So many people have preconceived notions - good and bad - about what it is like to work at Microsoft (aka Evil Empire to some). In reality like anything else, there are great things about this company and not-so-great things about this company. I guess that's why it is called work, and not utopia. Anyway MSFT employees are lucky enough to have a company that has enough clout to bring in political leaders to come in and talk to us. This takes place at our satellite campuses as well.
This week, we had Senator Hillary Clinton on campus and I was able to get in early to get a good seat. Having a laptop to stay productive also helps. I know she is a divisive figure so I know some people on this blog may cringe as this story continues. Anyway this was my first time getting such an up close view of a Presidential Candidate (never been that close to the President), so I kind of didn't know what to expect.
Senator Clinton went through her talk, which was very geared towards the audience - tech savvy, strong interest in research, immigration for skilled workers, etc. She was incredibly prepared, which is probably in no small part due to having probably some of the best aides out there but I always say that the candidate still needs to deliver the message in a compelling way. The other interesting thing that she talked about was how she thinks they are going to win the White House. Her sense is that Kerry/Edwards spent too much in places that they knew they had won (i.e., larger cities like NY, SF, etc.) and less in the rural areas.
She talked about how when she ran for Senator in 2000, she spent the bulk of her time initially in upstate NY. I actually remembered that because I remember thinking that after going to college in upstate NY how different the two constituencies actually were, and that Rudy (when he was still in the race) would not have a chance up there because he had no idea how people in rural areas lived. Lazio, her eventual competitor, failed miserably up there as well. She is planning on following a similar strategy for the White House.
And I actually was selected to ask a question, which was cool (the video above covers part of her answer to my question). My question was about simplifying the tax code and what was her plan around it. I didn’t want to ask an obvious question around pro-choice, stem cell research and given MSFT’s population, you can imagine immigration was already covered. She talked about how it is part of a larger problem with the economy and general competitiveness, and basically said – I need your help to figure it out. I do wish there was more of a plan here, but understand that it is part of a larger problem. I wonder whether that will resonate with people who do not understand economics past salary, bills and taxes though, and I think that is a large part of America. Then again, it could have been very targeted towards the audience.
Later on, when this VERY BLURRY picture (think mosh pit around Hillary) was taken, Senator 
Clinton remembered me and asked me what I would do and I mentioned the AMT (quick answer, quick response). Her speech will probably something similar to what is being said in places like the Bay Area and other well-educated constituencies. I doubt that many of the issues she touched upon today is part of what she is talking about while visiting Iowa, for example.
My opinion – very well prepared. Everything was very off-the-cuff (yes, she probably has staffers who prep her but you still have to deliver the message). The consensus from the people I was sitting near that she actually was funnier than we thought she would be. Very focused, but actually had some witty comments which made the audience laugh.
Rumor has it that Obama is coming soon. Laura, one of our friends who is an avid NPR listener, suggested that the e-mail dispatch from that event be entitled, "Beck and Barack". Hmmm.... we'll see.
Oh - and supposedly the biggest Yankee fan around - that would be Rudy Guiliani - is cheering for the Red Sox in the World Series. No serious Yankee fan would ever cheer for the Red Sox - ever. This was the same guy who took a shot at Hillary when she said she was a Yankee fan when she initially ran in 2000 for the NYS US Senate seat.