Presidential Surrogates Debate Dueling Tech Agendas
Surrogates for Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., made their final arguments to high-tech stakeholders today with a pair of debates that contrasted the presidential nominees' positions on taxes, trade, technology and telecommunications policy. At one event, Larry Irving, who served in the Commerce Department under former President Bill Clinton, spoke in support of the Obama campaign while conservative activist Grover Norquist represented McCain.
Norquist, who is president of Americans for Tax Reform, warned that if Obama wins, he will sign whatever bills Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi send him. "You're not buying a vision, you're buying a signature," he said. Later in the day, former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt spoke on behalf of Obama's campaign at a separate event. McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin was slated to appear but cancelled.
Hundt, who led the FCC under Clinton, joked that "Doug had something better to do than come and answer my questions about the Blackberry." Holtz-Eakin told reporters last month that McCain helped invent the device as Senate Commerce Committee chairman. His remark, which sent ripples of ridicule through the blogosphere, came on the heels McCain telling the New York Times that he carries a BlackBerry but does not use e-mail. Read more in CongressDaily's PM edition.
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Campaign 2008
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