“Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt may have helped Barack Obama build a political technology juggernaut, but now another top Google executive is trying to help Republicans catch up,” Kenneth P. Vogel reports for Politico.
“Michele Weslander Quaid, who serves as the company’s ‘Innovation Evangelist’ and chief technology officer for its public-sector division, is joining the board of directors of Voter Gravity, a campaign technology company that serves GOP candidates and conservative groups,” Vogel reports. “The move comes as Google, which had become known in Washington as a reliable source of campaign cash and technology talent to Democrats, is working to diversify its political footprint. The tech giant has pumped cash into conservative groups and hired an array of Republicans to interface with the press and politicians, including former Rep. Susan Molinari, who became head of its Washington office in 2012, as well as former George W. Bush aide Rob Saliterman and GOP campaign flak Jill Hazelbaker.
“But Weslander Quaid is certainly among – if not the – highest-ranking employee to lend expertise to a Republican tech company. She worked for a decade in the private sector as an engineer and data scientist, but was recruited after the 2001 terrorist attacks by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, eventually working in senior technology roles for the Director of National Intelligence and the Defense Department during the administrations of both George W. Bush and Obama,” Vogel reports. “At Google, Weslander Quaid sees her role partly as ‘translat(ing) between Silicon Valley speak and government dialect,’ she told Entrepreneur magazine, which named her one of the seven ‘Most Powerful Women to Watch in 2014.”
“In its post-election autopsy report, the Republican National Committee implored the Party to focus on ‘the establishment of a new culture driven by data, technology, analytics, and personal contact,’ partly by establishing ‘working relationships and open lines of communication with thought leaders in Silicon Valley to ensure the Party is at the forefront of new developments and trends in digital technology,'” Vogel reports. “Weslander Quaid would seem to fit that bill precisely…”
Read more in the full article here.
The Republican Party, the NSA, and Google…words fail me.
The octopus continues its effort encompass all in its embrace. Like real cephalopod’s the gentle embrace that comforts and enhances ones experience will turn into a vice-like grip when one attempts to disentangle oneself from its embrace. Causing one to realize the dreadful mistake one has made in not taking evasive maneuvers to avoid the original first embrace.
Seriously? This article is about the Reps catching up, because Google is already close to the Democrats. Obama was rumored to be considering Schmidt for Commerce Secretary. Google spends 10x the amount of money lobbying Washington that Apple does. If anything, you should have written, Google, the NSA, The Democrats and now the Republicans. Who won’t Google buy?
That’s like attempting to catch up with your buddies by going out and looking for a case of gonorrhea.
What, no picture of her sitting on a Red Ball? I’ve followed this woman’s career. She’s very sharp and wherever she pops up, compelling ideas aren’t far behind. Ultimately though I agree with Zeke. LIBER8! LIBER8! LIBER8!
The republican party doesn’t control the NSA my friend, The executive branch does. (civics 101)
They will after the next election.
That’s funny!
“after the 2001 terrorist attacks by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency”
What does that tell you about Pres. Barack Obama’s lack of ethics accepting funds from a dirty rotten scoundrel like Eric Schmidt. They’re both fraudsters in a suit, except one steals your votes and other steals your data not to mention being a super-mole stealing iPhone secrets while sitting on the board of Apple. You know what they say about birds of a feather flocking together – unscrupulous thieves the both of them.
But look at the Republican Party campaign donor though – chief innovation technologist. Stands to reason, that the party with the innovative progressive outlooks gets the support of the chief technologist. The dirty underhanded party gets the dirty rotten scoundrel.
Put on your aluminum hat, take two aspirin and call me in the morning.
You’re very funny, Nut. In an extremely annoying way.
Nut…But, wait a minute..I have to go and puke
I swear politics is getting stupider and stupider as time goes on. America is really losing it! Don’t get me wrong; I love my home state of Minnesota, and pretty much the Midwest in general, but what has been going on in this country is wearing me out. I feel like moving to Canada or Australia sometimes.
It’s designed to wear you out.
Commies out of control!!!!
The US has been taken over and it’s been going on for a long time.
SAD
I believe you want to up the ante here by associating what you consider socialist legislation with communism, even though the two are not really related except in the minds of drama queens.
How about I give you one socialist Democratic party for a more obvious fascist directed Republican party and lets call it even. The only question that remains is what is a better situation, because that is essentially what all the arguments come down to.
Nate, have you ever said anything at all about US businesses getting the HELL out of China? Talk about commies out of control.
Meanwhile: YES. Part of the point of endless FUD FUD FUD is to dull the victims into simpering stooges who are to numb to do anything but follow Fearless-Leader-Of-The-Day. Witness North Korea if you want to see this horror in the extreme.
Type alert. Please read: “…simpering stooges who are TOO numb to do anything…”
PoliTardiness is rampant.
America has lost it, a while ago when they started more illegal invasions and torture. I would not recommend migrating to the island down under though, they make Americans look good.
Don’t let the border crossing hit you in the butt on your way out. You’ll find out real fast how great it is here after living elsewhere for a while.
From the the time of the American Revolution and the United Empire Loyalists , thru the Northern underground railway in the time of slavery , till the conscientious objectors in the time of the Viet Nam war and beyond , Canada has gratefully accepted good Americans seeking a better life and many of these new Canadians have become amongst out best citizens .
But there’s so darn much snow up there… And there are only two seasons in Canada: winter and Provincial Day!
Oh great, just what we need. A bunch of right wing wacko’s financed by Google.
It’s no better than a bunch of right-wing whackos who are fans of Apple. You know exactly what I am talking about so I will just leave it at that…
In fact, it’s worse.
The fact that Google employs a pretty good data spy at the highest levels tells you a lot. The fact that the Republicans want to hire her is even more telling.