Mr. Issa, Take Note of Google and Obama Coziness

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the Obama Administration’s view of business — it publically treats corporations with distain while privately promoting crony capitalism helping their favorite corporations with bailouts and subsidies. GM, Chrysler, Citibank, Goldman Sachs and any company trying to make an electric car, solar panel or wind farm. But by far Google is their favorite crony. As Rep. Darrell Issa, the incoming Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee, plans his oversight hearing schedule, the incestuous relationship between the $22 billion corporate behemoth and the Obama White House should be worthy of some Mr. Issa’s worthy oversight agenda.

It’s no secret that Google was one of corporate America’s biggest Obama backers donating over $800,000 to his presidential campaign. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt actively promoted his candidacy and helped pay for the Obama inauguration.

And what has Google got for its “investment” and relationship in the Administration? In Washington, there is an old saying – “Personnel equals policy.” In the case of Google, it’s clear the tail is wagging the dog. Former Google policy maker Andrew McLaughlin, was named White House deputy chief technology officer in June where he’ll be in a position to shape policy that affects Google’s rivals creating a disadvantage for Google’s competitors.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Google’s Street View operations have collected photos, videos and sensitive personal information from WiFi connections. As Ken Boehm reported the Federal Trade Commission abruptly ended its investigation of “Street View” – a decision that came on the heels not only of Google’s admission that its surveillance was much more serious than previously disclosed but only days after a $30,000-a-head fundraiser for President Obama at the home of a Google executive. The FTC’s decision came only four days after Google admitted a key fact it had long denied: that “Street View” did capture URLs, e-mails and passwords.

It will be up to the Congress to determine why the investigation was dropped. Did the Administration weigh in to protect their piggybank? Time will tell.