04 February 2009

Transparency or "Obama 2012"?

Today I received an e-mail addressed from David Plouffe, President Obama's campaign manager, on behalf of BarackObama.com. He asks me to watch a YouTube clip of the president's nationally televised plea for Americans to support his economic recovery plan. An abbreviated screen shot of the e-mail:


Note that it is signed by Mr. Plouffe, as Mr. Obama's campaign manager. So, what exactly is Mr. Plouffe's role in the Obama Administration? Obviously, having engineered one of the most effective (and expensive) presidential campaigns ever, Mr. Plouffe undoubtedly has won the president's loyalty. But with such an e-mail, who is Mr. Plouffe representing (especially when, at the e-mail's end, a statement reads that it was paid for by the Democratic National Committee)?

Ultimately, I think this e-mail is fairly innocuous - and it reveals the president's desire to communicate directly with constituents (or those who signed up to an e-mail list) in a direct, seemingly transparent fashion - but is this e-mail an item of electioneering? Or is it the president communicating with his constituency? I think Mr. Obama should be careful in such messages, as they could be construed as an ongoing re-election project, rather than factual communication on public policies currently being debated.

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