MOUNTAIN VIEW, California
When the CEO of Google turned the microphone over to his employees after Barack Obama discussed his tech agenda, one worker who said he had voted for several losing Democratic presidential candidates got right to the point.
“I’m tired of losing,” he said to laughter, adding that he wanted to know whether Obama would demonstrate the political acumen of former President Bill Clinton or the comparative weakness of one time candidates, former Vice President Al Gore and Sen. John Kerry.
“What have you learned from Clinton that is going to make you win?” the man asked. “What have you learned from Gore and Kerry and all those guys that you’re going to avoid, so that history doesn’t recur?”
Obama replied that Democrats win when they stay true to their values and not when they compromise under fire from Republicans.
“Democrats lose when they are attacked and because they don’t know where they stand, they end up getting defensive instead of going on the offensive,” Obama said.
When another employee asked how he could persuade his friends to vote for the 46-year-old Illinois senator, Obama held up the success of the young Internet search engine to allay concerns about his perceived lack of experience.
