Survey: ITAA ranks candidates on IT issues

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) scores a perfect five stars for his promotion of global trade and security concerns, while Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) matches that score when it comes to his campaign's use of technology. Those are just two of the conclusions of a recent assessment of the two presumptive presidential candidates conducted by the Information Technology Association of America.

The survey was based on the results of a campaign policy forum led by ITAA's Government Affairs committee and on continuing evaluations of the candidates' public statements, the technology community's professional organization said.

Both candidates were given three and a half stars for supporting greater U.S. technological competitiveness in the world and for their advocacy of e-government and health IT programs. They also tied on support for intellectual property protection and Internet promotion.

The biggest differences came in the campaigns' use of technology, including Web 2.0 and dissemination of Internet video messaging. McCain rated two stars compared to Obama's five.

"America needs a pro-innovation president who supports U.S. leadership in technology ? a president who grasps that technology is fundamental to every sector of the economy and that if we lead there, we will lead elsewhere," said ITAA President and Chief Executive Officer Phil Bond in a statement accompanying the survey. "We must have a much more favorable public policy environment in which to do business if the technology sector is to help revive and build the American economy."