While many Americans across the country spent Friday night dressed up as Sarah Palin for Halloween, it was Tina Fey who once again stole the show. Fey reprised her role as Palin for “Saturday Night Live” in a joint appearance with John McCain focused entirely on home shopping channel QVC.

“On the heels of the Obamamercial that dominated the airwaves this past week, comes this skit that opened ‘Saturday Night Live’ featuring John and Cindy McCain who, unable to afford Obama’s paid programming blitz, go on QVC to ply wares along with McCain running mate Sarah Palin in the guise of dead ringer Tina Fey. Do we need any further proof of the ubiquity of electronic retailing as a thread in the fabric of American life?” - Rick Petry

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Rob Medved, president and CEO of Cannella Response Television, meets Sen. John McCain at the 2008 Sylvania 300 NASCAR race this fall at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH.

Left to Right, Chris Rebholz and Eric Nelson of Christopher Morgan Fulfillment, NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, Jerry Grasmick of Dish Network and Frank Cannella and Rob Medved of Cannella Response Television. Medved, Cannella, Rebholz and Nelson were on hand as guests of Dish Network, whose sponsored car — driven by Biffle — won the race.

Send your industry event pictures to Pat Cauley at pcauley@retailing.org!

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I have heard more than enough about John McCain’s limited understanding of the Internet (everyone look, a politician was honest; let’s all berate him for it!). But, at the very least, it brought a major issue forward. The plain and simple fact is the Internet is a scary and complicated thing for many in Congress. During some hearings I attended this week, it became clear that some members really did not understand the way the Internet works. Many members did not seem entirely clear on the difference between searches and search ads. One member even admitted confusion about what cookie is. Another member referred to IP addresses as IPS’s. I don’t want to pick on any members, and I can’t even really say I blame them. The average age for members of Congress is near 60, and only a few members have had experience in the Internet industry. In contrast, many members have private-sector experience that easily allows them to become leaders in other fields, like finance, agriculture or energy. That is why educating lawmakers about the way the Internet works (and even what exactly it is) will be essential for the Internet industry. I am convinced that better understanding is the key to better legislation. ERA looks forward to working with industry leaders to achieve this goal.

Tomi Turner works in ERA’s government affairs department.

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