08 May, 2007

A Day to Celebrate Open Government

Posted by: Rob Bluey In: Capitol Hill



The Open House Project Crew, originally uploaded by Rob Bluey.

Liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, our adversaries and our friends came together today on Capitol Hill to release the Open House Project report. Produced by the Sunlight Foundation, it is one of the most comprehensive projects every undertaken to promote open government in the halls of Congress.

The report was written by citizens — many of whom never met and have vastly different political views. (In the above photo, David All and I confer with liberal blogger Matt Stoller, right.) But with the common goal of bringing openness to the House of Representatives, we produced a report that outlines 10 ideas that we hope Speaker Nancy Pelosi will bring to the forefront of her reform agenda.

The Open House Project got a major boost from Republican Leader John Boehner, who spoke at a Capitol Hill press conference this morning (video below). Boehner’s appearance is significant for a few reasons: 1) Having bipartisan support for these ideas is crucial to making sure they’re implemented; 2) The presence of the Republican leader enforces the significance of the issue to allies on the right; and 3) Boehner demonstrated that he understands the importance of embracing technology rather than running from it.

In the bipartisan spirit of the Open House Project, former congressional staffer David All, a Republican, joined forces with Philip de Vellis, a Democrat better known as ParkRidge47, to produce a video about the report.

We’re eager to have many more people involved in the project. It’s easy to join our Google Group. And if you’re in the Washington area, please stop by the Heritage Foundation on Thursday at 10 a.m. for a panel discussion with Sunlight’s John Wonderlich, Matt Stoller of MyDD and David All. (Click here to RSVP.)

1 Response to "A Day to Celebrate Open Government"

1 | joshua.trevi√±o.at » Blog Archive » ….And your enemies closer.

May 10th, 2007 at 1:02 am

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[...] that when the tables are turned, he is not nearly so gracious to us and ours. My movement colleague Rob Bluey, who is heading up this event, is a good and generous man, who shows his better nature in inviting [...]

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Just saw two helicopters flying over Thurmont, MD. I wonder if the Obamas are visiting Camp David?

Wednesday 17:33

@rorycooper Thanks for hosting the Bloggers Briefing today. I heard it went well. Appreciate your help! #tbb

Wednesday 17:33

Interesting political ad on a Massachusetts gas pump. http://yfrog.com/179wij

Wednesday 17:33

@Gundisalvus has an excellent commentary on Sotomayor and racial identity politics. Highly recommend. http://bit.ly/wBowV

Wednesday 17:33

I blame Obama for all this road work. Stupid stimulus. http://yfrog.com/0jxxtbj

Wednesday 17:33

What idiot decided it was a good idea to do road work on the George Washington Parkway midday Friday? http://yfrog.com/15rsjj

Wednesday 17:33

@MelissaTweets Nope, I'm in Atlanta. Don't think there's a Chick-fil-A at Reagan.

Wednesday 17:33

Took a detour to terminal A. Nothing is better than a Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit for breakfast. http://yfrog.com/0vgjyj

Wednesday 17:33

Great event tonight in Atlanta. Made even better by two friends who attended: @ewerickson and @estherclark. Thanks for coming out!

Wednesday 17:33