S&T in the 2008 Presidential Election Newsletter

July 2008

The latest science-related news on the presidential election from the
AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Congress

ELECTION UPDATES

Candidates Focus on Competitiveness
Both candidates continue to elaborate on their plans for restoring the economy and American competitiveness. In Las Vegas on June 24, Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama described his energy plan, which includes investing $150 billion over the next ten years in developing renewable energy sources and biofuels. He also voiced his disapproval for a federal summer gas-tax holiday and offshore oil drilling, both of which are supported by his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain. Two days later, Obama participated in a summit on competitiveness at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh that was hosted by MIT, where he made similar remarks. His remarks are available online from CNN and a podcast of the event is available on his website.

On July 7, at a town hall meeting in Denver, CO, John McCain also presented a plan for reviving the job market, part of which includes incentives for research and development, mainly in the form of tax credits. He also included his energy plan, dubbed the "Lexington Plan," which relies largely on new exploration for oil and gas, building 45 new nuclear plants by 2030, and investing $2 billion annually in clean coal research. However, he also made mention of support for the renewable energy production tax credit, which must be renewed annually in its present form, and his intention to extend it until renewable energy sources are competitive with conventional sources. In the transportation sector, McCain seeks to award a $300 million prize for a battery that can power a commercially viable plug-in hybrid vehicle, provide tax credits for vehicles with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and support the production of alternative fuels such as cellulosic ethanol. McCain touted the plan again, specifically the $300 million battery prize in a visit to GM's technical center in Warren, MI on July 18.

REPORTS

The Alliance for Science and Technology Research in America (ASTRA) released its summer 2008 briefing report, which includes mention of the Woodrow Wilson Center's report "Critical Upgrade: Enhanced Capacity for White House Science and Technology Policymaking"(OSTP 2.0). The briefing also mentions updates to ASTRA's usinnovation.org site, which includes more information and news about the candidates and their platforms.

RESOURCES

NEW Questions for Presidential Candidates
Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA), along with Science Debate 2008 and other scientific professional societies, has created a list of fourteen key science and technology policy questions that will be sent to all major presidential candidates.  For further information go to: http://sharp.sefora.org/presidential-candidates-questionnaire/

AAAS S&T in the 2008 Election Resources Page
The Resources page now includes a section with information specifically about the transition to the next presidential administration.

NEWS

As part of its "Innovation and the Elections 2008" initiative, Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA) conducted a poll to determine American voters' support for science and technology. The poll results showed that Americans overwhelmingly prefer to see science and technology form the basis for policy decisions on global warming, energy, education, and health care, with 72% of respondants rating that preference 8-10 on a 10-point scale. The complete results of the poll are available on SEA's website.

OTHER NEWS
"McCain, Obama float education plans" eSchool News July 17, 2008
"McCain to Lay Out Market-Oriented Technology Policy" CQ News July 8, 2008
"Earth scientists planning for Presidential transition" Arizona Geology June 30, 2008

PRESS COVERAGE

AAAS's Science and Technology in the 2008 Presidential Election has been featured in publications including The Baltimore Sun, Wired Science, Greenwire and Inside Higher Ed. Science readers can also view a write-up in the journal's January 25 issue.

MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

The Center's election project will maintain a listserv for individuals interested in receiving updates on new information related to science, technology and the election. To subscribe, send your name and e-mail address to congress_center@aaas.org with the Subject line "Election".