Filed under: Odds and ends, Flickr Find
Obama team chose Apple on election night
In what could be a sign of things to come, an unnamed staffer Biden's son Hunter (thanks commenters) was pictured on Election Night showing Vice President-Elect Joe Biden something on a MacBook Air. Biden also appears to be holding an iPhone 3G with a sticker on the back.
Biden was apparently observing something on screen, while President-Elect Barack Obama celebrated in the background with another staffer. The MacBook Air appeared to be connected to a USB 3G network adapter.
The Obama administration could become the most technologically-savvy presidency so far. The President-Elect's transition team has already put up change.gov, a website developed by Blue State Digital, the same firm that created Obama's campaign website. Obama's administration promises to be the first to include a Chief Technology Officer, and he supports net neutrality.
Obama has been photographed during his campaign using an iPhone. A Newsweek article in Feburary noted that Michelle Obama bought then-Senator Obama and their children each a MacBook, so they could stay in touch during the long campaign.
Yes, we can add the team to the growing list of world leaders using Apple products.
Thanks, Brian!
Editor's Note: Political discourse can sometimes get heated, and that's understandable, but there are some boundaries. Multiple comments to this post have made threatening statements against the President-Elect. Any comments of this nature will be deleted and identifying information will be provided to the US Secret Service.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
unreal mccoy said 4:50PM on 11-07-2008
They sure as hell could afford MacBook Airs - all that money had to go somewhere.
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cliff said 5:04PM on 11-07-2008
isn't that Biden's son?
Harbinger said 5:04PM on 11-07-2008
Yeah, like winning. Or did you miss the memo?
Michael Jones said 5:09PM on 11-07-2008
Is there something wrong with that? The guy went to Harvard, was a civil rights attorney, a state senator and a U.S. Senator. If his wife wants to spend some of the money he's made buying the family MacBooks to keep in touch, I don't see why that's a bad thing.
It wasn't our tax dollars or campaign donations that paid for it, and trust me, if I had the money right now I'd be typing on an Air too :P Maybe for Christmas....
Brandon said 6:07PM on 11-07-2008
@cliff: I'm pretty sure that's David Plouffe, Obama's (41 year old) campaign manager.
John.B said 1:55AM on 11-08-2008
Its true that record amounts of money were raised and spent in this campaign. Its also a fact that -- with Plouffe in charge of the campaign -- none of that money was spent frivolously; not on excess personal comforts or trinkets or gifts or anything else that wasn't *specifically* designed to further the goal of getting Obama elected. He would never have approved reimbursements of Macbook Airs for campaign staffers, any more than he would've approved a shopping spree at Saks or Neiman Marcus. Its just not in the man's nature.
Its fair to criticize whether it is a good thing to spend that much money in a political campaign, for advertising or football stadium rentals or half-hour commercials or anything else. But given that Plouffe ruled this campaign with an iron checkbook, its not fair or accurate to assume that any of Obama's massive campaign warchest was in any way misspent.
SpinThis! said 3:43PM on 11-08-2008
Especially if you didn't actually donate to the campaign, you really have no say in where or how the team spent their money. And if you are complaining, this board really isn't the place for that.
Matt Paul said 5:10PM on 11-07-2008
The best place to see all the politicians and other public figures who use an iPhone is at Coolspotters.com.
http://coolspotters.com/cell-phones/apple-iphone/and/celebrities
Mouse over each profile and you can actually see photos of them using it. Cool site!
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NoAndThen said 6:25PM on 11-07-2008
You're such a loser that it hurts my head all the way over here, on my side of the internet.
Darren said 5:26PM on 11-07-2008
If you need something light and rugged and easy to lug around, it's hard to go wrong with the MacBook Air. The next best option is the Panasonic Toughbook, but it's more expensive and only runs Vista.
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E.J. said 6:43PM on 11-10-2008
It's called dual-booting.
ahhyeah said 5:33PM on 11-07-2008
Chief Technology Office, I want that job!
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Ethan said 5:51PM on 11-07-2008
McCain should've gone with this for the elitism angle!
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Brian said 5:52PM on 11-07-2008
Wow I am nearly famous.... found on Obama's flickr site. Not sure the photographer was all that good as there are lot's of blurry photo's but interesting all the same.
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Mike Hussein Cohen said 5:54PM on 11-07-2008
He saves money by having his old shoes repaired instead of buying expensive new ones and by doing everything for himself instead of having his staff pampering him and treating him like a diva.
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Andrew Phelps said 6:04PM on 11-07-2008
Hate to be a journalistic nitpicker, but I think you mean that staffer is *unidentified.* I doubt he's unnamed.
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hiscross said 6:18PM on 11-07-2008
President Bush uses Mac's and an iPod. Gore was a Mac user early in his vice-president days, but switched to windows. Clinton demanded Mac's early in his presidency.
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Andrew said 7:33PM on 11-07-2008
Uh, Al Gore is a *serious* Mac fan. He has THREE 30" Apple displays in his office connected to his Mac...
G said 8:17PM on 11-07-2008
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2003/mar/19gore.html
mark said 9:11PM on 11-07-2008
Al Gore is on the *board* of Apple, Inc.