About That Midwest Democracy Network "Presidential Questionnaire..."

[Tatiana]

To a large extent, this debate has been fueled by conflicting interpretations of Senator Barack Obama’s written response to a question concerning his intention to participate in the presidential public financing system. This question was contained in a questionnaire from the Midwest Democracy Network, which all the presidential candidates were invited to answer in the fall of 2007. In addition to campaign finance, the MDN questionnaire covered government ethics, lobbying regulation, federal communications policy, election laws and voting rights, and congressional redistricting. In keeping with a September 2007 pledge not to comment or pass judgments on the candidates’ views and positions, our organizations do not intend at this point to take sides in disputes over the meaning of their answers. In our view, these are matters better left to voters and the candidates to sort out for themselves.

Despite repeated efforts by the MDN and allied civic groups last fall to persuade all the presidential candidates to lay out for the American people their ideas for strengthening the political system, only former Senator John Edwards and Senator Obama chose to do so; their full and unedited responses to the questionnaire were publicly released on November 27, 2007.

Because of the extraordinary attention Senator Obama’s answers have recently attracted, on February 19, 2008 the MDN once again contacted the remaining major presidential contenders – Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator John McCain, and Congressman Ron Paul – and encouraged them to follow Edwards’ and Obama’s example by explaining their own views on these issues. We urged the candidates to submit their completed questionnaires by Tuesday, February 26 in order to give voters in next week’s critically important primary elections a chance to weigh their positions on issues that continue to concern millions of their fellow Americans. None of these candidates opted to respond. And so it is in that spirit but with a large measure of disappointment that we respectfully submit the attached document for voters’ consideration.

http://www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=55&f47f497f68198e54bd0880f4c2fd92f2=193a013669c10b228e4a74cf38e8d088

Here's a copy of the questionnaire that Keith Olbermann referenced tonight, for anyone that wants to read the whole thing:

http://www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org/templates/media/PresidentialQuestionnaireI1.pdf

Again, only Edwards and Obama responded (coincidentally, the two least corporate candidates running for President).

Obama on executive branch reforms and closing the “revolving door” for high-ranking and influential administration officials who leave their positions to become high paid registered lobbyists:

Early in my campaign, I released a proposal to close the revolving door between the executive branch and lobbying shops. I will prohibit all political appointees from working on contracts related to their former employer for two years, and I will prohibit appointees from lobbying the executive branch after leaving office for the remainder of his administration. My political appointees will serve the American people, not their own financial interests.

I will restore objectivity to the executive branch by banning lobbyist gifts, assuring that political appointees get their jobs based on merit and not solely on the basis of political affiliation or contribution, and removing the use of public office for partisan advantage.

Obama on providing the public with information about the sponsors, purposes and beneficiaries of the special interest-supported appropriation “earmarks” approved by Congress:

Building on my http://obama.senate.gov/news/060926-obamas_first_la/">“Google for Government” bill, which was signed into law and allows every American to do a simple search and see exactly how federal money is being spent, I will ensure that any tax breaks to special interests, or tax earmarks, are publicly available by directing the Office of Management and Budget to post them on its website. I will also create a “contracts and influence” database which will disclose how much federal contractors spend on lobbying, ensuring that citizens have easy access to contract details and contractor performance, such as compliance with federal regulations.

Obama on publicly disclosing the content, participants and outcomes of closed-door policy-related discussions involving high administration officials and interest group representatives and lobbyists:

I will require my appointees who lead the executive branch departments and rulemaking agencies to conduct the significant business of the agency in public, so that any citizen can see in person or watch on the Internet as the agencies debate and deliberate the issues that affect American society. Videos of meetings will be archived on the web, and transcripts will be made available to the public. I will also require my appointees to commit to employ all the technological tools available to allow average citizens not just to observe, but to participate and be heard on the issue that affect their daily lives.

I will also ensure that communications about regulatory policymaking between private individuals and all White House staff are disclosed to the public. The Obama White House would only invoke executive privilege to protect the confidentiality of communications concerning national security and similar traditionally sensitive matters, not to withhold information about communications with special interests on regulatory policy.

Finally, under the Presidential Records Act, presidential records are supposed to be released to
the public 12 years after the end of a presidential administration. In November 2001, President
Bush issued an order that gave current and former presidents and vice presidents broad authority
to withhold presidential records or delay their release indefinitely. As president, I will nullify the Bush order and establish procedures to ensure the timely release of presidential records.

And now you see why the corporatists fought to get Edwards out of the race and why they are fighting with everything they have to defeat Senator Obama.