Technology Politics

There’s not a whole lot of difference between the two presidential candidates on technology issues, says Cynthia Webb in her latest column in the Washington Post. Both candidates agree, of course, that technology is central to our economy and to our lives. Both endorse making permanent a research and development tax credit (where that money comes from they don’t say), and both agree that universal broadband access is a fine idea worth aiming for.

Both candidates can claim backing from prominent technology moguls–Jobs, Andreessen, Grove, and James Clark for Kerry; Gates, Ballmer, Fiorina, and Dell for Bush. Both Kerry and Bush are for the hydrogen economy, with Bush relying on the private sector and Kerry for development of a “hydrogen institute.” (Neither candidate goes into the details of where all this hydrogen is supposed to come from. Hint: it will likely come from fossil fuels.) Kerry is more opposed to outsourcing than is Bush.

But let’s not dwell exclusively on the executive branch. After examining congressional voting records, CNET concludes that there are more tech-friendly Republicans than Democrats in both the Senate and House. Still, over all, terrorism and the economy in general seem to be making the difference in this election..