Out of Touch With Your Running Mate, Barack?

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.

Fire a gun. (Palin can do that too.)

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.

Nader, VPs and Polls

Media reports that Nader believes Obama will pick Clinton as his running mate. Why is the media still listening to this guy? I can't believe he has any insight into this. Although we can thank him for getting Bush elected in 2000, it's about time he should go off into the sunset. And yes, the antecedent of he is Nader, not Obama although there are times I wonder why the media is still listening to Obama.

It will be interesting to see who Obama does pick as his running mate. Supposedly it is down to Tim Kaine, Evan Bayh, and Joe Biden. If Obama picks Biden, that would really emphasize Obama's inexperience considering how long Biden has been around. Biden's knack for talking just short of forever probably won't help Obama. Being from Indiana, I think Bayh might be the best choice for Obama.

Finally, a Rasmussen poll says that McCain leads Obama, 46-43% in Florida, which is excellent news. Ohio is really close as well, and nationally, the lead for Obama is just a couple of points. These are all excellent signs for McCain, but a lot can change over the next few weeks during the conventions. Remember in 2004, it was just after the RNC and DNC that Bush really got out in front of Kerry and never really relinquished the lead.