Pete Ashdown in Wired Magazine
My favorite candidate in any political race this fall is Pete Ashdown. He is running against Orrin Hatch…who has been commented on often enough in this blog that I’ve thought about adding an Orrin Hatch category. Orrin Hatch is a Grade A wiener who doesn’t belong in a Senate seat representing Utah.
Wired magazine interviewed Ashdown and you can read the interview here. I’ve included the introduction to the piece in this post because it so well summarizes why all Utahns should work together to boot Orrin out of the Senate in favor of an actual Utahn who is equipped to represent Utah instead of Hatch’s special interest donors. (Hatch isn’t from Utah and hasn’t ever even really lived in Utah as he was elected to the Senate soon after relocating here from Pennsylvania)
Hatch is a popular incumbent who has polled over 62 percent in past elections. Apparently, Utahans couldn’t care less about the Republican senator’s slavish endorsement of entertainment industry-backed bills that would, without understatement, create the equivalent of a copyright police state.
Hatch has terrorized techies from his Washington perch by sponsoring the much-loathed DMCA. He’s on record saying it’d be a good idea to let entertainment companies remotely destroy the computers of those they suspect of copyright infringement. And he’s a co-sponsor of the Induce Act, a moribund bill that aimed to hold tech companies responsible for creating devices that could be used to pirate digital content.
Ashdown is a political novice with impeccable tech credentials. He founded the first independent ISP in Utah, used to DJ raves, and uses a collaborative wiki for his campaign.
This has all the makings of a classic Old West showdown between Hatch — seemingly beholden to the entertainment companies who contribute to his campaigns — and Ashdown, who hopes to fight anti-tech policies and help Congress understand the internet from the point of view of someone who has been there.
Guess which one I chose to interview.
Read the whole Interview. GO ASHDOWN!
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I think the article misses one of the important reasons why Orrin in bed with the RIAA–it isn’t because of campaign contributions, but rather becuase he thinks he is an artist.
Comment by Daniel — May 2, 2006 @ 6:53 am
I’d be interested to know which special interest groups you think Senator Hatch is representing instead of the citizens of Utah. There’s nothing wrong with criticism, but part of being a responsible citizen is not only criticizing and complaining, but also informing yourself and sharing information, not just rhetoric, with others. I’m not trying to refute your claim; I would just appreciate you posting a follow-up with something to substantiate it.
Comment by Davis — May 2, 2006 @ 7:09 am
Daniel,
His status as an “artist” doesn’t excuse proposals to damage computers that download copyrighted content with virus code. His status as an “artist” doesn’t excuse his abismal position on DMCA. His status as an “artist” doesn’t mean he should get to spend 90% of my lifetime in the U.S. Senate either. Its time for Orrin to go. You’re right though…the interviewer didn’t acknowledge Hatch’s recordings. I’ve never actually heard any of them. Are they any good?
Comment by Jeremy Manning — May 2, 2006 @ 8:34 am
Davis,
Read the post and the interview. Hatch’s other special interest contributers besides RIAA and MPAA include the Vitamin supplement industry and Tobacco along with numerous others who don’t have Utah’s interests ahead of their own. I don’t have any problems with those industry’s per se…I just think Hatch should represent Utah instead of his contributers. He isn’t doing that right now…and hasn’t for decades.
Besides that…no politician should be around long enough that his constituents can say he’s been wrong on a topic for DECADES.
Comment by Jeremy Manning — May 2, 2006 @ 8:38 am
I never meant to imply that Orrin’s “artist” status mean anything. I have heard some of his CDs and they aren’t what I would call art.
Vote Ashdown (or anyone else besides Hatch) for Senate!
Comment by Daniel — May 9, 2006 @ 11:14 am