Whether you’re for him or against him, you have to admit that Barak Obama’s 30-minute infomercial aired on most major broadcast networks last night was a carefully crafted, professional production (or so most media outlets say). And among the star turns within was a quick few seconds with none other than Google CEO Eric Schmidt. If you missed it, check out this YouTube video (Schmidt’s cameo is at the 4:48 mark).
Schmidt, who recently endorsed Obama and has been campaigning with him of late, has been rumored to be in line for the cabinet-level Chief Technology Officer (CTO) position Obama aims to create should he win the White House. Schmidt denies any interest in becoming the U.S.’s first CTO, however, claiming that he’s too “busy running Google.” But he does seem to keep popping up wherever and whenever Obama needs him.
Schmidt’s portion of the video is small, but telling, as he serves primarily to lend credence to Obama’s business and economic acumen. First, Schmidt name-drops a bit, mentioning Warren Buffet’s and others’ support of Obama, before stating plainly that he feels Obama’s is “the right plan for the economy.”
The jury is out on whether the infomercial will make any difference to the election’s final outcome, but recent polls seem to favor Obama’s candidacy over rival John McCain’s. Google is only recently becoming accustomed to the way Washington works, hiring lobbyists to push its agendas on white spaces and ‘Net neutrality, as well as building a cadre of lawyers to fend off possible regulatory scrutiny from the Justice Dept. Gaining favor in the White House can only further its aims, and it looks like Schmidt has that base covered.
