Politics 2.0: Obama and Transparency as a Solution

“Too often, the people don’t know what the government is working on, and when they do, they don’t like what the government does. That’s why we’re not going to be able to change America unless we question the culture that has dominated Washington for too long. And that means shining a bright light and bringing transparency to everything our government does.” President Barack Obama

I believe that the inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States – held on January 20 – has not disappointed those of us who had placed our hopes in that he would be in charge of bringing a new way of doing politics to the White House. In his first speech as president, Obama said many things that the world wanted to hear, and he said them with his usual freshness and transparency. Analysts have highlighted the historic significance of the event, as he is the first person of color to become president of the United States; but we must also talk about his charisma and his ability to transmit his dream of change, which today allows us to glimpse a better world despite the situation of crisis and uncertainty that we are going through.

In his speech, Obama went beyond what many expected in both words and deeds. He announced the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention center and a withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and promised that “hope will prevail over fear,” and that “the common will will prevail over conflict and disagreement.” Aware of the moments of uncertainty we are experiencing, he avoided falling into triumphalism, and clearly warned that his country’s challenges are real, and that the task will not be easy. These were the words he used: “It will take a lot of work from everyone, great changes in attitudes and the recovery of some old values buried by the philosophy of opulence and anything goes.” The global vision, so necessary today, was also present in the inauguration speech. Obama pointed out several important priorities for humanity as a whole, especially that of fighting nuclear proliferation and climate change, and that of contributing more to the development of poor countries. In addition, the new president made a specific offer to the Muslim world to open a new dialogue “based on mutual interests”. This new way of doing politics is a far cry from what we see every day on our televisions: debates more interested in hurting the adversary than in building collective value. Obama’s new way of doing things represents hope and has been able to release significant human energy among the less privileged members of American society. His “daring of hope” is based on transparency, collaboration and citizen participation; the vision necessary to rebuild a country based on these principles; and the credibility granted to him by his journey to the presidency, in which he has always shown a clear commitment to these new values.

Transparency is the foundation of trust

As I have pointed out in a previous conversation, I believe that Obama represents a new way of doing politics. His own personal trajectory as a senator, and his radically new way of financing and communicating his electoral campaign, give credibility to his vision, and qualify him as a true Leader 2.0. Now the time has come to make all these promises a reality. Expectations are very high. Much of the world has taken him as a reference; as the starting point for a new way of doing things. And no wonder: the new president has the possibility not only to renew American society, but to transform our entire political system. It is precisely there, in the transformation of the political system, that we must look for Obama’s true contribution: in the return of power to ordinary citizens; in the restoration of citizens’ trust in the government and its politicians; and in the confirmation that a government of all and for all is the best way to resolve our differences. If we think about it, all these transformations are based on a fundamental premise, perhaps the most profound: transparency is the basis of citizens’ trust in their leaders. If the institutions and the action of government are not transparent, there is no trust. And if the American people do not regain confidence in their government, it will be practically impossible for them to solve the financial, diplomatic and military problems that they have inherited from the disastrous previous presidency.

From the ethics of intentions to the ethics of action

The ethics we need to get out of the crisis in which our institutions are immersed cannot be an ethics limited to “good intentions”. We need an ethic of action and responsibility; an ethic that allows us to transform current structures to build more transparent, fair and effective organizations. The good news is that, from the beginning, Obama has made his commitment to transparency very clear:

“The way to hold a government accountable is to hold it accountable for its decisions. And the best way to make a government accountable is to make it transparent, so that the people can know exactly what decisions are being made, how they are being made, and whether their interests are being served.”

And best of all, these proposals have not remained a mere declaration of intent. Obama’s first actions have been consistent with everything he has expressed, to the point that we do not feel disappointed there either. The value of these initiatives is even greater, if we take into account the little room for manoeuvre that the economic situation of his country and the rest of the world gave him. In this complicated scenario, Barack Obama has assured that the objective of his government is to launch a new era of openness and transparency, reversing the abuse of secrecy and opacity, which have been “watchword” during the Bush Administration.

Communication, transparency and participation

The White House website –whitehouse.gov– is going to become one of the key tools for timely reporting on government action. A few minutes after Barack Obama’s inauguration, Macon Phillips, the director of New Media, published on the White House blog the three priorities of whitehouse.gov in relation to citizens:

Communication. Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security, and many other issues. This site will offer relevant and in-depth content, with the goal of keeping all citizens permanently informed about matters of general interest and about important decisions of the president and his administration.

Transparency. President Obama is committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history. Whitehouse.gov will play an important role in fulfilling that promise. From now on, the president’s executive orders and proclamations will be released for the whole world to review. And this is just the beginning of a series of efforts the new administration will undertake to provide all Americans with a window in which to follow government activities in a timely manner.

Participation. As Obama promised in his campaign, citizen participation will be a priority for the administration. The Internet will play a very important role in this: all urgent laws will be published on the whitehouse.gov portal for five days, to allow citizens to review them and make their comments before the presidential signature. In line with all these actions, the
Presidential Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government
has also been of great importance, by which Obama has instructed three senior administration officials to, within 120 days, present a directive with specific actions to apply thefollowing principles of openness and transparency:

Transparency and open government

My administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government. We will work together to ensure public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in government.

The Government must be transparent

Transparency promotes accountability and provides information to citizens about what their government is doing. Information, maintained by the Federal Government, is a national asset. My administration will take appropriate steps, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information quickly, so that it can be easily found and used by the public. Executive departments and agencies should take advantage of new technologies to display information about their operations and decisions online, so that it is available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify the most useful information.

The Government must be participatory

Public engagement improves the effectiveness and quality of government decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge. U.S. executive departments and agencies should provide greater opportunities for citizens to participate in politics, so that they contribute to government with the benefits of their collective expertise and intelligence. Executive departments and agencies should also request information on how we can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in government.

Government must benefit from collaboration

Collaboration actively integrates Americans into the work of their government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to foster internal cooperation at all levels of government, as well as collaboration with nonprofits, businesses, and individuals in the private sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to guide and improve their level of collaboration, and to identify new opportunities for collaboration.

Leadership and innovation must be a shared work for all

If we have learned anything since the current currency crisis began, it is that trust is fundamental for the functioning of our highly complex and globalized financial system, and for the very health of the institutions that sustain it. Hence the importance of the new way of doing politics based on the creation of social value and the ethics of responsible action; and the best way to create value-added structures is to create transparent structures. Take the Internet, for example, in which the flow of users moves to the website or blog that provides the most value. In the same way, our organizations must be transparent, so that everyone knows what each one contributes, and the flow of knowledge and information can move, freely and naturally, to the nodes where value is really generated. It is a matter of parties and political leaders adopting and sincerely assuming the essential values of the Age of Collaboration: transparency, collaboration and participation of all citizens, the free flow of information, shared decision-making, and the commitment to collective leadership. It is a matter of these parties and their leaders going even further, and putting those values into practice; of finally deciding to interact with society, to get closer to citizens without traps, without filters or limitations. It is, in other words, about really “creating” politics 2.0. This credibility can only be the result of authenticity, which today has become a key value. Because poses and actions in front of the gallery are no longer valid. This new way of doing politics is not, at all, a race in which parties compete to “hang” more pages on Facebook. It is not about that. It is not even about politicians having a real presence on social networks, however desirable this may be. We do not know if Barack Obama will succeed or not, because the problems he faces are very big and complex, but it is clear that his commitment to transparency, participation and collaboration seems genuine. The way in which he developed his electoral campaign, relying on the work and contribution of thousands of volunteers, making the most of the communication possibilities of social networks, makes us confident in the authenticity of his proposal. This is one of the main reasons why American citizens and, in some way, also a good part of the world’s population, have placed their trust in him. At the same time, we must not forget that he cannot do everything. The fundamental thing is that other countries and other governments join this new way of doing politics. Because, as we have been arguing in this blog, leadership can no longer be based on the decision of a single charismatic leader. In a scenario as complex and changing as the current one, the leadership we need to solve today’s problems is collective. In other words, leadership and innovation must be a job shared by all.