’s the abbreviated version of the three principles we’re asking that the Transition Team and the new government apply to their use of the Internet every step of the way:

1. No Legal Barrier to Sharing – Content made publicly available in the course of this transition — such as President-elect Obama’s videos, or policy statements posted on the change.gov website — should be freely licensed so that citizens can share, excerpt, remix or otherwise redistribute this content without unnecessary complexity imposed by the law.

2. No Technological Barrier to Sharing – A merely legal freedom to share and remix, however, can be thwarted by technological constraints. Content made publicly available should also be freely accessible, not blocked by technological barriers. Citizens should be able to download transition-related content in a way that makes it simple to share, excerpt, remix, or redistribute. This is an essential digital freedom.

3. Free Competition – Governments should remain neutral in the marketplace of ideas. Transition-generated content should thus not be made publicly available in a way that unfairly benefits one commercial entity over another, or commercial entities over noncommercial entities.

Please join us by signing on to these principles.

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Send President-Elect Obama's transition team your change ideas for the next four years

President-Elect Barack Obama's transition to the White House is well underway. His web site www.change.gov has the latest information. It is also a place where any citizen can tell Obama what changes he/she would like to see in America in the next four years.

During his historic presidential campaign, Obama used the latest internet technology to get his grassroots supporters very active online. Now, his open government leadership is in view with his citizen's message initiative. To send your own thoughts to an Obama administration in transition, please go to An American Moment.


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President-Elect Obama is much more a 'reformer' than a 'progressive'

Image via WikipediaWe congratulate Barack Obama on his campaign victory for US President. In Washington terms, many consider him, while of course a Democrat, of being a 'reformer'. Democratic 'progressives' promote some government reforms, but I haven't heard that label put on Obama very much.

President-Elect Obama acted as a candidate and as US Senator against several key 'progressive' issues. These included energy, environment, defense spending, and tax policy.

As a 'reformer', however, he reached across the aisle for earmark spending reform, campaign finance reform, ethics reform, and government openness and transparency reforms.

All Things Reform looks forward to watching Obama bring much-neglected reforms to today's federal government. He will do this with cutting-edge communications technologies. For the latest news and updates on President-Elect Obama's transition period up to Inauguration Day in January, please check out www.change.gov.


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