Is Silicon Valley going gaga over Presidential candidate Barack Obama? Netscape (and Loudcloud and Ning) founder Marc Andreessen shares his impressions from an hour-and-a-half private meeting he had with the Senator back in early 2007 and declares him to be “normal,” “smart”, “not a radical,” and incredibly “credible.” We here at TechCrunch also find him credible, which is why we endorsed him as the most tech-enlightened Democratic candidate in our Tech President Primaries.
Andreessen sheds some more light on Obama’s leadership and foreign policy skills—two areas where he’s been criticized as being weak. Excerpt:
We asked him directly, how concerned should we be that you haven’t had meaningful experience as an executive — as a manager and leader of people?
He said, watch how I run my campaign — you’ll see my leadership skills in action.
We then asked, well, what about foreign policy — should we be concerned that you just don’t have much experience there?
He said — and I’m going to paraphrase a little here: think about who I am — my father was Kenyan; I have close relatives in a small rural village in Kenya to this day; and I spent several years of my childhood living in Jakarta, Indonesia. Think about what it’s going to mean in many parts of the world — parts of the world that we really care about — when I show up as the President of the United States. I’ll be fundamentally changing the world’s perception of what the United States is all about.
He’s got my vote.
That last point is a pretty powerful rejoinder to the criticism that foreign policy is not Obama’s strong suit. His unique life history arguably puts him in a better position than any other candidate to change the anti-American attitudes rife in many other countries. What other candidate could do that simply by being elected?
completely agreed. Obama is a once in a generation candidate and hopefully this country will not miss this opportunity to elect him president.
Oh sure, I’m going to run out and vote for Obama just because some celebrity or tech geek or tech crunch endorses Obama.
Political comment/ON
You said:
“to change the anti-American attitudes rife in many other countries. What other candidate could do that simply by being elected?”
IMHO, anti-american attitudes result from the United States being powerful and not the result of any particular policy.
Following that reasoning, the way to change such anti-American attitudes is to make us, the United States, less powerful.
jbs
Obama looks good (atleast better than hillary)
- although i still question TC’s place in politics.
*a few questions come to mind.
- This running along Obama ad?
- This re-boosting TC political canadate..etc..
i guess you want to pay more in taxes. please just continue posting news and not political opinions.
This is ludicrous on so many levels and doesn’t belong on a tech blog.
no place for this on a tech blog - Obama is a 1 hit wonder - good speaker and thats it ! everyone has to realize there is a good chance he has some ties to muslims…
OK - nice sound bites…. but…
HOW do you plan to do these things? I wouldn’t survive 5 minutes in a job interview if I answered questions in this way…
I think that having relatives (and having spent a few years in a foreign country) does not make one a foreign policy genius. Agreed with jbs above, I think the “anti-American attitudes” come from the fact that we’re (for now) the most powerful nation in the world, and that simply electing Obama won’t really change anything.
Also agree, stick to the tech, please!
@jds - that is a rather simplistic view.
@bgatees - tax increases are coming anyway to pay for the massive debt accrued
@lame - why do people keep repeating this stupid myth about him being a muslim?
What other candidate could change the world’s perception of America simply by being elected? How about the first woman president?
I find Obama, and his personal story, as compelling as the next guy. I love the visual of him stepping off of Air Force One on the tarmac in Kenya or Indonesia. And sure, to paraphrase Pulp Fiction, personality goes a long way. But anyone who believes that an international lovefest is coming in the wake of an Obama election simply because he’s Obama is simply wishing. Nothing wrong with wishing, of course. But let’s not pretend we’re being analytical about it.
In any rational universe, Sen. Clinton wins this November in a walk.
@7: take your racist trash somewhere else please
@lame:
“everyone has to realize there is a good chance he has some ties to muslims”
You people are hilarious. Truly. A more ignorant, self-absorbed nation is hard to imagine. Alas, that’s why the rest of the world thinks of you as it does, no other reason.
1. Get a passport (document used for travelling internationally)
2. Grow a pair
3. See the world - or at least some part where the daily norm doesn’t involve stuffing your already fat faces, mock sincerity (”have a nice day!”) and reactionary rhetoric.
The ideals by which your nation was founded were great but they are but a long distant memory now no matter how much you try and tell yourself otherwise.
When a politician has no history, no accomplishments whatsoever, it is easy to project your own beliefs upon them.
Who cares if the US is ‘liked’? That is tremendously vacuous. This is a dangerous world. The role of the president and commander in chief is to protect american interests abroad. Not to be ‘popular’.
The US is the only true superpower in the world today. It is easier to blame the US for your problems than to take ownership of them and solve them. Obama won’t change that (he won’t have a chance anyway, McCain will beat him like a drum)
Hillary has a better health plan. Obama’s will never work. mix two parts hope with a dash of naivety and viola! affordable healthcare! nevermind that nobody will actually buy healthcare once it’s affordable, because they’ll just wait until they need it, and then everything will come crashing down. it’s gotta be required, and even then there will be problems with it (just look at how many people with cars don’t have car insurance - even though it’s required. and then when *they* crash into *you*, you get stuck with the higher premiums! BS!!).
also, wtf?? i was a kid in indonesia = good foreign policy? that’s the biggest stretch ever. that’s like if hillary says “well i bought candy with my allowance when i was a kid, therefore i will be awesome at economics.”
I swear to God, if he gets elected, I’m moving to Canada. Oh wait, he’s charismatic? Oh well then, he gets my vote. Give me a break.
Running a campaign and running a country are two totally different things, so completely different, that it’s laughable that Obama would make that comparison. Let’s face it, let’s just say it. The only reason Obama would be elected is because he’s black. He’s a leader of nothing, a one-term senator running for President? Give me a break, the media goes light on him because they don’t want to upset black viewers. A radio host was critical of him and he got death threats. Obama, do the right thing. Learn a little more about politics, be Vice President and see how the job is done.
Bush has tried to learn as he went for 8 years and look where it got us. This country can’t afford 4 or 8 more years of inept leadership. Being Preseident calls for serious leadership and Obama is about as deep as a frying pan.
The fact that Obama has family in Kenya and has lived in Indonesia hardly dismisses that fact he’s inexperienced on the issue of foreign policy. He’s a one term US Senator who has spent his entire term running for President. Instead of offering any specifics on foreign policy he says the “world will like us” if he’s elected. If this is his message during the general election he’s going to get creamed, because most Americans (right or wrong) aren’t worried about what Europe or the Middle-East thinks of our country.
Do you ever wonder why a majority of silicon valley is liberal? Is it that most people that are interested in the web/technology are or what is it?
I agree with many of the opinions expressed here. Obama’s answers are weak, like his record. Please just because i’ve lived somewhere for a period of time and have a relative from another country hardly makes me an foreign policy expert. Count me off the Obama lovefest. Lastly, i agree with others about Oprah and Mick Jaggar or other celebrities and how they are going to vote. Can’t we think for ourselves or do we have to see who Judge Judy or Dr. Phil are going to vote before we can take a stand for ourselves? I’m ready to gag.
#14
Taking actions that leads to hatred for the American people isn’t “protecting american interests abroad.”
If you have lived abroad before and during Bush’s term, it is very easy to see the change in people’s view of the American people in past decade.
The anti-American sentiment is largely magnified by the liberal media (mostly print and TV) - if people only understood that many appreciate what our country has done for them. I don’t have the energy or time to dig up the numerous examples, but figured it was worth mentioning.
The simple reason I’m not voting for Obama (or Hillary) is because I don’t feel like health care should be socialized - or anything for that matter.
Dugg at http://digg.com/politics/Marc_.....rack_Obama
Obama’s answer to Andreessen about foreign policy is exactly what troubles me about world outlook.
Obama being multi-racial and having some experience living overseas will mean nothing to Kim Jong Il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, the Castro brothers, or Osama bin Laden. I’m guessing they will still hate us.
Also, Obama told Andreessen that he knows just as much about foreign policy as the other senators he serves with. I’d rather he promise to put competent people in place to handle world matters as he gets up to speed in the White House.
#20 GWB took action based on american interests, not what a bunch of French politicians thought.
Let me explain what you’re doing. The majority of americans agreed that the Taliban and Hussein had to go and Bush made that happen. You didn’t like it, so you’re using the ‘american popularity’ argument against it. Who cares what they think.
Unless maybe you’re referring to the Tsunamai relief effort. Or all the money we’re sending to Africa to fight AIDS.
@Ryan - probably because they’re educated and have learned to think for themselves as opposed to the inhabitants of the isolationist, fearful flyover states.
No matter where you go in the world right-wing nationalist views are most prevalent with an under-educated, fearful underclass.
Some serious disinformation being spread in here. First off, his upbringing is not his only answer to his foreign policy worldview: earlier in the chat he talks about serving on the Foreign Affairs committee, and his perspective in general is incredibly sharp: he recognizes the dangers of globalization (particularly for South America and Africa, where it serves as a far more powerful insidious form of imperialism), he correctly judged our blunder in Iraq and he has a consistent and judicious overall outlook as to how the US should interact with other sovereign nations.
Secondly, to Sandra, you are *so right* about how he’s getting all the breaks because he’s African-American. They just get everything they want, don’t they? Just look at how many African-American congressmen and women there are, how many CEOs are African-American and how well-funded schools are in African-American urban areas! It’s like they run the world or something!
Barack Obama is successful in this campaign for a number of reasons, some a bit silly but historically consistent (he’s handsome, he speaks well, etc), and others absolutely relevant to how he would govern (his policies are strong, he is advised by very smart people, he has pragmatic, non-partisan plans for our country). I’m not entirely sure where the venom towards him is coming from, but I take solace that the more vocal people here are in the minority. Obama is a good man and will make for a strong president. I look forward to his administration, as do millions more Americans.
For further and substantive reading on Obama (and from the generally Obama-phobic New Republic to boot), go here: http://tnr.com/politics/story......bc9d19be1a.
Everyone has to remember that the president of the USA is essentially a figurehead. The president might set direction based on his person beliefs and ideology but much of the policy and heavy lifting are all done by the the team they hire.
Obama is intelligent. I believe that someone with intelligence can rise to any occasion, learn and adapt as necessary.
Given the 3 VIABLE candidates that we can choose amongst, Obama seems the lesser of evils.
@BRadC
Correct me if I’m wrong, but that seems like a lot of foo-foo words to say nothing short of “Republicans are dumb” and “fearful”.
I guess I’ll just go pull up a couch in front of my TV tonight and drink some of the kool-aid while watching ABC/CBS/NBC/CNN. Maybe I’ll get edukated - or brainwashed… one of the two.
Obama would be worse for the country than Jimmy Carter.
Just what we need a tech blog and a nerd telling America how to vote.
What poeple need to remember is 1980.
Interest Rates at ALL TIME HIGHS
Inflation at ALL TIME HIGHS
TAXES at ALL TIME HIGHS
Unemployment near ALL TIME HIGHS
GAS at ALL TIME HIGHS (indexed for inflation is still higher than today)
Worst part was the Iran Hostage Crisis.
AMERICANS WERE HELD HOSTAGE FOR A YEAR AND DRAGGED AROUND BLIND FOLDED AND THEIR HEADS COVERED IN BAGS IN SHAME.
YEAH, just what we need 20 something techies who’ve never served their country telling us to vote for a LIBERAL who’s wife is ashamed of this country and had a mother who taught him to belittle America’s place in the world.
To elect Obama would errode all the improvements made during Reagan and Clinton eras. Lower taxes, less dependency and a strong national defense.
Then again broke techie wannabe’s probably like the idea of bringing back Jimmy Carter’s free processed cheese hand outs.
@Allen
Are you afraid you’ll get brainwashed by watching TV. You’re probably right… stick to Fox.
BradC, please stop. We get it. People who disagree with you are stupid. And they watch Fox.
Darn black men! They win all the elections….
Soon they’ll takeover Washington and all the fortune 500 executive positions.
Yeah right, a black man has never been “given” anything in the US.
#24
About Taliban, I don’t think anyone is mad about that. Going after Taliban was appropriate and there was no opposition to it like the opposition for Iraq war. You are trying to strengthen the weak case about Iraq using Afghanistan. Don’t tangle the two.
Saddam was an evil man. But Bush did not go after Saddam for his “evilness.” He took out Saddam for the personal grudge. Does it matter, you ask? Valid question. It does. Because if he didn’t have a personal grudge, Bush would have thought about the collateral damage.
Deaths of over 100,000 Iraqis and thousands of American soldiers cannot be justified to get one man.
Even Saddam must be smiling at the irony of the this war killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis–same crime Saddam is charged with.
“He said, watch how I run my campaign — you’ll see my leadership skills in action.”
Running a campaign Running the United States of America
“He said — and I’m going to paraphrase a little here: think about who I am — my father was Kenyan; I have close relatives in a small rural village in Kenya to this day; and I spent several years of my childhood living in Jakarta, Indonesia. Think about what it’s going to mean in many parts of the world — parts of the world that we really care about — when I show up as the President of the United States. I’ll be fundamentally changing the world’s perception of what the United States is all about.”
Being Kenyan and having lived in Indonesia Good on foreign policy
“He’s got my vote.”
Really? Based on those answers? Seriously?
What that should have said was…
Running a campaig != Running the United States of America
and
Being Kenyan and having lived in Indonesia != Good on foreign policy
@Joe
you’re half right - people can disagree with me, doesn’t make them stupid. I’m happy with it.
But you’re right on the 2nd part, generally only stupid people watch Fox.
@21 Allen - if you’re so against the socialization of anything, then i guess you’re against driving on public roads, going to public libraries, drinking from a municipal water supply, calling the fire department when your house is on fire, calling the cops when somebody is trying to break into your house, sending US postal mail, and using your tax dollars to fight wars - because it’s all the same thing. and if anything, peoples’ lives are one thing that should not be governed by a for-profit enterprise. but both obama’s and hillary’s health plans don’t get rid of the big insurance companies anyway, so they aren’t really gonna change things that much, most likely. and congress is still full of all the same retards.
but…feel free to maintain your stance against it out of principal, i wouldn’t want you to feel like a “flip-flopper.”
@BRadC
So everyone that watches Fox can’t think for themselves - like you must be able to? Tell me oh wise one, where do you get the facts that are the base of such statements made in your previous post:
“probably because they’re educated and have learned to think for themselves as opposed to the inhabitants of the isolationist, fearful flyover states.
No matter where you go in the world right-wing nationalist views are most prevalent with an under-educated, fearful underclass.”
So if I go get me a Harvard vocabulary like yourself, I can be liberal then? Would that assist me in better understanding Obama too? I could then translate what 60 minutes is trying to tell me last night about this huge healthcare crisis?
What a bunch of BS - subscribe to it if you want. I’ll continue to sift through the garbage and think for myself as an educated American - not someone that spews back fancy lines of others.
@Allen
Are you going to be OK? I’m concerned for you, friend.
@gilltots
Having public roads and services isn’t socialism - but nice try. Those are things that are basic building blocks of any civilized society. I do think some of those entities may function better if they were privately run (schools, for example).
No, I do not want to pay taxes for everyone else’s healthcare. That is a service that should remain in the public sector where supply and demand will determine prices and availability. If I’m a healthy American, why should I pay for your healthcare when you (hypothetically) smoke, drink like a fish, and eat Frito’s all day long? We have to draw a line in the sand somewhere.
The fellating of Obama continues apace. None will resist the Obamessiah.
http://volokh.com/posts/1202117776.shtml#contact
somewhat of a hatchet job on Obama regarding his “only executive” experience - editor in chief of Harvard Law Review . . .
taking out the fluff - the part about him being not very detail oriented and operationally focused concerns me.
I heard the similar rumors from old colleagues at his old law firm.
America doesnt need a Carly Fiorina - we need a Mark Hurd.
I’m back now on the fense again . . .
Sweet Jesus! So he has some relatives who live in Kenya and spent some time outside of the US and that instantly makes him qualified to lead the foreign policy of the US? Are you kidding me?
I like to fly model airplanes and I once sat in the cockpit of a 747. Applying the same logic here, I’m now qualified to fly a 747.
Think. People.Think.
If this is an example of Andreesen’s logic and rational thinking, then it’s no wonder most people don’t know, care or give a shit who he is anymore.
@ygs
Your response is thoughtful and comprehensive. However, i wouldn’t go so far as to taint the responses as you did — “disinformation.” I think the comments really are a result of Obama’s responses–and so sorry to say but IMO they are weak. To point to how one runs a campaign as being sufficient to account for the lack of any meaningful experience as an executive is laughable. Why shouldn’t voters demand and require more experience from this candidate? After all, isn’t this the highest position and most powerful position in the world? I also argued that George W lacked the right level of experience and look where it got us? With respect to lack of experience, I do think that Ombama would be far more effective that “W” but so would many others.
With respect to Obama being treated with kid gloves for this election, i think several polls that have been taken support Sandra.
As for the type of president i want in office, it isn’t one who is speaks good or is attractive or I’d rather drink a beer with. I think Obama has a lot of strong points going for him but his weak link is that he is junior with respect to his experience. i’d vote for him possibly down the road after he earns that experience to run for the highest office in the country. Just because he made a smart call on not going to war with the concocted smoke-and-mirrors evidence that the Bush admin pulled doesn’t guarantee that the junior senator will always make the right call every time and you imply that but I don’t and won’t buy it. Also, as a reminder, the Bush Admin pulled that concocted lie with the entire American people who overwhelmingly supported invading Iraq (remember Colin Powell testifying). It bugs me that people are not allowed to change their mind once they realize they were hoodwinked and this is a Republican ploy you seem to conveniently apply here to Hilary. (How dare she change her mind!)
I think all 3 candidates (McCain, Clinton & Obama) are good people. Remember McCain put his ass out on the front line and was a POW for many years. Hilary opted to fight for children defense fund out of school rather than take the high paying corporate attorney route that your candidate Obama so easily signed up for.
Thanks but no thanks, I’m just not joining the party to drink the Kool-Aide from the Obama camp.
Foreign policy is the single biggest power a President has. Social &/or domestic policy is nice, but at the end of the day he can either sign something in law or veto it. Most people seem to ignore this fact when they vote.
So IMHO the most important experience to have is foreign policy; while I like Marc’s take on Barack, I seriously doubt having relatives in other countries counts for much. I’m 1/2 Swiss, have lived abroad in various countries for nearly half my life (and much later in my life than Obama), and have relatives and close friends across the globe; does this somehow make me qualified for foreign policy?
What scares me most is that Obama is somehow concerned about “changing the world’s perception of what the United States is all about”.
Over the years I’ve seen perception towards the US ebb and flow; and quite frankly, the changes in perception have had no discernible impact on life in the United States.
Foreigners don’t stop buying our products or services, they don’t stop visiting (just ask anyone in the travel business … the cheapness of the dollar is about 10x more important); and changes in the perception of the US certainly won’t change the likelihood of another terror attack (after all, planning for 9/11 happened while the internationally beloved Bill Clinton was in charge).
As for those who say just hire someone good … that’s like a CEO saying I’m going to hire someone make the most strategic decisions for this company. As I point out above, foreign policy is the ONE place where the President has the most power … why would you hire someone to do this?
Your average techies vote for Obama could prove expensive. By my off the cuff calculations, anyone making $200k a year will see an increase of at least 12k a year in taxes (not to mention tax increases on capital gains and dividends). Hopefully they really, really like the guy. If you make 300k a year, I suspect you could double that 12k to at least a 24k increase.
A lot of this depends on just how high he raises the payroll tax cutoff which he has already made a big point out of saying he was going to raise it.
I generally vote for a democrat 80% of the time. This time is different. I actually like John McCain (because of his amazing history), Obama (because of his sincerity) and Hillary (because of her lifelong comittment to public policy). I plan to vote for McCain, here’s why:
I think Hillary had a chance to capture the middle and lower taxes, but she didn’t. She cowtowed to the ultraliberal wing — stuff I hate. I like to build companies and create jobs. Taxes are my enemy.
Obama is very likeable but isn’t old enough for me. I like my presidents to be supremely qualified. Obama will someday be president. I just don’t think he deserves to win this time. I have a hard time thinking of one amazing thing he’s accomplished in his short, promising career. I have no doubt that he will someday do great things. So, let’s see him prove his greatness over the next 4-6 years, then we can all vote for him in 2012.
McCain has been a great leader for many decades. While I don’t agree with him on everything I do respect him across the board. He doesn’t bend to the political winds which is great. We know he’ll be a strong leader. We don’t know that about Obama.
This post would have been timely before California Primary.
At a recent Long Now Foundation talk (Nassim Taleb), a quick audience poll was taken. Probably 2/3 of the room was going to vote Obama in the primary, almost all the rest for Clinton, with maybe 3% McCain and a handful for others. Of course the sample size was only a few hundred people, but it seemed a good indicator of how Silicon Valley falls - people here don’t like Hillary too much. Obama appeals more to the idealists.
#3 Jbs, it is because of people like you US is facing a real danger of losing its advantage in the world. Gosh!!