Can Google sway presidential election? McCain makes pilgrimage to Googleplex

Digital Markets Blog presidential campaign 2008 special series on what I am calling “User Generated Politics”

“Presidential campaign trail winds through the Googleplex,” Google (not so modestly) declares.

Is that a good thing, as well as a Googley thing?

What is tougher than a job interview to be a Googler? A job interview before Googlers for the toughest job of all: The presidency of the United States.

Really? It makes for a Googley opening, at least, when presidential candidates make their pilgrimage to the Mountain View Googleplex:

I like to think of the presidency as a job interview with the American people, and you’re also sort of interviewing at Google and its hard to get a job at Google, so begins Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

To date, Schmidt has welcomed two presidential contenders to Google: Democrat Hillary Clinton in February and Republican John McCain last week. 

The Googler in Chief first poses questions to the presidential candidates aimed at providing them opportunities to present their philosophies, legislative records and present campaign positions.

After Clinton’s campaign pitch opportunity, the Google CEO set-up opportunities for the prospective future President of the United States to pitch pro-Google positions, such as a Google Health URL. SEE: Google CEO gets Clinton support for Google Health initiative

After McCain’s campaign pitch opportunity, the Google CEO ceded Q & A opportunities to his Googlers for that part of the Google presidential job interview that requires responding to Googler questions.

Many Googler’s put forth what they believed would be best for McCain to do if he became President. McCain apparently got the message.

In response to a Googler question about immigration laws, McCain got his biggest round of applause of his "job interview" at Google:

If Google is going to be able to maintain its supremacy in the world, it is going to have to continue to get the best and the brightest from all over the world, and I accept with your gigantic egos, that you are the best…we need an H1B visa program that works.

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