A reminder: the petition https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/remove-united-stat... has not been responded yet, after more than one and a half years.
That's a pretty binary decision. A website survey, that could easily be gamed, that has fewer signatures than the population of a random small city, is supposed to result in completely bypassing the USC?
Most would agree with the sentiment, but the petition was failed from the moment the creator hit Submit.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/283335-obam...
Journalists loudly disagree:
http://gazette.com/journalists-criticize-white-house-for-sec...
It's a pressure valve designed to bleed off discontent, not an actual channel for affecting change.
I can't find it on the petition site anymore.
Things change with the backing of the people. The Republicans know this well and uses that reaction. They are fundamentally populist (whether you agree with them or not, they have skill here).
Absolute justice gives way to a triage. Fundamentally with out that triage nothing gets treated. It is an unfortunate reality.
It will only change, if how we work is rethought. These are the scope of the actions available in our game. The pattern has been replicated consistently through similar models in history.
It could very easily become robbing Peter to pay Paul.
*edit Getting downvote....sigh.... I realize it is an unpopular opinion but it is a consistent pattern for republics through out human history. Please offer me a counter example to facilitate debate if you disagree.
Determining the lesser and potentially sacrificing for the common good. This the primary responsibly of any leader responsible for strategic decision making.
As you said, this means making sacrifices for the common good.
Domestic spying, Obama could have stopped it.
Hell closing guantanamo, he didn't even do that. And that's a straight up operation in violation of the constitution top to bottom.
We may have the choice between two evils at election time, but no politician is forced to choose evil.
How do you act and why?
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Numbers could be a criteria, but either way this is where moral philosophy really comes into play. I am disturbed at times how black and white many people see these decision.
Greater good is a perspective and it like anything else is we do...uncertain.
Sorry, what are you talking about?
Knowing the community and how they feel about these hot button issues I gain no reputation by making a point against the grain. In fact I have lost reputation...
Hahaha... If I had took my own advice and applied more PR(triage) or acted as a populist. Then would I not have gained votes instead of lost? Even if the position was invalid or it was not what I believed?
This is precisely the deficit that has held back democratic culture for centuries. It is our greatest weakness.
Yes, the president should stay somewhat politically neutral, lest he alienate roughly half of the population. That doesn't mean the responses can't be neutral.
Considering the emails that from from the president, his wife, and his supporters are routinely filled with provocative, if not downright incendiary statements, it's kind of silly that his responses (where applicable) are so entirely vapid on whitehouse.gov.
Policy change is fundamentally dependant on the organization of the people. It is that organization that makes it a political reality.
A Presidents ability is constrained by this dynamic and it is a good thing! It keeps power in check.
The people enable absolute justice not the President. They are the arbitrators of liberty.
Whether you agree with the institutions actions or not there is a greater balance to be struck.
* edit I am concerned I did not address your point on vapid responses enough.
I just think it is a constant political liability and it would be better off if every senator, party, legislator ..etc could reply to the question. Then the people could get behind an idea to make it a political reality.
* edit 2 Also checked out Org For Action. I would guess that perhaps it is a different audience and it is not using the Presidential position? I do see your point. Perhaps it is simply different chains of command and therefore policy?
In the EU the politicians at EU level pushed through max roaming charges for SMS messages, whilst leaving data roaming rates ludicrously high. My take on it was that the politicians weren't using data so they only dealt with what was painful for them on an individual level.
Whether it is a political realistic or not is another matter entirely.
Don't mind the case of obvious abuse of power and long arm of the gov that destroyed the life of a young and basically innocent man.... here look at this one, nice and thoroughly answered:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/release-recipe-hon...
However: the administration created the petitions process, and petitions are online. What has and hasn't been responded to is a matter of public record.
If, at some point, another political party (or even a different administration of the same party) comes into power, and changes this in any significant way (including, possibly, improving the system, though I suspect it might go the other way) will be notable.
Regardless of the follow-through, Obama did set a precedent.
(though it's moot anyways, given the usual responses to these surveys)