Google CEO: I'm for Obama
- TAGS:endorsement, Google, McCain, Obama, schmidt
- IT TOPICS:Government & Regulation, Internet, Networking
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has made it official: He's endorsing Barack Obama, and will hit the campaign trail for the Democrat this week, including at a Florida event where he will co-moderate a panel about the economy. Other Silicon Valley execs are expected to follow Schmidt's lead.
Schmidt is a political moderate; for example, he spoke at Britain's Conservative Party conference in 2006, according to the Wall Street Journal. He's been an informal adviser to the Obama campaign on technology as well as green energy.
Schmidt has made it clear that it's his personal endorsement, rather than Google's. But there's no doubt where Google employees stand: According to the Wall Street Journal, as of August 31, Google employees had given $487,355 to Obama's campaign and only $20,600 to McCain's.
According to the Wall Street Journal, among Schmidt's recommendations to Obama have been
policies to improve and broaden technology's reach, including federal research-and-development tax breaks and an increase in science scholarships and teachers.
Schmidt has also pushed the Obama campaign to create policies that would create more jobs in green energy. The Wall Street Journal says: "Last summer, Sen. Obama unveiled an energy plan that quoted Mr. Schmidt and proposed five million such jobs, among other measures."
Obama also agrees with Schmidt's and Google's official stand that the government should ensure network neutrality. McCain, the Wall Street Journal says, is not in favor of the policy.
Preston Gralla is a contributing editor for Computerworld, and the author of more than 35 books.
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