Posts tagged Elections at Switched

Posts with tag elections

Obama's iPod Filled With Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z and Bob Dylan

by Evan Shamoon, posted Jun 27th 2008 at 9:05AM

Proving that politicians can have good taste in music, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke with Rolling Stone magazine about his favorite artists -- which include Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jay-Z, and Stevie Wonder -- and how they've affected him personally.

"If I had one musical hero, it would have to be Stevie Wonder," says Obama, who grew up in the '70s, on bands like Earth, Wind & Fire and The Rolling Stones. "When I was at that point where you start getting involved in music, Stevie had that run with Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Innervisions, and then Songs in the Key of Life. Those are as brilliant a set of five albums as we've ever seen."

Wondering what's on Obama's iPod? Well, he keeps it iPod varied with "everything from Howlin' Wolf to Yo-Yo Ma to Sheryl Crow." And he says he has probably thirty Dylan songs on there as well. "Maggie's Farm" is "one of my favorites during the political season," says Obama. "It speaks to me as I listen to some of the political rhetoric."

He's also friends with and fans of some new-schoolers as well. "Every time I talk to Jay-Z, who is a brilliant talent and a good guy, I enjoy how he thinks," says Obama. "He's serious and he cares about his art. That's somebody who is going to start branching out and can help shape attitudes in a real positive way."

We've been counting, and Obama's got 99 problems ... but musical taste ain't one. [Source: Rolling Stone]

Presidential Debates Held Via Twitter

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 5:38PM

We've been talking about this election cycle being the being the true beginning of politics in the Internet age, but if you had told us even just a few weeks ago that the first campaign sanctioned debate between the Obama and McCain camps would be held via Twitter, we would have thought you were crazy. But that is exactly the venue that has representatives from the campaigns facing off in a debate moderated by Ana Marie Cox, a blogger at techPresident.

The 140 character limit that Twitter imposes on its messages does stymie the ability for the campaigns to delve too deeply into policy issues -- not to mention compromising their adherence to the constructs of the English language -- but it also limit their ability to give long winded non-answers to questions.

The debate has allowed the average American (well, the average American with a Twitter account at least) to participate in the discussion in a way the YouTube debates promised, but failed to deliver on. [Source: BetaNews]

McCain Offers $300 Million for Green Car

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 25th 2008 at 7:45AM

John McCain is trying to apply the lessons learned from the X-Prize to presidential politics, and has proposed offering a substantial $300 million prize package to the company that develops a battery that leapfrogs the current technology found in hybrids like the Toyota Prius. That's $1 for every person in the country. McCain also plans to offer a $5,000 tax credit for every zero-emission vehicle sold in the U.S., though there seems to be some confusion as to whether it would go to the consumer or the company. Also unclear is whether the $300 million prize is open to only American companies, which disqualify many businesses with the most advanced engine and battery technology on the market.

Critics have derided the move as a gimmick, similar to the proposal he floated earlier for a gas tax holiday, which would prove to have little benefit for the consumer and would only cost the government tax revenue. They have also pointed out that handing over government money as a prize flies in the face of McCain's stated free market ideals, and past votes in the Senate.

Also of concern is that most current proposals for increasing battery efficiency in vehicles revolve around Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) technology, the same batteries that power our laptops and cell phones. We'd be much more interested in seeing Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries, like those used in the OLPC, scaled up to car size, since they can be recharged more times without degrading capacity, and lack the standard Li-ion batteries' tendency to burst into flames. [Source: USA Today, JohnMcCain.com]

McCain Uses Video Game Music In Campaign Ad, Upsetting Composer

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 2:15PM

In what we're sure is a subtle way to try and connect younger voters, the McCain campaign has been using a chunk of music composed by Christopher Lennertz for 'Medal of Honor: European Assault' in a commercial. Lennertz is unhappy about it's use, however, as he is an Obama booster. Unfortunately for Lennertz, the rights to the music belong to the game's publisher EA, and not the composer.

Lennertz did, however, release a statement voicing his dissatisfaction with the McCain campaign for not seeking his approval or even notifying him of the music's use. Lennertz only found out about his music being used in the commercial when he started recieving e-mails from friends and family.

"I would like to think that someone who believes in the American ideals of business and creativity like Sen. McCain supposedly does, would not want to disgrace or inflict any hardship or ill-will on the artists who create in this country by using their works to promote products and agendas which with they disagree."

Lennertz ened his statement by declaring his support for Senator Obama. The full text of his statement can be found here. [Source: Joystiq]

Obama Combats Dirty Politics Via the Web

by Evan Shamoon, posted Jun 18th 2008 at 12:06PM

What with his understanding of all things newfangled, the Internet has been an enormous part of the fund-raising effort for Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. He's raised more than $265 million dollars, in fact, more than three times the amount raised by his Republican rival John McCain. Now, Obama is putting it to another use: Namely, fighting smear campaigns being run against him in his bid for the White House.

On Thursday, the Obama campaign unveiled a Web site called fightthesmears.com, which has a mission to debunk false rumors spawned and spread by right-wing media outlets. The move came after the recent (and unfounded) assertion by Rush Limbaugh (among others) that Obama's wife, Michelle, had been caught on tape slurring white people. Obama, of course, has been called everything from "Muslim extremist" to an "anti-American" -- and that was just during the primaries.

"We created an interactive tool to allow our supporters to fight back against these smears in the same way that they received them -- on the Internet," campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said. "People can upload their address books and easily send fact-based emails to their friends and family. Just knowing the truth isn't enough -- you have to proactively tell people the truth to fight back."

Three cheers for truthiness. [Source: AFP/Yahoo]

Has Obama's Campaign Been Helped by Embracing the Web?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 15th 2008 at 12:35PM

An editorial by Paul Saffo at ABC News argues that Obama's victory over Hillary is due to his "cybergenic" nature, and that his advantage and passion of Web-based media will lead him to victory over John McCain in November.

According to Saffo, Hillary's campaign was dismissive of the personal nature of the Internet and instead chose to focus on the mass-media of television. Meanwhile, Obama embraced the Web, taking a page from Howard Dean's 2004 campaign, and was able to race past his competitors in the Democratic field. This advantage is even more exaggerated when up against McCain, who Saffo likens to someone who has only heard of the Internet from National Geographic.

It's hard to argue with Saffo's conclusions. John F. Kennedy's embrace of television helped him trounce Nixon, and Franklin D. Roosevelt garnered support amongst the population with the use of radio for his fireside chats. The presidential candidate who is most passionate about the chosen technological medium of the day tends to claim victory. Some of Saffo's conclusions actually sound a bit familiar to us... [Source: ABC News]

Reminder: McCain Can't Use a Computer

by Christine Whitney, posted Jun 12th 2008 at 1:02PM

Oh McCain candidacy. First there was the cottage cheese and jello thing, and now we are once again reminded of this: In a (sort-of) recent Yahoo video re-highlighted by HuffPo, members of the Republican Party admit to not watching movies (un-American!) and favoring PCs over Macs (gasp).

Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, et. al admit their love for the computer of the Right, though Romney tries to play political by throwing in a mention of his kids' Mac use.

This sounds real boring, but wait -- the real banger of the video comes later, when less-pretty-and-popular presidential hopeful John McCain admits he doesn't know how to use a computer.

"My wife does it for me," was pretty much the gist of his response.

Really? For real? We almost think this is an ill-timed joke, as even our Nanas can peck out an e-mail on their Mesozoic desktops. But jeez, John. That's gonna cost you the presidency.

Mac? PC? Who are they? [Source: Yahoo!, via HuffPo]

Kid Sells Video Games, Then Donates Proceeds to Hillary's Campaign

by Tim Stevens, posted May 13th 2008 at 10:37AM

Kid Hawks Video Games, Donates Proceeds to Hillary

It's been a bitter fight for Democrats, with Hillary supporters either digging deep to try to pull out a come-from-behind victory for their candidate, or instead jumping ship and joining the Obama train. One 11-year-old isn't giving up on Hillary yet, though, since it appears he's sold most of his worldly possessions to scrounge together a $440 donation to Clinton's campaign, which is said to be $20-million in debt.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the boy, Dalton Hatfield from McAndrews, Kentucky, sold his video games and his bicycle to get the money, which he presented to former President Bill Clinton last Friday at a Hillary support rally in West Virginia (to give to his wife's campaign, of course). As the AP story reports, Clinton was nearly moved to tears when presented with the check.

Besides his support for Hillary, Hatfield also apparently looks up to Bill Clinton, and hopes to emulate them both some day. "I want to be governor or a senator, then president," Hatfield said afterwards. Well, if he stays this dedicated to politics, he might have a chance. [Source: AP, via Top of the Ticket/LA Times]

Phishing Tactics Used to Suppress Vote In North Carolina

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 6th 2008 at 7:03AM

The race for the Democratic nomination for the president just gets uglier everyday. And in case you needed more proof that Obama and Hillary will never end up on the same ticket, here is a story about voter suppression that seems to be taking cues from phishing and identity theft scams.

A group called Women's Voices, Women's Vote has been cold calling voters in primarily African-American areas of North Carolina and implying that they had not properly registered to vote. The automated message from someone identifying themselves as Lamont Williams says, "In the next few days, you will receive a voter-registration packet in the mail. All you need to do is sign it, date it and return your application. Then you will be able to vote and make your voice heard. Please return the voter-registration form when it arrives. Thank you."

At no point does the call identify the group who is calling, address a specific recipient, or even mention that the person receiving the call may already be registered to vote properly.

Women's Voices, Women's Vote has acknowledged making the calls, but has denied the accusations of voter suppression. While the group has not officially endorsed a candidate, the donating habits of the president of the organization, Page Gardner, betray her loyalties. Gardner donated $2,500 to Clinton's HILLPAC in 2006, and in 2005 she donated $4,200 to the Clinton campaign . She has not donated any money to the Obama camp. Gardner is not alone, many at the organization have connections to the Clintons whether through donations, or as members of Bill's administration.

Following North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper's recent demand to halt the calls -- illegal under state law because political calls must identify a sponsor -- Women's Voices, Women's Vote has stopped the practice. [Source: Wired]

What Will the Presidential Candidates Look Like in Four Years?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 3:07PM

What Will the Candidates Look Like in 4 Years

Being president of the United States certainly takes its toll on the body -- just look at the before and after photos of our current president. In 2000, George Bush was a young, energetic looking CEO type, with more pepper than salt in his hair, whereas now he just looks tired and haggard.

PopPhoto took it upon itself to find out what four years of the presidency would do to the top three competitors for the office. Adobe's PhotoShop was used to add gray hair (or, in the case of McCain, removed hair), deepen wrinkles, and add age spots.

The photo wizards at PopPhoto have done an amazing, if heavy handed, job rendering the candidates. Check the read link to see a haggard Hillary, and a seasoned Obama, or just stare at the image of McCain above as a member of the army of the un-dead. Or, you can just see how bad these three contenders look in HDTV now. [Source: PopPhoto, Via: Machinist]

Obama's Web Site Hacked, Takes You to Clinton's Page

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 24th 2008 at 1:23PM

Barack Obama's Web site was hacked sometime just before the Pennsylvania primaries, showing that even a presidential candidate's Web site isn't safe from those looking to have a little digital fun.

The attack redirected certain links on the Obama Web site to the Hillary Clinton campaign site. The "cross-site scripting" code, which automatically sends users from one Web site to another, was inserted through a vulnerability in the "community blogs" section.

The links have been fixed, and the security hole has been reportedly closed, but we're sure to see more of these as the presidential race drags on... and on... and on. [Source: Newsvine]

Blogger Calls for Hillary Clinton's Death

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 29th 2008 at 2:46PM

Calling for the death of someone on the micro-blogging service Twitter probably wouldn't garner you much attention, unless of course you're Dave Winer, a pioneer in RSS and author of Scripting News, one of the oldest blogs on the net. When he 'Tweeted' (the cool-kid lingo for updating one's Twitter blog) "Kill Hill Kill Hill" while watching presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on TV, a few people were taken aback.

Those who read Winer's sarcastic and occasionally caustic blogs and Tweets probably won't bat an eye, but the secret service probably won't be so understanding. Keep in mind this guy really didn't want Hillary to die, but we're thinking people will take his blog the wrong way.

From Gawker

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Democratic Global Primary Voting Goes Online

by Tim Stevens, posted Jan 28th 2008 at 10:40AM

For Americans living overseas, the process of voting in an election can be slow, painful, and unrewarding. American living abroad rely on mailed paper ballots that often aren't received by vote counters until well after a given candidate has been awarded the victory. However, for expatriate registered Democrats, voting in a primary will be easy and instantaneous this year thanks to a new online global primary.

While voting in the Presidential election will still have to be done via the normal paper process, primary voting at least can be done through cyberspace with an online system that will allow ex-pats to choose their preferred candidate via the Internet. It won't all happen online, though. Physical meetings will be held to let overseas voters pick 22 global caucus representatives who will attend the Democratic National Convention.

It's all being coordinated at the Democrats Abroad website, which has plenty more information on how you can register to vote in the primary online, as well as info on how you can vote in the proper election online.

From BetaNews

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Ron Paul Supporters to Rally in 'World of Warcraft'

by Tim Stevens, posted Dec 31st 2007 at 11:55AM

Ron Paul Supporters Rallying in World of Warcraft

Republican hopeful presidential candidate Ron Paul has already set the Internets afire with his big-time online fund raising efforts. He raised 4.3 million dollars overnight, then raised a further six million in 24-hours. Now, with full pockets, his campaign is hoping to light the gaming world afire as well, with supporters organizing a march in the online RPG, 'World of Warcraft.'

The march is planned to span between the in-game realms of Ironforge to Stormforge on the Whisperwind server (if you don't know what that means, don't worry), and is set to go off at night on New Year's Day, January 1. Supporters will line up on their epic mounts and strut magesticaly from one place to the other in support for their fiscally conservative choice. Here's hoping they don't get into too many skirmishes with Hillary and Barak supporters along the way.

From Joystiq

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Ron Paul Raises $6 Million Overnight Via the Web

by Tim Stevens, posted Dec 17th 2007 at 10:48AM

Ron Paul Raises $6 Million Online in 24 Hours

In the list of Republican candidates vying to take over Bush's seat in the White House, familiar names like Giuliani and Romney took early leads in polls. However, as we move closer to the various state primaries, a new picture is emerging in which lesser-known candidates with different messages are finding success online and, amazingly, leading the polls. One of those is Ron Paul, whose online supporters drummed up $6 million in funding in a 24-hour period.

The money was raised from a so-called "Money Bomb," Paul's second. The first, back in early November, raised $4.3 million in a day. This latest one broke John Kerry's record of $5.7 million raised in a day during his campaign. With such huge successes, there are rumors of a third "Bomb" day in January.

Ron Paul has certainly captured a lot of attention with his strong civil libertarian and fiscal conservative views, wanting to end Federal income tax and cut government spending.

From TG Daily

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Obama's iPod Filled With Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z and Bob Dylan

Presidential Debates Held Via Twitter

McCain Offers $300 Million for Green Car

McCain Uses Video Game Music In Campaign Ad, Upsetting Composer

Obama Combats Dirty Politics Via the Web

Has Obama's Campaign Been Helped by Embracing the Web?

Reminder: McCain Can't Use a Computer

Kid Sells Video Games, Then Donates Proceeds to Hillary's Campaign

Phishing Tactics Used to Suppress Vote In North Carolina

What Will the Presidential Candidates Look Like in Four Years?

Obama's Web Site Hacked, Takes You to Clinton's Page

Blogger Calls for Hillary Clinton's Death

Democratic Global Primary Voting Goes Online

Ron Paul Supporters to Rally in 'World of Warcraft'

Ron Paul Raises $6 Million Overnight Via the Web

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