When You're The President-Elect, People Watch Your Website Closely

from the you-can't-just-rewrite-history dept

Tue, Nov 11th 2008 4:39am — Mike Masnick

There's been plenty of coverage about President-Elect Obama's change.gov website, which we recently mentioned as well. However, there's already some controversy brewing, as some folks have noticed that when the site launched, it had full versions of various policy initiatives. Over the weekend, though, many of those initiatives disappeared completely. Of course, it wasn't that completely, since plenty of folks were able to dig up copied versions of them and repost them.

Chances are that this is nothing more than a similar flare up a couple months ago, when Obama's campaign moved some of the content on his campaign website around, pushing more of the policy details into PDFs rather than in the main HTML. In fact, the campaign has suggested just that, by saying that the policy section is being "retooled." However, it should be a clear reminder to folks working on the website that people are watching every move extremely closely, and they're not going to be able to make changes and hope no one notices.

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Filed Under: barack obama, policy, website

37 Comments

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Shohat, 11 Nov 2008 @ 5:33am

Fun Challenge
If someone manages to hack it, it'll be the pwn of the decade.
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- Shohat, 11 Nov 2008 @ 5:35am
  
  Re: Fun Challenge
  Better name...
  
  WeWereJustKiddingAbouTheWholeChangeThing.gov
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  - Urban, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:52am
    
    Re: Re: Fun Challenge
    Change doesn't take much.
    Either you are too old and grumpy to give a shit, or you are too young to realize that the last eight years has been a significant change in domestic politics.
    
    Change doesn't take much from the last eight years.
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MrMe, 11 Nov 2008 @ 5:40am

The same thing happened to Reagan...
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- Potato Head, 11 Nov 2008 @ 9:28am
  
  Re:
  To his website? You must be losing it too.
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jonnyq, 11 Nov 2008 @ 6:17am

Part of the issue was the content - content about requiring everyone to perform public service.

Also, move content from HTML to PDF? Move to a less accessible format that's more annoying to read? Why, again?
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- John Doe, 11 Nov 2008 @ 6:27am
  
  Re:
  To obscure the liberal agenda of course.
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- duh, 11 Nov 2008 @ 6:35am
  
  Re:
  Because this is the government we're talking about.
  
  No, but really, it could have something to do with not wanting people to google the policies
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  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 6:47am
    
    Re: Re:
    Google reads .pdf...even converts to html
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 11:13am
  
  Re:
  PDF *is* an easily accessible format. Except possibly to Mac users.
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- Rose M. Welch, 11 Nov 2008 @ 2:27pm
  
  Re:
  I'd rather save a .pdf than have to consult the website every time I want to see it or copy and paste it into Word and then convert it to .pdf format... It'd be nice to have both, though.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 6:46am

Likely being retooled and redrafted since its content was merely a copy of the campaign site. Noteworthy, though, is that at least one "policy" concerning public service went from a mandate to a "goal". Hopefully the same will happen for many of the other policies that appeared on the campaign site. Even better, perhaps some will be renunciated.
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Ajax 4Hire, 11 Nov 2008 @ 6:57am

We want your change
and dollars too.
It is patriotic to give your excess income for the good of the people.

I can't help but think that this sounds like communism but it can't be.
Yes, I guess you can tell that I actually work for a living, I have an income.
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- Urban, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:55am
  
  Re: We want your change
  You should try breathing.
  It allows for oxygen to reach your brain and the end product is (often) valuable words.
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 11:50am
  
  Re: We want your change
  Thats socialism dude. Communism is where the government owns/regulates everything, and to be honest this country could use some demand side economics about now
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 6:57am

did every1 forget that whats said during election campaigns and what actually happens during the term being served (regardless if its presidential or not) are seldom related?

This guy made history already.

- Youngest US Pres.
- 1st Black US Pres.
I think he was 1st black man to be on the senate as well (but don't quote me on this)

the only thing left for him to do is boost the US economy after all isn't that what democrats usually do?
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:04am
  
  Re:
  Not the youngest president. Kennedy was 43 when he took office, Obama is 47.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:34am
    
    Re: Re:
    Teddy Roosevelt was 42 when he became president after McKinley's assassination. JFK was they youngest person to be elected president, as TR was "promoted" less than one year into the term.
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  - Bill Clinton, 11 Nov 2008 @ 10:04am
    
    Re: Re:
    Not the first black President either. . . . .I was the first black President. . . . .at least that is what "they" told me!
    
    Bill Clinton
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:25am
  
  Re:
  jackass. obama, go f.uck a goat
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  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 9:49am
    
    Re: Re:
    AC -- grow up! I think you can express your opinion without being juvenile. Obama isn't perfect. John McCain isn't bad. Sarah Palin was a ridiculous pick for VP. What a joke. At least she has foreign policy experience. LOL. I still like to watch that on YouTube...
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- Shohat, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:48am
  
  Re:
  by Anonymous Coward on Nov 11th, 2008 @ 6:57am
  
  Is probably Sarah Palin.
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- Guy One, 11 Nov 2008 @ 9:35am
  
  Re:
  Oh come on, we all know Clinton was the first black president!....
  
  Who is Willy's father?
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Xagyg, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:14am

Not even close. First black man in the Senate was in 1870. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/First_African_American_Senator.htm
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 12:13pm
  
  Reconstruction Senator? Big Deal...
  Was this a Senator elected in a State that was under occupation of the Union Army at the time? If so then it hardly compares to being elected to office during our lifetimes.
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NoWonderWereInTrouble, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:30am

Post #10 by A/C
You must be one of those no-knowledge voters who supported Obama. You don't have to know anything, you just have to believe in hopenchange.

The youngest President was Teddy Roosevelt at 42, and second-youngest was JFK at 43. The first Black Senator was named Hiram Revels, and he was elected in 1870.

Do a little research before spouting nonsense masquerading as "fact".
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:58am
  
  Re: Post #10 by A/C
  bitch
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 8:54am
  
  Re: Post #10 by A/C
  You must be one of those no-knowledge voters who supported Obama. You don't have to know anything, you just have to believe in hopenchange.
  
  Do a little research before spouting nonsense masquerading as "fact".
  
  Perhaps you should take a little of your own advice.
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- Crabby (profile), 12 Nov 2008 @ 12:04pm
  
  Re: Post #10 by A/C
  "Hopenchange" -- isn't that a town in the Netherlands?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Bob, 11 Nov 2008 @ 7:31am

Freedom and Ability
The Obama Presidency Slogan

From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.

Or

Arbeit Macht Frie
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 10:22am
  
  Re: Freedom and Ability
  best use of a quote today award !!!!
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Chris in Utah, 11 Nov 2008 @ 8:10am

Here's an enlightening article on the issue.
http://www.infowars.com/?p=5842

Take a look. Wake up.
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Al Gore, 11 Nov 2008 @ 9:47am

I invented the Internet and made millions off of global warming!!
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reply #10, 11 Nov 2008 @ 10:56am

to all thew ppl who replyed to #10 (that's me)
1st of all im not American (so no no vote for me) but even you guys don't even agree on the facts.
2nd i don't support Obama nor MCcain.
3rd concerning the senate i did say i wasn't sure, concerning age sry i did a mistake.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Nov 2008 @ 11:59am

Change?
"The Change We Need...In Spite of Ourselves."

The people who voted Obama in wanted change no matter the cost. Remember, he's not the President yet.
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cockroach, 11 Nov 2008 @ 12:20pm

no archive
this website (change.gov) appears to be unavailable on the wayback machine (archive.org), a.k.a. the internet archive. the site could be too new, i don't know when it was made, or they may have blocked their site from scanning using a robot .txt header in the html. who knows? it's just hard as hell to squeeze any actual information from a politician's website.
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moil4gold-49, 11 Nov 2008 @ 2:53pm

Are These The Same?
Are the people who detected and raised the alert over the policy removal at Change.org the same people who were saying:

"Who is Obama? We barely know this guy? What are his policies, why won't he tell us? He's just a good speaker followed by Obamaniacs like he's the second coming."

Funny that the right can both criticize Obama, the author of two autobiographical books, for being a veiled cipher, even as they criticize him for taking down his campaign policy ideas on one of his official websites. I guess now they are finally admitting that he had policies as well as being a great orator, right?

more...

He was born in Kenya. He was born in Indonesia.

He is a muslim. His christian preacher is a wacko.

I love the way the mud slung at Obama cancels itself out. You guys need to have some pre-meetings on the lies you want to throw up. You would have had more success.
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