Google CEO Stumps for Obama

Google CEO Eric Schmidt is headed out on the hustings this week after officially endorsing Obama. But as Red Herring reports, “he will hit the stump as Eric the Engineer rather than Eric the CEO because the search giant is officially neutral in the presidential campaign.” Google, which reported last week its net income rose 26 percent to $1.35 billion in the third quarter, has recently shown a greater willingness to get involved in legislative issues, especially network neutrality and broadband access, two issues on which it is closely aligned with Obama. “Jumping on the Obama bandwagon a day after Colin Powell endorsed Senator Obama is not exactly taking a big risk,” Robert Atkinson, president of the Washington think tank Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, told Red Herring. “It's certainly possible McCain could win, but if one's a gambling man Obama’s chances are looking good.”