by Frank James
Organizers of a clean-energy campaign had hoped to hit the ground running along with the Obama Administration.
The plan was to bombard the White House phone comment line today, a day after the inaugural, with phone calls demanding that the White House focus on renewable clean energy and ignore the likes of the coal and nuclear industries.
There's only one problem: the White House comment line isn't working. When you call it, you get a "We're sorry. We're unable to answer your call at this time etc" message. Someone handling public relations for the campaign suggests there could be something mean-spirited about this:
Remember the brouhaha about the supposedly missing "w"s on the keyboards when George W. Bush took over the White House?
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the outgoing Bush team shut off the White House telephone comment line and that the Obama people were not told how to reconnect it. I am working with a client - the Civil Society Institute -- - that is running a call-the-White-House campaign today -- but the White House comment line is down and has been all day. An operator told a caller that the Bush people shut down the comment line and that it may not be back up until next week.
I understand that other groups are trying to run similar campaigns and have run into the same roadblock.
Given the care the Bush Administration took in orchestrating what by all accounts was a smooth transition, it would seem strange for the Republican team to then turnaround and intentionally sabotage the comment line.
Maybe the answer is simpler and less sinister, like someone simply goofed.
Comments
I suggest that both sides of the aisle start acting like grown ups and work together to solve the peoples problems.
Posted by: bill r. | January 21, 2009 2:39 PM
Maybe w had it turned off for 8 years and forgot to turn it back on before leaving. Who in their right mind thinks they can change government with a phone call? Frank, you do not have the quote acredited.
Posted by: Xcellentform | January 21, 2009 2:42 PM
Letter W''s "supposedly" missing from WH computers when the Bush team took over. No "supposedly" about it and the writer must know it. Not only were the computers vandalized but the U.S. Park Service reported that there was graffitti on the walls and trash all over in staff offices. Don't confuse the Clinton pig staffers with the class of the Bush administration.
Posted by: Danforth | January 21, 2009 3:22 PM
Somehow I suspect it was more, "I just turned off something here, what does this switch do?" and somebody looked around and said, "Hmmm, everything seems to be okay, leave it off." Or maybe somebody tripped over the cord while moving their records out. It's not too likely that there is anything sinister going on here.
Van
Posted by: G. Armour Van Horn | January 21, 2009 7:03 PM
> No "supposedly" about it.
A lot of supposedly about it, in truth.
See:
http://archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2001/05/23/vandals/print.html
Posted by: ronel | January 21, 2009 8:30 PM
Give the guy a chance to do it on his own. I have to ask the organizers if they know there was other ways to contact "or bombard" the President? Bombarding is not the way I would express my views on any issue moving forward. That sounds like something a child who really want a snow kone does .
Posted by: Daniel Beardsley | January 21, 2009 10:45 PM
Give the guy a chance to do it on his own. I have to ask the organizers if they know there was other ways to contact "or bombard" the President? Bombarding is not the way I would express my views on any issue moving forward. That sounds like something a child who really want a snow cone does .
Posted by: Daniel Beardsley | January 21, 2009 10:46 PM
Actually, (I wish once and for all but it never seems to die) - according to Bush's own General Accounting Office, the missing W's story was a lie, it never happened:
archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2001/05/23/vandals/index.html
So please, stop spreading it.
Posted by: Melissa | January 21, 2009 10:48 PM
> No "supposedly" about it.
A lot of supposedly about it, in truth.
See:
http://archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2001/05/23/vandals/print.html
Posted by: ronel | January 22, 2009 12:09 AM
Believe it or not, it really doesn't matter. The necessary campaigns to usher in the People's agenda will go forth, regardless of past " pranks " !! The environment, the war, healthcare and Wall Street Regulations will go forth, thanks to the 44th President, President Obama !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | January 22, 2009 9:12 AM
No Don, its not the "People's agenda" rather yours and "herd mentality, group think" crowd. Get on the phone and stop the Afghan surge before its too late. Have people forget what happen to the Soviet Union?
Posted by: Bubba Porter | January 22, 2009 10:19 AM