Elections 2008 and Eric Schmidt

As November 4 draws close, I can’t flip a channel without noticing an election campaign ad. America has seen some close and well-fought election campaigns in the recent past. With the destiny of the country over the next four years and the current global financial crisis on line, the upcoming election has assumed enormous significance. While the country decides who is better-equipped: experience or change, either candidate will have to take on more challenges and turmoil than they would have liked. There is no denying Obama’s appeal, even to the unbiased onlooker inside me who wishes he could vote. I agree that Obama has successfully bet on technology to reach people. He sees technology as a key part of the solution to problems America faces, be it healthcare, energy or government transparency. The Google for Government bill that he proposed was passed as a Law and allows citizens to access budget secrets and federal tax dollar expenditures. These along with his uniqueness and the element of change have transformed this freshman of a politician into a juggernaut.

I am by no means a political expert but again the businessman inside me questions the feasibility of grand schemes dished out without details on implementation. Yesterday, Eric Schmidt, CEO and Chairman of Google was on campus to talk about Technology and Economy in an Obama Administration. While most people I’ve talked to agree that CEOs have typically been supportive of Republicans, Eric is sold on Obama. He cited the disparity and incongruence in the income distribution as a partial reason for the anger that Gen X and Gen Y (majority of the workforce at Google) hold against government policies – the depth of which he did not initially understand even though he knew that Obama was the runaway winner for them.

Irrespective of his political views, what stood out for me was the advice he gave us for becoming successful business-leaders and citizens:
· Keep Learning: Continue to keep learning. Our generation is much better prepared to address the same problems as there is so much more information available.
· The Power of an Idea: Never underestimate the power of an idea. If we can articulate a great idea and promote it, it will cascade and overhaul the interest groups that are opposed to its progress. Blacksburg, VA, where Schmidt grew up is a city that transformed from a rural place with few opportunities to becoming the most wired city in the world in 15 years, highlights the possibility of ideas.
· Collaborate: Innovation is taking risks to start new businesses. And the key is to do it in groups. These can be through your social networks, political affiliations, or university associations.
· Regulation and Transparency: Almost every business in America is directly or indirectly regulated. The real debate is about what appropriate regulation is and whether it is thought through and end-driven. There should always be a push towards transparency. Whether greater transparency would have changed recent global leadership decisions cannot be answered, but it could have definitely lead to a more informed strategy.

Back to the elections, everyone believes we are in this together. I can almost feel this yearning amongst the people that the government be more participatory. I hope the more able man wins.