The White House web site recently posted a blog entry on the difficulty the White House is having with rumors and misinformation spreading on the internet about Heath Care Reform efforts.  It’s evidently hindering the effort so much, that the blog entry provided an email address to report misinformation to the White House.

What ?!?!

Obviously everyone concerned about Big Brother behavior in the current administration is jumping all over the post and, no offense, all the criticism is justified.  But, I’d like to point out a few things to everyone jumping all over this post.

  1. A lot of you are claiming that Macon Phillips wrote the post.  The actual statement is “posted by” not “written by”.  Still, it might be better for the actual author to post their name in a “written by” line so there is SOME perception of accountability in this administration.  I wouldn’t count on it though.  With all the flak this post is generating would you, as the real author, want your name associated with it?
  2. The White House can ask the public for help, just like any corporation trying to improve its products or promotions can do.  In fact, public feedback and communication is what makes a democratic system work.

But the request on the web site is really laughable: this is not a connected administration when it comes to common sense.  If they think they have a tough time sorting through the masses of misinformation on the net, now numerous people will report the same thing via an “email” message. How long do you think it will take until that mailbox gets saturated and also becomes too much to sort through?  Yeah, THAT will help! We can only hope its all goes directly to an account on Obama’s Blackberry.

So that brings me to this point for you, the White House staff… Why are you asking for this information?  It really makes you look like goofs for two reasons.  First, asking for leads to misinformation is a very defensive step.  Could it be that your offense is exhausted?  It wouldn’t surprise me: you didn’t have much to begin with.  Second, you clearly admit that you’re overwhelmed by the amount of “mis”-information, just like the country is overwhelmed by the volume and scope of this bill, and its outrageous deadline and high-pressure tactics that you’ve imposed to push it through.  You’re now a victim of your own tactics.

One final thing… I do believe that it is important to help the government determine where misinformation is occurring.  So I am recommending that everyone who sees it send you an email when they see it…

starting with the link to your very own blog entry here.

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Politics and Public Policy