A Day to Celebrate Open Government
John Boehner Gives Open House Project a Boost
By Bluey Posted in Congress | Featured Stories — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, our adversaries and our friends came together today on Capitol Hill to release the Open House Project report. Produced by the Sunlight Foundation, it is one of the most comprehensive projects every undertaken to promote open government in the halls of Congress.
The report was written by citizens -- many of whom never met and have vastly different political views. But with the common goal of bringing openness to the House of Representatives, we produced a report that outlines 10 ideas that we hope Speaker Nancy Pelosi will bring to the forefront of her reform agenda.
The Open House Project got a major boost from Republican Leader John Boehner, who spoke at a Capitol Hill press conference this morning (watch the video). Boehner's appearance is significant for a few reasons: 1) Having bipartisan support for these ideas is crucial to making sure they're implemented; 2) The presence of the Republican leader enforces the significance of the issue to allies on the right; and 3) Boehner demonstrated that he understands the importance of embracing technology rather than running from it.
In the bipartisan spirit of the Open House Project, former congressional staffer David All, a Republican, joined forces with Philip de Vellis, a Democrat better known as ParkRidge47, to produce a video about the report.
We're eager to have many more people involved in the project. It's easy to join our Google Group. And if you're in the Washington area, please stop by the Heritage Foundation on Thursday at 10 a.m. for a panel discussion with Sunlight's John Wonderlich, Matt Stoller of MyDD and David All. (Click here to RSVP.)
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A Day to Celebrate Open Government 2 Comments (0 topical, 2 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Who in the House leadership, the House leadership that has stopped the Congressional Research Service from reporting on earmarks as it has for years, has signed on? Is Steny Hoyer and the House cardinals on board, or are we considering Matt Stoller as being on the same plane as John Boehner?
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
It's amazing how much initiative it takes just to implement those common-sense "10 Ideas".
Maybe there's a valid debate over the merits of giving lobbyists and big money such prominent seats at the table, but surely we should all have a right to know who our representatives meet with and from whom they accept donations.
PACs and 527s need more sunlight too.