ZDNet has an interesting series, profiling the major Presidential candidates and their stated technology views. So far they’ve got Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Ron Paul, John McCain, John Edwards, and Chris Dodd; I don’t know if they plan to cover anyone else.
Of course, you have to take what they say they support with a large grain of salt, but it might give people a leg up when deciding on a candidate to back. I haven’t made a firm decision myself yet.
I’m more concerned about the technology positions of legislators, as they seem to have more impact on the subject than the executive branch in general. (Other than FCC policy. Well, the executive branch appoints judges but I doubt technology is often a litmus test. I really don’t think copyright or even freedom of speech online is something they think about much when appointing judges to the circuit, appelate, or even the Supreme Court. It’s just not much of an issue compared to say, abortion or other Constitutional law issues for the Supremes, or for the lower courts, things like their record for strictness in sentencing.
The executive branch proposes legislation, but I haven’t heard of much in the way of that concerning technology compared to what Senators and Congressmen do. Of course, if the Presidential candidate is extremely pro-MAFIAA I guess that would be an issue for me, but I’d take other things into consideration first for them due to their lack of centrality in these things – which the marketplace seems to be sorting out anyway.)
You can’t vote for most legislators (only the ones in your area), but nearly everyone can vote for President. And the wrong President can do a lot of harm, as has been seen over the last eight years or so.
True, but as far as technology policy Bush has really been more of the same. The DMCA is from a ratified WIPO treaty of 1996, for example. My point is that technology policy shouldn’t be one’s barometer for a president, unless of course, they stand for a radical positive change in that area – and are acceptable or better in other areas, which they have more control over.
(and the DMCA was signed into law by Bill Clinton.)
I didn’t suggest that technology policy should be someone’s only criteria for choosing a President, or even a major one. I simply brought that to people’s attention so that they have a little more information to work with; it might sway someone who’s straddling the fence about a pair of candidates.