Whipcast App: Promotion, not Transparency

Lest the meaning of the word collapse entirely, it's worth reminding some politicians that it's not really transparency if it doesn't hurt...even just a little bit.

The new Whipcast app launched by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Friday purports to be "part of the House Republicans' commitment to transparency."

A Youtube video touting the app says it will help users "keep track of key votes on the House floor," and "stay plugged in to the issues that matter to [them]."

The app does contain a useful stream of floor updates, but the remainder of it is less a useful tool for keeping up with legislation -- there are no bill texts to be found -- and more partisan promotion.

The legislative materials tab links to a collection of policy briefs from the House Republican leadership and Republican committee chairs. A link called "communication tools" links to Republican press releases and videos. There's also a link to follow McCarthy on Twitter.

The app may improve of course, but the roll out is not promising.

None of this is to begrudge McCarthy's or the House leadership's attempt to get their message out. That's politics. It's not transparency, though. For that, we recommend the Sunlight Foundation's Congress app, which like McCarthy's is available on both iPhone and Android platforms.

Unlike McCarthy's app, the Congress app includes a full list of House and Senate committee meetings, links to Congressional Research Service and Government Accountability Office reports and updates from both the majority and minority whips' offices.