Seven pages, 63 questions. That’s what someone who’s looking for a job in the Obama administration is going to face. All political appointees and White House employees have had to face scrutiny from the incoming administration before they were offered jobs, but many think Obama’s questionnaire is the most extensive and invasive yet. It was leaked to the New York Times, where it was described as the “most extensive [and] invasive ever.”
Not only do they want your résumé, they want every résumé you have submitted in the past 10 years. Question seven is another standout: “If you or your spouse have ever lived or worked abroad, please describe the circumstances.”
Numbers 13 and 14 are especially invasive. The first asks for a record of any “electronic communication, including but not limited to an email, text message or instant message, that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you.” And as if the administration’s request for the now-regretted late-night G-chats wasn’t enough, they then ask for the job applicant to describe the contents of his or her diary, but only if it contains anything “that could suggest a possible conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect if it were made public.”
It gets even better – question 45 asks the applicant to provide records of any arrest, investigation or conviction of you, your spouse or “any child over 21.” But don’t worry, if you’ve had traffic tickets under $50, you don’t have to report them.
The one bit catching much of the attention is question 10. Not only does it ask for a copy of each “book, article, column or publication” (bad news for our current and former sex columnists), they also ask the applicant for “any posts or comments on blogs or other websites” along with “list all aliases or “handles” you have used to communicate on the internet.” Did you adopt the name YankeesRule89 to go an espn.com message board to speculate about Mike Piazza’s sexuality? You have to report it. Or did you make an anonymous Tumblr that you only updated while intoxicated? The incoming administration would like to know.
So, Northwestern students, if you want to have a chance of playing-out your Josh Lyman fantasy in a 2012 Obama administration, then clean up those Facebook pages, stop anonymously posting threatening or obscene message on internet forums, and make sure to keep all your traffic tickets under $50. Someone a whole lot more important than Mary Dessler is watching.
The entire questionnaire is available here.