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Google Will Have the President's Ear

Company may capitalize on the benefits of backing a winner

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 24, 2009 5:30 AM CST

(Newser) – Google may be the company that needs to do the least searching for influence with the new president, reports the Los Angeles Times. The company was one of the biggest contributors to Barack Obama's candidacy, and four Google execs were on the transition team. The search giant's agenda—widening high-speed Internet access and pushing for network neutrality—also dovetails with Obama's positions.

Expansion of broadband and net neutrality, which bars companies from charging sites for faster delivery, are largely championed by consumer advocates, but some experts worry that the firm will start wielding undue influence. Others downplay such concerns, noting that Google competitor Microsoft, which has more than three times as many employees, gave even more money to the campaign and shouldn't have much trouble getting the president's ear either.

Barack Obama shakes hands with Google CEO Eric Schmidt after an economic summit in Lake Worth, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.
Barack Obama shakes hands with Google CEO Eric Schmidt after an economic summit in Lake Worth, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Barack Obama speaks with Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007.
Barack Obama speaks with Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt at Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007.   (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Google is not just a benign corporate entity. It has a variety of special interests. They're in a great position to push their agenda through with the support of the president.
- Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy

Will Google turn into just another business entity looking for favors in Washington, or will it manage to keep the 767 flying at 30,000 feet above the political din? - Bill Whalen, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
TerrifiedCitizen
Jan 24, 2009 8:12 PM CST
8 years of assaults on the Constitution, suspending habeus corpus, but when a Democrat wins the presidency the militia types start stockpiling weapons in case FEMA comes drops by to takes their rights away! (Keep taking your schizophrenia Rx, Rusty Weston, so you don't hurt anyone.)
TerrifiedCitizen
Jan 24, 2009 4:28 AM CST
Nice way of putting that. "Alert" as in when the "Civilian Defense Force" rushes into you neighborhood and locks it down like a.... hmmmm, Gulag?
TerrifiedCitizen
Jan 23, 2009 8:31 PM CST
Can't wait for the first State of the Union Alert...
 

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