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Experiences w/ Tech-Savvy Politicians?

Posted by Cliff on from the which-ones-get-it dept.

leperjuice asks: "I recently had the pleasure of speaking with John Podesta (Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff, now a visiting professor at Georgetown ) about tech issues and was pleasantly surprised: not only did he know of the DeCSS case but he knew of Jon Johansen and actually quoted an interview with him. This got me thinking; which politicos out there actually understand tech issues (rather than just have a staffer who occasionally reads Wired)? Which ones don't? What have been your experiences?"

2 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. Podesta is a criminal & threat to the Republic by AntiBasic · · Score: 5
    The story starts in 1992 when AT&T developed secure telephones untappable by the federal government. The company planned to make them available to the American public. Instead, the Clinton administration interceded and bought up all the phones with a secret slush fund. The plan also involved refitting the phones with a new chip called "Clipper," which would permit the government to tap the phones easily once they found their way back into the hands of American consumers.

    By 1994, White House aide John Podesta had been called into the inner circle of the Clipper project. Meanwhile, Podesta's brother, Tony, a lobbyist and fund-raiser was representing AT&T. His donors and clients, including AT&T, were invited to participate in trade trips to China and obtain valuable export deals with Beijing. Only a year earlier, John Podesta had signed a legal statement promising not to engage in any conflicts of interest involving his brother.

  2. Re:Not a great example... by zhensel · · Score: 5

    Your average staffer may not have that much power, but the chief of staff is one of the most powerful people in Washington. To say that they aren't a politician just because they weren't confirmed or elected is a joke. If you say that, you are missing 99% of the politicians in Washington. Hell, I bet Bush's CoS has more power than he does :)

    Your average college intern staffer (like those found in congressional offices, white house mail guys/tour guides, whatever) may not have much power, but don't think that the Chief of Staff is a peon just because the people's opinion doesn't give him/her authority.

    It's nice that you can point out irony, but the poster wasn't wrong in the slightest. The Chief of Staff is a politician to the same level that a cabinet member / Judicial apointee / etc is. (H/Sh)e probably has more power than either during the time of their appointment as well. The Chief of Staff is responsible for more than the White House aides. The CoS also must arrange for the thousands of other executive branch run departments. Some of these jobs need Senate approval, some don't. Suffice to say, it's a demanding job and provides one with more power than almost any other in Washington.