The British science journal Nature posed 18 questions related to science and policy to the two presidential candidates, but received written answers only from Democrat Barack Obama. Nature prints his answers, along with statements on the topics from Republican John McCain when they could be found from other sources. Among the issues: appointing a science advisor, how to address climate change, and what to teach children about evolution.
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Here's yet another way the presidential campaigns are using new technologies in their quest for the White House. Both campaigns are using Google's AdWords program to link their ads to particular searches, says Wired. For instance, the McCain campaign bought the term "Joe Biden" so that users searching for the Democratic vice presidential candidate will see an ad that links to a video of Biden criticizing Barack Obama. The Obama campaign, meanwhile, linked "economic crisis" to an ad that criticizes McCain as being "out of touch."
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By Meghan McCarthy, CQ Staff
No matter who wins November's presidential election, biotech drug manufacturers are unlikely to get the 14-year period of data exclusivity they seek as part of follow-on biologics drug legislation, according to the candidates' top health policy advisers.
At an annual generics industry conference last week hosted by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), Douglas Holtz-Eakin, adviser to GOP nominee John McCain , and Dora Hughes, senior health adviser to Democratic nominee Barack Obama , said both candidates support the shortest time period possible.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign tells Wired that the candidate is getting science advice from five noted scientists. Wired has profiles of: Harold Varmus, a Nobel laureate and former head of the National Institutes of Health; Gilbert Ommen, a former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Peter Agre, a Nobel laureate and ardent critic of the Bush administration; NASA researcher Donald Lamb; and Stanford University plant biologist Sharon Long.
The magazine/website said Republican nominee John McCain has ignored repeated requests to identify his science advisors.
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Republican presidential candidate John McCain has answered a series of questions posed to him by a group called Science Debate 2008. The New York Times summarizes his positions, along with those of Democratic candidate Barack Obama, who answered them in late August. Not surprisingly, Obama's answers stress the role of government while McCain focuses on business in addressing some of the nation's main science-related challenges.
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The public policy debate on what research, if any, to perform with embryonic stem cells is heating up. The New York Times reports that Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is going on the offensive against a Republican Party platform that opposes any form of such research, even that approved by the Bush administration. The McCain campaign accuses Biden of using the issue to attack vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, whose youngest son was born with Down syndrome.
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Both the Democratic and Republican nominees for president have made energy security and environmental issues part of their campaign, leading Reuters to ask who is best equipped to turn the White House green. Barack Obama, who wants higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles and calls offshore drilling a stop-gap measure, has the endorsement of most environmental groups. John McCain wants to develop technologies that reduce American dependence on foreign oil, and told his party's convention last week, "We will drill new oil wells off-shore, and we'll drill them now."
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
In a likely first for presidential campaigns, Barack Obama and John McCain have staked out positions on plug-in electric vehicles. CalCars takes a look at where the two stand. Obama would support more tax credits for consumers and companies for plug-ins and switch the White House fleet to all plug-in vehicles within a year. McCain has something called the "Clean Car Challenge" which also includes some consumer tax credits and a $300 million prize for advanced batteries that deliver a 70 percent improvement at 30 percent of their current cost. He has specifically supported Chevrolet's electric Volt.
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Republican presidential candidate John McCain opposes subsidies, earmarks, and heavy regulation regarding energy, while Democrat Barack Obama wants a stronger federal role in developing renewable energy, according to a report from the research firm New Energy Finance. CNET News reports that the firm dug through voting records and public statements to determine each candidate's positions on energy policy. It found, for instance, that McCain wants to scale back the government's role in promoting ethanol, while Obama would continue it.
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Barack Obama and John McCain have provided answers to 17 questions related to healthcare and medical research posed by a group promoting health care as a higher national priority. Science News reports several similarities in the candidates' responses to questions from Research! America, of Alexandria, VA. Both believe in funding for the National Institutes of Health, support stem cell research, and let in more foreign workers with medical skills. The site links to the complete set of answers, and is seeking answers from third party candidates such as Ralph Nader and Bob Barr.
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In an effort to identify more potential voters, both the Obama and McCain campaigns are engaging in online behavioral research, trying to target voters, donors, and volunteers by their individual interests. BusinessWeek says that neither campaign will discuss its strategy in detail, but that the effort is sophisticated enough in its tracking to raise concerns among privacy advocates.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
At the "Big Tent" outside the DNC perimeter, MyBarackObama administrator and former Facebook employee Chris Hughes held a chat with online activists about the role of social networking in the Obama campaign.
The candidates will reportedly respond to a list of 14 broad questions, such as: "What steps, if any, should the United States take during your presidency to protect ocean health? "
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
Lots of fun has been poked at presumed Republican nominee John McCain for being computer-averse, but today he will unveil a technology plan on his web site aimed at creating what his campaign calls "good, high-paying, innovation-oriented 21st-century jobs," according to the Wall Street Journal. Elements of the plan include creation of a national "chief technology officer," tax breaks for companies that offer high-speed Internet access in low-income and rural areas, and expansion of the H!-B visa program to help meet the demand for qualified candidates for high-level technology jobs.
Web pick posted by Neil Savage, Xconomy.com
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