On Monday, I was at the annual Personal Democracy Forum, and the news of the day--in between wide-ranging talk of social networking, new politics, and blogging and journalism--was a brief exchange between Tracy Russo, who was deputy director of online communications for John Edwards' 2008 campaign, and Mark Soohoo, an adviser to the John McCain campaign for online matters.
It was a slam waiting to happen.
In early February, John McCain, in an interview with Yahoo news, acknowledged that he does not know how to use a computer without his wife's assistance (thus, he couldn't say whether he prefers a Mac or a PC). Bloggers and techies have been poking fun at McCain ever since.
So at the PDF confab, Russo, while sitting on a panel with Soohoo, remarked that she did not see how anyone unfamiliar with computers could become president in 2008. Soohoo responded the best he could:
You don't necessarily have to use a computer to understand, you know, how it shapes the country....John McCain is aware of the Internet.
Aware of the Internet? It's a remark ready-made for derision. But let's (at least this time) avoid the cheap shot, for there is a serious point here: where is McCain's intellectual curiosity? Over the past decade, more and more Americans of all ages have become wired. Using email and the Internet has become a fundamental activity of modern life. How could McCain, who has long wanted to lead this nation, say to himself, I don't need to know how this stuff works? And in an era when so much depends on the Internet--including much of the economy and aspects of national security--how could a senior legislator and commander-in-chief wannabe eschew firsthand experience of how this series of tubes and wires functions?
What motivated--or demotivated--McCain to be a computer illiterate? Is he a fuddy-duddy resistant to change? Is he--let's be frank--too old to absorb new notions? Is he a Luddite? None of these are qualities you'd want in a president. Are there other explanations?
This is no laughing matter. At a debate, a town hall meeting, or a press conference, McCain ought to be pressed on this point. Not as gotcha politics; this is fundamental politics. Voters ought to know what makes a candidate tick--or not. Soohoo's reply to Russo was, of course, insufficient. Being "aware" is not enough. McCain needs to say more on this front. Maybe in an email.
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Comments
Wow. But we've never gone astray because a Republican president in the last 30 years was out of touch, have we? Think about that. Since 1980, George H.W. Bush, who didn't know about bar-code scanners at the grocer's, was the GOP president with the closest connection to reality and with some semblance of intellectual curiosity. What is it with these guys? And why would any voter think we can afford another president cut from this cloth? Heaven help us.
Posted by: Unitarian Patriot
| June 24, 2008 11:19 AM
I read somewhere if Obama was "aware" of . . . say . . .the economy - would that be enough to be president?
The double standard the M$M uses is sickening.
This is the first "broadband" presidency and Barack has made good use of the technology - I think McCain and his advisors are "aware" of it.
Thanks
Posted by: capt
| June 24, 2008 12:22 PM
Even my dad, who was a a huge technophobe, learned how to use email and the Internet at age 70.
David's column is just more evidence that McCain is intellectually lazy. We don't need another president who can't make an effort to do the job right.
Posted by: Antidote
| June 24, 2008 4:01 PM
And to echo Antidote, my father-in-law, then in his 90's, accepted the gift of an iMac from his family out-of-state to stay in touch. He was a former coal industry worker, concrete in his thinking, and wanted to think of the "appliances" as gears engaging and turning inside the computer and then releasing to engage gears in another direction, but he was still curious enough and open to change to give it his best try. And he was a Florida Republican, as if that has anything to do with it.
"But suppose now that technology were no mere means, how would it stand with technology?" Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)
Posted by: Wahidiyya Kosmotikos
| June 25, 2008 6:50 AM
“BARACK OBAMA HAS ASKED TOP CONTRIBUTORS TO HELP HIS FORMER RIVAL FOR THE DEM NOMINATION, HILLARY CLINTON, RETIRE HER DEBT.”
Why does Mrs. “18 million supporters” need help? A dollar a piece from her ardent supporters and her debt is paid?
What? Not really 18 million? Well only half of those die hard - support her to the gates of hell - will vote for McCain - mindless drones can “chip in” $5 buck each and she is covered.
I would personally rather have my toenails pulled out than send her a farthing.
I do encourage anybody that thinks she ran a good campaign to send her a $20.
(crickets chirping)
Posted by: capt
| June 25, 2008 7:48 AM
As someone who has worked in a Congressional office before, I know that most Senators and Congressmen prefer printouts of emails, news articles, political blogs popular among constituents, etc... Not many of them have time to stay glued in front of a computer checking new messages. That's what interns are for. The legislator gets a daily news update from a staffer, and a stack of reading material for the day. That way, (s)he can glance through it in between meetings, committee hearings, votes, and speeches. If McCain wants information on a topic, someone gets it for him. He enjoys reading books, newspapers, and policy briefings. Besides, he was born in 1936. Give the guy a break. President Clinton didn't use a computer much either, nor did Bush. That's why they hire people who use computers. ;-) Who cares what medium a President gets information from? The question is whether you agree with the actions a potential President is likely to perform upon assuming office, as a result of the beliefs (s)he holds.
Posted by: IRradioDC
| June 25, 2008 11:35 AM
Guys check out these great article:
"The Country I Lie To"
Obama LIES on his first general election ad! Also, a short background check on Obama's VP adviser; Eric Holder.
wwww.savagepolitics.com/?p=800
"Tyrants or Children"
Kim Jong Il and his North Korean murderers endorse Barack Obama. Also, a short profile of Cindy McCain and her charity work.
www.savagepolitics.com/?p=805
Posted by: elsylee
| June 25, 2008 12:22 PM
It is a matter of appearance, gramps dates himself into oblivion by not bothering to learn. Grampa Simpson knows more about computers.
Talk about an elitist? Sure he can have his manslaves do all his computer stuff at one of his McMansions?
Talk about not connecting with the people? Literally!
lololololo
Posted by: capt
| June 25, 2008 12:47 PM
When Hillary held an online chat forum, her aides had to explain to her that she needed to hit enter to send a message. I think almost anyone who has used a computer has figured that out. Are politicians elitists? Maybe. But McCain isn't the only one who rarely or never uses computers.
Posted by: IRradioDC
| June 25, 2008 3:56 PM
Some folks just don't get Senator McCain's self-deprecating humor (or any of his humor for that matter.)
Some of you need to quit being so superficial, get the needles out of your butts and take an objective look at him for a change!
Posted by: Tim
| June 25, 2008 11:14 PM
So, you are making fun of McCain for not personally knowing how computers work. Fair enough. But, could you tell me exactly where the TUBES are on the computer YOU use?
Glass houses, and all that.
Posted by: wralewis
| June 26, 2008 9:05 AM
Tubes?
I thought there was a series of nanohamsters turning perpetual motion wheels that snatched electromagnetic waves from the ether and routed them through PVC pipes to radium-coated discs for viewing.
I did not know computers had advanced to tubes. I'll have to revise my Rube Goldberg concept of these things.
Posted by: Wahidiyya Kosmotikos
| June 27, 2008 8:25 AM
You know what else I found out McCain is woefully uninformed about? The whole field of late 60s-early 70s rock music-- it's like his musical knowledge ended before Sgt. Pepper. Where the hell was he during that time, in a monastery?
Posted by: Mgmax
| June 27, 2008 6:02 PM
When I run for Prez, I plan to be woefully uninformed about hip-hop. And if it takes a monastary to keep me that way I'll gladly go.
Posted by: flymorgue
| June 27, 2008 10:26 PM
"where is McCain's intellectual curiosity?"
Let's just get this straight... emailing and surfing this new-fangled "internet" thing indicate "intellectual curiosity" to Corn.
Sure, that's a really deep thought. Really really deep.
As we know, people are so much more informed about "stuff" thanks to the internet and the ability to email. Why read dead trees when you can get Wikipedia.
FACT: The most popular internet destinations are PORN SITES.
It's like the cell phone. Stand in any public place and you can hear how much this has revolutionized the "intellectual curiosity" of young people. "Where you at dude. in the mall, me too.. oh I can see ya... outside the Gap...let's get high"
Hey Corn. Slow news week or what? Try flying a Navy Jet. Let's see how savvy you are.
Oh... and when exactly do you think Clinton or Obama actually used a PC or Mac themselves, rather than their staff doing so on their behalf?
Posted by: Jack Bauer
| June 28, 2008 9:11 AM
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