League of Women Voters Lashes out at We the People Petition Response

Perhaps it was inevitable when the Obama Administration launched its We the People online petition site in 2011 that the administration’s responses to petitions would draw the ire of pissed off pot smokers and online poker enthusiasts.

The administration’s most recent response, however, drew the ire of a more powerful foe: The League of Women Voters.

The January 11 petition asked President Obama to nominate new members to the Federal Election Commission.

The response, from Special Assistant to the President for Justice and Regulatory Policy Tonya Robinson, skirted that main issue, stating that “the Administration doesn't comment publicly about the President's personnel decisions before he makes them,” but noted that “the Obama Administration is committed to nominating highly qualified individuals to lead the FEC” and that “the system of open and fair elections that the FEC is charged with protecting deserve no less.”

The League shot back in a letter provided to Nextgov that “the White House’s lackluster response” was “not just disappointing to us, but undoubtedly let down the over 27,000 Americans who joined our call and signed the petition.”

“After waiting four months, we found your response -- delivered after 5 p.m. on a Friday evening -- uninspiring and uninformative,” the response continued. “It offered only vague, generic support for enforcement of our nation’s campaign finance laws. Essentially, this tepid response demonstrates that after nearly four years in office, you do not consider fixing the FEC a priority.”

The response also noted that “repeated statements are not a substitute for real action.” It was signed by 12 organizations, including the League, Americans for Campaign Reform and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.