The Incestous Relationship Between Google And The Administration Deepens

It is no secret that the CEO Eric Schmidt of Google is a big Obama supporter.  It is also becoming a well established fact that Google, along with companies like G.E. and Progressive, is increasingly getting cozier with the Obama Administration.

In the case of Google, this is worrisome not only because of the significance of Google as a disseminator of information over the web but also the company's apparent willingness to become an unofficial arm of the Obama White House.

Recently, Glenn Beck spent time documenting bothersome facts about Google.  The facts that he pointed out are all independently verifiable from mainstream sources and unsettling when you consider that a private company is so actively involved in U.S. as well as geopolitics, no matter what the reasons are.  

Here are just some of the highlights over the past couple of years:

• CEO Schmidt's unwavering support for Obama and progressive policies including net neutrality.  Schmidt is also an unofficial economic advisor to the President.  Company's political activism has even been on display recently in Egypt and rest of the Middle East as even the Russians apparently agree.  Presumably, what lies under this activism are motivations of acquiring unparalleled riches through cronyism as well as furtherance of progressive policies throughout the globe.
• Top Google policy executive Andrew McLaughlin joins the Obama Administration.
• Katie Stanton, a former business development executive at Google who has helped with Google's election campaign projects as well as Google Finance and Google News, heads a new, undefined position in the Obama Administration called the "Director of Citizen Participation."
• Google claims to have the right to organize all of the world's electronic data for commercial purposes. The Internet giant is now also mapping much of the federal government's data.
• Google's close relationship with the Obama administration has allowed the search giant inappropriate benefits such as access to a NASA airfield and lowered scrutiny on its private practices, according to a detailed and disturbing  report from Consumer Watchdog.
• A major Pentagon contract with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) landed in 2010 amidst media reports of favoritism charges.
• Again in 2010, company outmaneuvers more established rivals in cloud computing area to secure federal certification for its Apps for Government software, which led to a lucrative GSA contract.  Again, questions of preferential treatment were raised.
• Questions remain about the limits of Google's 'cooperation' with the National Security Agency in sharing personal information.  Schmidt has made it clear in the past that he has no qualms about protecting privacy!
• In 2010, Google banned all sales through its shopping merchant of a DVD critical of the Obama administration (Fall of the Republic) under the terms of its program policy which bars any material deemed to be “advocating against a protected group”.  Apparently, Google considers the government to be a “protected group,” and immune from criticism.

And now the latest:

Last week Big Government reported on a startlingly pro-union Google ad being placed by the union-controlled National Labor Relations Board that stated:

A day later, on Friday, the National Labor Relations Board posted what appears to be its first-ever “Fact Check” that stated the following:


Fact Check


This feature encourages accuracy in the media by correcting common misperceptions and errors of fact when they are brought to our attention.


Google Ads


It has been reported that the NLRB spent Agency funds on Google ads. An initial review indicates that the ads were provided at no charge beginning in 2008 by Google. The Agency has decided to discontinue them.

Here are some more disturbing questions (other than the one about why is a supposed mediation agency promoting unions!):

• Why is Google giving free advertising to NLRB when it charges a bundle to anyone else?
• Can a private-sector company like Google legally provide free ads to an agency of the federal government, or whether it is permitted for an agency of the federal government to accept free services without violating a certain law? (especially when there is such a 'tight' relationship between the company and the Administration)
• Who wrote the ad on “How to Start a Union”
• What the total value of the free advertising was
• When the NLRB began accepting free advertising from Google
• How many other agencies are getting free advertising from Google
• Whether Google is getting any other form of recompense or favorable treatment for its free advertising

Cronyism has always been a part of American politics but until now it was benign as far as imposition of progressive or any other political ideology was concerned.  Maybe Glenn is onto something?