Obama’s Record on Transparency Called Dismal

Remember back in 2008 when then-candidate Obama said he would have an administration of transparency?It hasn't really worked out that way, especially when it comes to the Fiscal Cliff.  Conservatives in Washington are worried about the lack of openness in the Obama administration when it comes to budget negotiations that could prevent the Fiscal Cliff.

The "cliff" is a combination of tax increases that will kick in in 2013 as well as spending cuts that may never go into affect that cost hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as send the county into a severe economic crisis.

The National Review says the solution for the GOP and Conservatives is to relentlessly push for and remind citizens of Obama's pledge for transparency which has never materialized. Many conservatives have signed the "no-new taxes pledge" created by Americans for Tax Reform and they worry approving tax increases in a secret, last-minute deal could damage them politically in mid-term elections.

The Review points out why hammering Obama on his lack of transparency would work:

• The White House has inaccurately claimed executive privilege over releasing documents and information over the infamous "Fast and Furious" gun-running program, the Washington Post revealed that last year numerous requests for information got nowhere. The Post is hardly a champion of conservative causes, it's worth noting even they couldn't get anywhere.
• The same Obama who promised the health care debates, votes, and deliberations would be broadcast on C-SPAN for all to see instead assembled the 2,000-plus-page bill behind closed doors. You recall Nancy Pelosi's famous statement to the effect that  "We can read it once it's passed."
• The GM bailout was hastily thrown together -- so fast in fact that few Americans even realize that most of the elements of Chrysler were sold to Fiat. It wasn't until recently that the Italian automaker made noise about moving Jeep and other assembly processes overseas. (Doing so could cost over 6,000 UAW Union jobs -- ironic!)

By hammering on the transparency issue, Conservatives can expose Obama and the Democrats on their refusal to pass a budget. Many critics say it would be bad politically for them to pass one -- even Senator Harry Reid has admitted that. Even Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner admitted to the Congressional Budget Committee (chaired by former GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan) in February:

“We’re not coming before you today to say we have a definitive solution to that long-term problem. What we do know is we don’t like yours.”

The Democrats continue to hammer Conservatives and the GOP about how much they don't like their plan while continuing to hide the fact they haven't passed a budget in over 1,300 days. If the nation goes off the Fiscal Cliff due to the GOP refusing to approve tax hikes, Democrats will blame them as well.