Where does Barack Obama stand on technology issues?
In the second of our four-part series examining the positions of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on technology policy, BetaNews’ Ed Oswald takes a look at the Illinois Democrat. With respect to the growing middle ground between technology and politics, it could be viably argued that no one has embraced technology as part of his or her campaign — at least as an ideal — more than Sen. Barack Obama. The use of online means to recruit campaign volunteers and to incite action on behalf of candidates, dates back to the 1984 campaign of Sen. Gary Hart. Web pages became a key component of campaigning in 1996, in Pres. Bill Clinton’s bid for re-election against Sen. Bob Dole. While Gov. Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign could be the modern template for serious use of the Internet in politics, Sen. Obama has used a variety of methods, including e-mail, social networking, and text messaging, to stay in touch with supporters. But does this embrace of technology and the Internet trans
