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Enough with 'Transparency'
During the campaign, Obama bristled and dodged discussion of his academic and medical records, which were never fully disclosed. Indeed, a few days ago, when the new president wandered into the press room and reporters impudently asked him a question, the chief made it clear that such visits would end if they kept up such shenanigans.
Fact is, nobody really likes transparency—we just like transparency for people we don’t like. And there is nothing cheaper than transparency talk: Bernie Madoff had been known to pontificate about it in open Congressional and SEC forums. While not a crime, Merrill Lynch’s John Thain invoked transparency after suggestions arose that he hadn’t entirely disclosed Merrill’s losses before being acquired by Bank of America.
I advise my clients to embrace transparency—real hard: Demand it not only of yourself but of your critics and see what happens. The irony of our Transparapalooza is that the very forces that claim to want transparency the most probably couldn’t sustain it.
As we wade deeper into the Obama era, let’s consider the rhetoric of another magical kingdom—the one in William Goldman’s The Princess Bride. Throughout the narrative, the cunning Sicilian, Vizzini, shouts “Inconceivable!” whenever a plot doesn’t work out. His sidekick, the big-hearted swordsman, Inigo Montoya, finally counsels Vizzini: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
Eric Dezenhall co-founded the communications firm Dezenhall Resources, Ltd., and serves as its CEO. Eric's first book, Nail 'em!: Confronting High-Profile Attacks on Celebrities and Business, pioneered techniques for understanding and defusing crises.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Martin Jacques is the cofounder of the UK think tank Demos, writes a regular column for The Guardian, and is a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics Asia Research Centre. His new book, When China Rules the World, is available now.
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Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
The Inescapable President
Eric Dezenhall co-founded the communications firm Dezenhall Resources, Ltd., and serves as its CEO. His first book, Nail 'em!: Confronting High-Profile Attacks on Celebrities and Business, pioneered techniques for understanding and defusing crises.
The Witch Hunt Backlash Is Coming
Eric Dezenhall co-founded the communications firm Dezenhall Resources, Ltd., and serves as its CEO. His first book, Nail 'em!: Confronting High-Profile Attacks on Celebrities and Business, pioneered techniques for understanding and defusing crises.
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Eric Dezenhall co-founded the communications firm Dezenhall Resources, Ltd., and serves as its CEO. His first book, Nail 'em!: Confronting High-Profile Attacks on Celebrities and Business, pioneered techniques for understanding and defusing crises.
"Do as I say, not as I do." That's Obama. Transparent except when he decides it needn't be.
And about that line-by-line budget review he was talking about?
The common theme is that transparency is for other people's information and actions.
Now hold on now ...
With his build status the way it is IF he becomes any more transparent he will be a shoe in to play the Invisible Man on Broadway ...
Seriously though, IF and WHEN Obama starts a new war without giving specifics and actually puts American Lives in Danger, THEN and only then, will I be concerned about how Transparent he is ...
To me, so far, he is better than the past 8 years ...
Wait, a PR guy thinks "transparency" is a scam? I'm shocked, absolutely shocked. While I agree that "transparency" is a buzzword, it basically means "full disclosure" or more simply "honesty," and god knows that there's nothing more dangerous to good PR than that.
What a bunch of republican bull. The most secret party in the history of this country calling for transparency.
You guys are too funny.
If you hadn't ruined the country and actually did some good you'd still be in power.
So some people invoke the value of transparency as a meaningless buzzword. They're just not using the word correctly.
Other people (like President Obama, you allege) say that transparency has value, but fail to hold themselves to that high standard.
But none of this counts as an actual argument against transparency as a value. Are we supposed to prefer opacity or vagueness? Without transparency, how can we have any measure of accountability? How can we trust any information, or be confident that our elected representatives are acting in good faith? Without transparency, democracy can't work.
Your argument reduces to a series of ad hominem attacks.
Most PC police want it for everyone else, not themselves. Doesn't matter what the PC buzzword of the day is- accountability, transparency, diversity, bi-partisan, whatever - all it means is that they tell everyone else what they want and if they don't get it everyone else is anti -buzzword.
Not to make this a discussion about religion, but you know that "Do unto others" rule? Doesn't seem to apply to PC Police as represented by politicians, extremists, media talking head/hacks or nutjobs, all currently seeking transparency in a big way.
@apostleis: you're fun. keep whining.
There is no buzzword.GREED perhaps and of course disrespect.
Hey mindlessmissy, the name suits you well, how about 2000 million lives for you. That would be the United States Of America. That means something to many people in this nation. Obama and his "change" does not spek for all of us. We are a free nation for a reason.... it's not because of Obama...! or Bush!
Hey skunk don't invoke the name of "God" unless you can do it properly. I have had it with people who want results and spread their worthless 2 cents and use God to do so, but do not want to give up anything on their part. Quit whining and STAND for something, instead of following the heard!!!
Republican, Democrat....useless words to describe current political posturing. Patriot, a word co-oped be the last admin...a means to and end. Look it up, read your history. The more anyone wants the US to be like the "rest of the world" the less patriotic you are...if you don't think so, look in the mirror and see the PROBLEM!!!!!!
I fail to see how after 2 weeks anyone could judge how transparent the Obama administration is going to be. I suggest that the Obama White House will always try to achieve a better level of transparancy than any past administration.
Interesting - when our government continually rejects commenting (or has no recollection) on issues such as: the outing of a CIA agent, internal practices within the justice department, the use of wiretapping,rendition and torture that is fine......
This is week 2 people....ANY level of transparency is better than what we have had for the last 8 years
Thank you.
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