Obama once again strayed away from the "audacity of hope" and made another cheap shot against McCain in his video "Still," which makes fun of the fact that McCain joined the Senate like, totally 20 years before Obama did. So uncool. And that he said he doesn't know how to use email or computers very well.
Ok, fine. I've been trying to get my parents to use Gmail for 2 years. They won't budge from their beloved Microsoft Outlook. And it's not because they're not smart. Kids I babysat for in high school probably have fancier cell phones than I do and know how to program their DVDs and Tivos, and I still don't have the patience to do that. Who cares?
I'm not even gonna get into the fact that McCain can't type because of the injuries he endured at the Hanoi Hilton. But let's look at a few things McCain does know how to do that Obama doesn't:
Fly a plane.
Run a committee dedicated to national commerce, science, and technology.
And McCain did decently when interviewed during the primaries by CNET in their "Technology Voter's Guide" to the election. Check out his responses - he shows a solid understanding of the internet's role in fighting terrorism, takes positions in favor of competition and free trade as they apply to tech, and says he's against internet taxes. And in this Tech Crunch inteview from last year, he sounds pretty confident (there's also a podcast) and cracks some good jokes, too.
How did Obama's running mate fare in this survey? Well, Biden refused to answer it, perhaps because he didn't want to discuss his pro RIAA record, crackdown on copyright law in online music downloading, and skepticism of net neutrality - all positions that don't sit well with the techie-happy Obama. Or perhaps it's because he received a 37.5% score from the CNET folks in the 2006 Voter's Guide.
Looks like Obama should consider his running mate's positions on technology issues, not just whether he can click 'send,' before he throws the first stone.
2 comments:
Thanks for that explanation. Being in such a tech-savvy area, I've had some questions about McCain's use of computers and the internet. That questionnaire you cited is helpful
Katie,
Great article. I'm always a bit confused by this particular anti-McCain argument myself. I mean, geez laweez, how on earth did McCain succeed for decades in the Senate without email?
Trust me, the President doesn't need to be tech-savvy in order to keep us secure. People like my husband do that every day.
Actually, I find the whole fabricated problem comical ... lol, but that could be because I don't know what a podcast is.
Lol, you gotta 'do' that the way it sounded in my head ... the way Tina Fey did her Palin impression ... it's funny, try it ... "I don't know what a podcast is..."
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