CEO to Obama During Contentious Meeting with Top Tech Executives: "Pardon Edward Snowden."
Source: Daily Kos
Executives for the nation's largest technology companies met with President Obama this morning to argue that the NSA's unchecked surveillance is harming their businesses and the overall economic environment in which they operate.
CEOs from over 15 companies – including Google, Apple and Microsoft – pressed for the president to rein in the NSA's bulk surveillance activities and expressed anger over the government's infiltration of U.S. servers around the world.
During the meeting, Mark Pincus (founder of Zynga) boldly suggested to Obama before the gathered group that Edward Snowden should be pardoned. Pincus, it is important to note, gave $1 million to Obama's Super PAC, Priorities Action USA.
Obama's response: he could not do so.
Read more: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/18/1263679/-CEO-to-Obama-During-Contentious-Meeting-with-Top-Tech-Executives-Pardon-Edward-Snowden#
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daleanime
(17,796 posts)
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)They want the NSA reined in because it makes their businesses a lot more complicated, and it puts they at war with their customers.
Their reaction is not surprising at all. Let's see is Obama wises up a little.
djean111
(14,255 posts)Oh, and clearly - Pincus never loved Obama.
Guess what? This is not about Obama, Obama is just a player in the game. He will be replaced in a few years.
boomersense
(147 posts)understand this, but more will next year. And the revolt will hopefully get more serious.
George II
(67,782 posts)
former9thward
(31,941 posts)Nixon was given a pardon by Ford even though he was never charged with any crime let alone convicted.
George II
(67,782 posts)....Nixon could have been pardoned without being charged.
UpInArms
(51,280 posts)
okaawhatever
(9,457 posts)happened if someone decided to press charges after Ford? Delicious thought, but alas, no such thing.
Demeter
(85,373 posts)A little humility from our Constitutional Scholar, and some application of his expertise, would be a welcome trend. He's got the rest of his life on the line, here...and he's daily working to see that it's not a life worth living. For him and his family.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)
snot
(10,502 posts)OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)it would be the least Obama could do for Snowden.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)boomersense
(147 posts)ddd
okaawhatever
(9,457 posts)to head with Cheney over that and their relationship hasn't been the same. It was such a controversial issue between them I have to wonder what the background was?
Hosnon
(7,800 posts)Companies are justifiably rethinking doing business with American tech companies because the NSA thinks they can do whatever the hell they want. Well - money is what really calls the shots, not spooks reading their ex's emails.
Once enough financial damage is done, the NSA's new toys will be taken away from them.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)it is a real drag on our economy (along with everything else). Of course, the more that is revealed the more the rats are jumping ship anyway, in their own ways- they're trying to distance themselves now from it all. Funny thing though, we haven't actually had the big discussion about the whole thing to begin with. It's as if it's just a given now that the programs are legal and constitutional, and the debate has shifted again and again. Now we are at a place where they are just manipulating the entire dialogue to distract and deflect. I hope the corporate money boys weighing in like this will really have some effect.
fbc
(1,668 posts)How the hell does Zynga get invited to something like this? Answer: by donating to Obama's PAC apparently. Why should we take this meeting as some serious meeting of the tech giants when the leader of a company of such ill repute is invited?
For those unfamiliar with Zynga, go read their wiki page. Their business model was basically to steal games from small independents, and repackage them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zynga#Intellectual_property_controversies_and_litigation
djean111
(14,255 posts)Did the other invitees disagree? Do you think Obama held a not-so-serious meeting, just for grins?
Oh, and last time I looked, donating to any politician's PAC in large amounts gets access.
Ash_F
(5,861 posts)As evidenced by Alexander's behavior and comments
He should do it to stick it in their eye
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)Obama must be licking these CEOs' boots.
treestar
(82,383 posts)I thought Obama would do the corporatists' bidding, but also that the corporatists never are willing to do the right thing.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)because it opens the door to grant universal immunity to ALL corporate whistleblowers...
Wouldn't Wall Street be shitting their pants if *that* ever came to pass?
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Obama should pardon both Snowden and bush, w. at the same time.
He's not gonna be able to prosecute either one so he might as well pardon w.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)mother earth
(6,002 posts)
grasswire
(50,130 posts)The handlers may not want him to do so. But it is within his power to do so.
silvershadow
(10,336 posts)Time's a wastin' on this term. Maybe after the mid-terms. And, he can lose his handlers any time he wants to as far as I am concerned. I much prefer Obama the idealist, the one who ran for President so many years ago now.
politichew
(230 posts)He doesn't have the credentials to make complex policy decisions outside how many Facebook friends someone needs to help build a fake barn.
