republican

A majority of American voters wants the FCC to keep its hands off the Internet.

At least, that was the finding of new survey results released this week by polling firm Rasmussen Reports.

Among the 1,000 "likely U.S. voters" questioned, only 21 percent said they'd be in favor of the Federal Communication Commission regulating the Internet. A majority 54 percent said they're opposed to government control of the Net, while 25 percent were left undecided.

Rasumussen conducted its survey on December 26, just a few days after the FCC unveiled new regulations that would … Read more

Let's get intellectual.

Every object, thought, movement, and person is, at heart, political. They might try to hide it. They might couch their purpose in some pretense of rationality. But in the end, everything that lives, breathes, or takes up space is trying to persuade you of something.

So, being deeply political myself, my head stubble stood on end when those who operate my dog collar at CNET told me about the new Great American Novel, "Freedom." This is the latest work by Jonathan Franzen, the man who experienced conniptive tendencies on learning that Oprah had given his book "The Corrections" her seal of approval.

Everyone who is anyone (and even some who are no one) has declared "Freedom" a vastly important work. But what might move you to read it is the part in which one of the main characters, middle-aged rock star Richard Katz, declares that Apple is rotten and the iPod is Republican.

Naturally, I have speed-read to this most important part. However, some might find that many of Katz's statements, all offered with dulled power of hindsight to a 19-year-old Mac-loving blogger, move them to tears, joy, violent twitching, or enlightenment.

In answer to the question "What do you think of the MP3 revolution?" Katz offers: "Ah, revolution, wow. It's great to hear the word 'revolution' again. It's great that a song now costs exactly the same as a pack of gum and lasts exactly the same amount of time before it loses its flavor and you have spend another buck."

But Katz is merely stretching his mandible for a more targeted assault. Because he has Apple in his sights:

"Apple Computer must be way more committed to making the world a better place, because iPods are so much cooler-looking than other MP3 players, which is why they're so much more expensive and incompatible with other companies' software, because--well, actually, it's a little unclear why, in a better world, the very coolest products have to bring the very most obscene profits to a tiny number of residents of the better world."… Read more

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina has been diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery Monday at Stanford Hospital, according to a report in The San Francisco Chronicle.

Fiorina, a Republican largely expected to run for a U.S. Senate seat for California, was diagnosed February 20, one day before addressing a state GOP convention in Sacramento, according to the report.

"She's doing great...she only just learned about this," the paper quoted Deborah Bowker, her chief of staff, as saying in an e-mail. She said Fiorina's prognosis for full recovering and that she is expected to … Read more

A somewhat unconventional yet challenging task: Newsweek invited four "hot (and nonpartisan) design firms" to provide ideas and design direction for "resurrecting the Republican brand," featured in this week's (December 29) print issue. The full-page feature presents concepts by frog design (full disclosure: my employer), Pentagram, Razorfish, and The Groop.

The article is not available online so check it out at a news stand (and support print media!).

In the aftermath of another vicious sell-off on Wall Street, CNET's Kara Tsuboi sits down with reporter Ina Fried to discuss what the tech sector is up against.

Republican party operatives in Missouri report the theft of a laptop containing privileged information. The laptop contained "information you'd expect the coordinator for a GOP national campaign to have," such as information on areas to target for support, said Tina Hervey, communications director for the Missouri Republican party.

Also in this podcast, Delta allows for in-cabin Web surfing. But some passengers have been browsing to sites where, um, … Read more

I was happy to refrain from commenting about John McCain's acceptance speech last night. There are enough political spin doctors out there already and Microsoft is keeping me plenty busy.

But now that my junior high school has taken on the starring role, I can't leave it alone.

It turns out a photo displayed on a screen during the first part of McCain's speech, which some thought was one of McCain's many mansions, was in fact the front of Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, Calif., where yours truly spent three awkward, hormone-filled years. (TV … Read more

MINNEAPOLIS--Republican partygoers in the Twin Cities this week may have been sporting slightly more formal attire than their counterparts in Denver--think more suits and pearl necklaces--but that doesn't mean their parties were any less bumping.

The Google/Vanity Fair party Thursday night in Minneapolis for the Republican convention largely measured up to, and in some respects surpassed, the Google party in Denver.

The two parties were the same in concept--well-known politicians, unknown aides, and a smattering of Hollywood celebrities moved through rooms sporting colored themes, finger foods, and open bars. However, the lines at the bars in Minneapolis were … Read more

With Thursday night's finale at the Republican National Convention, the preliminaries of the 2008 presidential contest are over and done with--on to the general election in November.

The centerpiece of the Republican event Thursday in St. Paul, Minn., was the acceptance speech by nominee John McCain. The senator from Arizona offered up his vision for what the country can expect if he and running mate Sarah Palin are sworn into office in January.

Get the full lowdown on the night's proceedings from Katie Couric and the CBS News team:

Watch CBS Videos Online

John McCain's announcement last week that he has chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate left the public thirsting for information about the Alaska governor-- and inspired hundreds of commentators, entrepreneurs, and Palin imitators to try to fill in the gaps.

A would-be Palin shares her inner-most thoughts on "The PalinDrome: Sarah Palin's Blog". A faux Levi Johnston (that'd be Palin's soon-to-be son-in-law, for those of you out of the loop) can also be found online.

You can join one of the hundreds of new Facebook groups passing judgment about Palin-- ranging from "… Read more