The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/obama/page/3/)
The Obama administration, by its own admission, is redefining the role of the federal government. This is evidenced by the President’s budget for the fiscal year 2010, which is not only a document of numbers and figures, but one of goals, priorities and yes, ideology. This is not to say that all aspects of the President’s budget are misguided, but Americans need to be made aware of the changing reality in which we are living.
Steve Hildebrand, deputy national campaign director of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, spilled the juicy secrets yesterday at Cornell that led to the biggest non-incumbent victory in American history.
Approximately 70 students gathered in McGraw Hall to hear Hildebrand speak about everything from his personal background to his team’s intricate campaign strategies and inside stories of political bigwigs.
[img_assist|nid=35591|title=Strategy session|desc=President Obama’s Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand speaks with students yesterday.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
On Nov. 4, Cornell’s campus was buzzing with energetic students pledging support for President Barack Obama’s message of change and transparency in government. Now, after only a month in office, many of these students are noticing some cracks in those maxims as controversies develop around nominees for cabinet and regulatory positions in his administration.
Since his victory in November, four of Obama’s appointees withdrew their names from consideration. One appointee dealt with intense controversy prior to his nomination and countless more are being held up in the confirmation process mainly by Republicans — a serious blow to the bipartisan theme of his campaign.
According to the most recent employment data, estimates find that Caucasian women earn approximately 73% of what Caucasian men earn and the gap is even greater for African American women (link). Furthermore, educated women with upper level jobs have the most significant wage gap when compared to men. In analyzing data such as this, it becomes evident that no logical explanation exists for explaining the pay inequality of our country, other than the fact that discrimination lives on in America. However, President Obama took action in the Lilly Ledbetter pay discrimination case, which represents a step in the right direction for diminishing the tradition of pay inequity.
During the presidential election the domestic policy of most concern to voters, other than the economy, was healthcare. President Obama ran on a campaign of implementing sweeping healthcare reform aimed at improving both efficiency and access. House Majority Whip James Clyburn has been quoted as saying it is better for reform to occur, “incrementally, than to go out and just bite something you can’t chew,” to which Speaker Pelosi had to rebut. While the current financial crisis may offer an opportunity to move towards universal coverage and an overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system, it is more likely that Obama’s first term (at least the first fiscal year) will be witness to incremental reform.
Cornell’s historians — professors, graduate students and archivists — see President Barack Obama’s policies toward a more transparent government not merely as a step forward, but a complete reversal in direction.
On Jan. 21, Obama released a memo in which he encouraged governmental agencies to “adopt a presumption of disclosure, in order to renew their commitment to the principles embodied in the Freedom of Information Act and to usher in a new era of open government.”
The act, which allowed for the disclosure of most official governmental documents, was first instated in 1966 during the Lyndon Johnson’s Administration.
“FOIA was built on a presumption of openness and disclosure rather than secrecy,” explained Prof. Fredrick Logevall, history.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Hundreds of thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds flooded D.C. this weekend, soaking up the energetic atmosphere and preparing to play a part in history.
On the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, the streets were already buzzing, despite frigid temperatures in the 20s.
“It’s hot. It’s not cold out here, it’s hot,” said Anthony Brown, a photographer for the police department. “It’s a beautiful moment, a beautiful day in history right here.”