We are in the home stretch of the 2008 presidential campaign. Hold on ... there are just a few more weeks of the seemingly endless mudslinging to endure before Nov. 4.
Most of us already have lined up behind our chosen candidate for personal reasons. Some of us have done so after making sure their policies and past records align with our views on social, tax and security issues. Some of us have done so because we’ve always voted red or blue. Some of us have done so because we just like one guy better than the other.
But, how many of us have selected our candidate for how they will impact our industry? I know one former telecom exec who admitted voting "against his paycheck" in past elections. I'm not sure each of us has the stomach for that, but I can't blame him for sticking to his priorities. (But could it explain why he is a former telecom exec?)
If you haven't given it any thought, you might want to check out the candidates' views on telecom policy and how each would impact the industry and your business. To help you with that, Kelly Teal, business and regulatory editor, asked several analysts about how tech-savvy the candidates are. Here’s what she found out:
John McCain told Politico earlier this year that he's an "illiterate" who relies on his wife for tech help and that he has "never felt the particular need to e-mail." McCain also has been derided for an inexpert use of the Internet as a tool in his campaign.
In contrast, Obama's constant ever-present sidekick is a BlackBerry and he mobilized grassroots support through the Internet and text messaging. Obama also wants to appoint a CTO to his cabinet if he's elected. He has said he wants the position to open government by streaming live video of meetings and by incorporating wikis and blogging.
Aside from being predictable – a symptom of the generational divide between the candidates – do these results have any bearing on the merits of either candidate?
You could argue that in the grand scheme of things this is unimportant, that there are many skills a U.S. President should possess and few people could claim all of them. (Isn’t that what advisers are for, anyway?)
You could argue that and be right. But, McCain’s admission reminds me of Bush Sr.’s gaffe when he expressed surprise over the bar-scanner in the grocery store. It was a small thing (and possibly not even accurate) that became a big example of how out of touch he was with the lives of the American people.
Inexperience does not make one a Luddite. However, anyone who does not participate in the Internet economy and the Web 2.0 world seems to have disconnected himself – literally – from the growth engines of the global economy.
In the end a candidate’s first-hand experience as a technology user may not have material impact on his ability to make sound technology policy. But it is one more thing – like drinking beer and scarfing McDonald’s – that makes us feel like our President is one of us. Whether this affinity will impact the outcome of the election is unclear; maybe they should start polling for the Geek vote.
Regards,
Khali Henderson
Editor in Chief
