Gary, I guess if your a Realtor and don't blog you can not sell real estate either. Stewart if that is the prequlaification for President well we are in trouble. Is this the kind of change Obama wants?

This is a candidate who argues that his "superior experience" should be a prime factor to voters.

I'm not sure a president needs computer skills, but being out of touch with the use of email and basic word processing is not something you see much anymore.

Maybe he sees being out of touch as some sort of virtue, something that will resonate with folks who have managed to resist technology.

I'm not impressed by a candidate who proudly proclaims himself to be computer illiterate.  There's no way to make that sound like an achievement.

Gary - don't you think its reasonable that in the year 2008, everyone, including the President of the USA, is at least able to use a PC? I'm not saying he needs to be a computer programmer, but at least use a PC or MAC in your daily activities.

Eric - You hit the nail on the head. This is indicative that McCain is out of touch.

If he cannot use a PC, how can he comprehend advances in technology? Would he be able to relate to an iphone? Or would he be amazed and stunned at it's capabilities?

Even if a candidate doesn't physically USE a computer, how much does that individual comprehend about how computers and the Internet have changed our society?

My concern would be that the computer illiterate is out of touch with a huge aspect of change in how the world communicates and where information comes from.  It's something like having an educational deficiency. 

Last week it was reported that the Chinese have hacked into U.S. Government computers and into the laptops of members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Isn't that a homeland security issue?

I'm sure McCain's aides and handlers have briefed him on the incident, but how much awareness does he have about the urgent need for better security and encryption of sensitive information?

"Making America Safe" is about far more than sending twenty-year-olds with AR-15s to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Hey, Stewart. So, McCain takes a fifteen minute class on how to send an email or how to instant message. Is it really that bad? As a democrat, I would not make this one of my qualifications in a candidate. Thanks, Jim

My concern is that McCain thinks certain technology still belongs in James Bond Movies. I'd be curious to know what modern gadgets and conveniences he uses in his daily life.

How can he relate to email if he's never had an email account? How can he relate to internet commerce?

Is he aware of the speed at which information can be transferred and disseminated? Does he even know about texting on cell phones?

I think these are serious issues that raise serious questions.

I have to agree with the crowd. If he can't send an e-mail or power up his computer this will not be a big consideration for me. Honestly he should be having a $6.00 staffer send e-mails because I would want him working on more important issues.

I agree with what you're saying Steve - but this goes to the way he thinks.

It's his mind-set that disturbes me - conciously deciding not to keep up to date and in tune.

What was the last movie that McCain saw? Is he in any way in tune with current pop culture? or is he still locked in the 1950's ("Vive Zepata" - 1952; "On the Waterfront" - 1954; "Streetcar Named Desire" - 1951). Again, this reflects a certain mind-set.

How can he relate to younger people, their dreams, concerns and fears?

Steve,

Who's "the crowd"?

I dought FDR, Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan could use a computer, while in office. Keep it in perspective.

Eric - I think Steve's referring to Jim and Frank above. To me, two's company, three's a crowd :)

James - Jimmy Carter was in office from 1977-1981 and Ronald Reagan from 1981-1989.

The PC came into mass usage in the mid to late 1980's.  So I believe you're making a mute point.

FDR was in office from 1933-1945, before the PC was even around. So that arguement makes no sense.

When FDR was told about the advent of atomic energy and the risk of Germany building an atomic bomb, he educated himself on the subject and got involved to the extent of taking action on a letter from Albert Einstein about the need to create the Manhattan Project. 

He didn't boast about being illiterate on the subject.

Ronald Reagan was napping most of the time during his eight long years in office.  His administration was run by handlers and cronies.

Stewart  Although his lack of computer skills alone is not that important, it is indicative of his disconnect with society.  If he hasn't gotten on board with these new fangled contraptions, it really worries me how out of touch he is with other technological advances.

I love the comment above about FDR not knowing how to use a computer.  Classic.  Proof that "perspectives" can be really scary.

Anthony - I'm glad you realized I wasn't that concerned whether McCain does or doesn't use a computer.

It's all about where his mind is at. I'm afraid he's stuck in the past and either cannot or will not progress with the times.

Great point, Stewart.  I had a closing yesterday in which the attorney prepared the settlement statement on a typewriter and proclaimed that he would not make any changes (it was totally incorrect).  I addition I tried calling his office to provide seller expense information and the line was busy for 20 minutes (due to the shared fax on that line).  I choose not to do business with someone who is not aware of current technology.  Real estate has changed due to the use of technology and if we don't keep current, we'll be left behind.  I see some parallels...

Lynn - I'm shaking my head in amazement as I read your comment. Thanks for sharing.

I believe what Stewart is getting at isn't the little picture (ie, he doesn't know how to logon) but the big one - his being in (or not in) touch with technology.  Yes he can learn how to get on and check email in very little time (unless you have him on Vista) but that's not the point.

Thank you, Tchaka.

It seems like a few readers couldn't appreciate the "bigger picture"

McCain is a century late and a dollar short!

I don't think a President needs to know how to use a computer, that's what his staff is for. I think a President has other things to concentrate on and I'm sure Lincoln, Reagan, Ford, Carter...they weren't computer literate either.  For me to vote for a President, computers is not on the top of my list!

LaNita - I'm not sure you read the comments on this Blog - but the PC hadn't been invented when Licoln was President ..... and was not in mass use when Reagan, Ford and Carter were President.

I think you've missed the whole point of this Blog.

Not too worried about the whole computer thing. I know plenty of people who are very computer literate who I wouldn't trust to walk my dog. I'm more concerbed about honesty, integrity, his positions on housing, the economy, taxes, foreign intervention. Plus if he's not computer literate at least we know he's not gonna be up half the night surfing porn channels and watching old clips of Rev Wright.

Gene - I like your different way of looking at :)

But you do get what I'm saying here .... right?

It's "his mind-set" I'm talking about.

There's and old blog on ActiveRain which discusses McCain's views toward Blogging. It's worh re-reading.

And what is Joe Lieberman doing with McCain?

I thought Lieberman knew better.

Gene: you said you are interested in Presidential Candidates: "his positions on housing, the economy, taxes, foreign intervention." I think the point Steward was trying to make was that everything is affected by communications, and how information is shared, transmitted and so on. If a candidate overtly chooses to ignore the fact that the world has changed with the technological advances, how can his position on the above be even remotely accurate? While the pages and peons can certainly make his phone calls and send his email - is he going to rely on them to 'inject' the picture of the world into him? Can he think honestly and truly for himself on issues which he cannot or refuses to see through the eyes of someone here and now, never mind its impact on the next generation?
Done rambling:-)

Inna - Thanks for your comments - they make good sense.

I hope to goodness he doesn't use a computer at all.  He doesn't have time to waste like we do.

I trust you're joking Diana.

No Diana isn't joking - and neither am I. Bill Gates (or the Donald) was once reputed to have said he wouldn't stoop over to pick up a $20 on the street because his time involved in doing so was worth more than the cash. I feel the same way about the president. I seriously doubt that even the most computer literate Pres. has time to surf the web, check out what the pundits have to say, read the blogs on AR to find out what he should be thinking. He has an opinion already or he wouldn't be running and he has the best advisors available who can read all that stuff and provide his daily update summary (as they do now to Bush and did to Clinton) The Pres simply does not have the time to look up all his own stuff. As to his 'mind-set' again I'm more concerned with his actions and opinions on vital elements than on whether or not he is a computer whiz. Coming along at the time of history he did, he was right at the cusp and could either have taken the leap or not. Back in those days, if you were not intimately involved with computers, you didn't mess with them much. Even today the incidence of 70 year olds depending on the computer for their daily fix is not as great as with each succeeding generation. Again - not too concerned.

Gene - Again, I think you've missed the point of this Blog.

Stewart:  I don't think we've got anyone who's up to the job...at least that's the presumptive nominees.  One's too green...the other too geriatric.  I have yet to be impressed by a politician.

Chris Ann - I'm sorry to say it, but I agree with you. That said, I believe we've got a better chance with Obama as President than McCain.

Sure I got the point of it - you wanted to use the computer allegory as a sign that McCain is not up to speed WITH THIS CENTURY while your buddy Obama is apparently just the right man for the job for some reason. And I had the temerity to question your premise. Sorry I wandered into this carnival. Thought it was an exchange of ideas but obviously I missed the point.

Gene  I follow Stewart's posts pretty regularly and know that he is open to an exchange of (relevant) ideas.  Stewart isn't suggesting that McCain should know how to program a computer, but rather that our next President should under the basics of technology that has formed the world into a completely different place than it was just a handful of years ago.  The fact that McCain can't use a personal computer is simply a metaphor for how out-of-touch he is with.... well, pretty much everything.

Gene - Please relax - all comments are appreciated. "Allegory" ..... good word ....!!

Anthony - Thanks for clarifying what I was trying to say.

Gene - I'm going to have to back Stewart on this one and I'll explain why.  Before doing so I'd like to point out that I never got the sense that McCain was that out of everything.  It's like Anthony saying "our next President should [sic]understand the basics of technology that has formed the world....."

Anyway, I have a friend who is a computer techie/consultant who moved to Oakland two years ago.  Towards the end of last year he started talking about his support for Obama (he's a Dem) and early this year when I posed the question why he prefered him over Hillary, he gave me three reasons.  The first I forgot, the second was Iraq and the third was technology.  He sent me an article or two talking about technology and Obama and though I don't remember the exact particulars, I believe it had to do with where we're going along with R&D and intellectual protection in that arena.  Quite frankly, something I had not thought of even though I consider myself 'in touch'. 

I seems minimal given the myriad of issues our country faces right now, but it's really a bigger deal than you might think.  At least that's my 0.12 Euros.

Tchaka -Thanks for your input.

No wonder he is the only candidate for President that is against net neutrality...he doesn't know what it is. lol

Where the Presidential candidates stand on Net Neutrality. 

Hillary Clinton    + Pro

Barak Obama    + Pro

Mike Huckabee  + Pro

John McCain     - Against

And I thought it was to help his friends and lobbyist's at the major telcos the way he helped his friend the lobbyist from Paxton Broadcasting. As a senator he sits on a committee that oversees the FCC and yet he doesn't understand the information age.

Although he's probably changed his mind by now....flip flop flip flop like he has on every other issue.

I think McCain is simply out of touch on so many issues, and is such a poor communicator, that his general ineptitude in simply one more sign that electing him president would be four more years of Bush'ism.  We do not need Bush III.  In fact... we didn't need Bush II either.  :(

Tchaka:  I was just tickled with your comment... "Yes he can learn how to get on and check email in very little time (unless you have him on Vista)."  Being stuck with Vista is a pretty good way to keep many folks in the dark.  Just my opinion.

Karen Anne - I had my first experience with Vista a few weeks ago.  I was having issues navigating and I kept asking myself, "What the hell heck is wrong with this Windows?".....then I realized it wasn't my standard Windows.  Aaaargh!!  If I have issues, I can only imagine Senator McCain on it.  Yikes.

Tchaka:  Being a former elementary school teacher, if I were to give Vista a conduct grade, my remarks would be "does not play well with others" and "does not share toys very well."

Stewart:  Looking at the photo in your post of McCain and Bush close, with their arms around each other... are they the "odd couple" or what ?

Stewart - Here's an article forwarded to me today from a techie friend in San Fran.  It pretty much confirms some earlier points, ie, McCain does not need to be a computer guru to be President.  But he does need to have a concept of technology to be in the century.

Read This!

I don't believe that the president needs to be internet or even computer savy to be a successful president.

To me, this statement reminds me of people that said they didn't want Hillary as president because of how she handled Bill's cheating on her.

The two just don't have anything to do with each other.

The president doesn't have to use a computer, that is why he has a staff. There are SEVERAL million people in this country that don't know how to use a computer and have no desire to. SUCCESSFUL people included.

I know several 20 somethings that don't know how to use a card catalogue at a library but they aren't stupid, illiterate, incompetant or incapable of handling their jobs, they just choose to do things differently.

Look at it this way, if the electronic world collapses, you will still have some people that know how to do things by hand. It's that type I want to put my faith in.

I've always believed that a leader should be able to carry on all functions of a business/organization even if s/he doesn't have to do them on a daily basis.  The CEO of a company doesn't have to make the bolts, but he should have a reasonable understanding of how the bolts are made, how they hold the pieces together, why four bolts are used rather than three or five.  The general of a great army won't be on the front lines, but should understand basic combat strategies.  The broker of a real estate company may not be in personal sales production, but should understand how to write a contract.

To believe the leader of one of the most powerful & industrialized nations in the world doesn't need a basic understanding of how a computer works is naive & foolish.

Anthony - Thank you for making sense and clarifying the message of my Blog.

The point of this Blog is to show McCain's "mindset".

Anyone taking the contents of the BLOG on a purely literal basis is missing the entire point.

Cheri - You are one of those who absolutely missed the point.  As we've all said, McCain doesn't *have* to know how to use a computer to be President.  However, the chances of him continuing to advance our country would be greatly enhanced if he understood the underpinings of this type of technology.

And your example is backwards.....I see McCain as the guy who DOES know how to use a card catalogue at the library.  The problem with that is that I don't know the last time I saw a card catalogue, maybe it was in the stacks of Alderman library back in college. Dunno.  Half of of the 20 somethings I know probably don't even know what a card catalog is.  Everything is computerized now, I even renew books from home.  So although McCain is not stupid or illiterate, he will walk into the library looking for the little drawers full of cards......

Tchaka  Man, that is such a funny mental image.....  McCain wandering the aisles of a library desperately searching for the card catalog.....  walking by computer kiosk after kiosk.

Computer skills are very important in this fast paced world. Whoever gets the nod for President will have more then anough people to do what needs to be done. There are greater issues facing this country than that. I'm one for delegation. I don't have to be the brightest just smart enough to know who is.

Robert - I think you've also missed the essence of this Blog.

Yeah, he sure has.

According to the Borowitz Report McCain made his first visit to the Internet and will visit Key Sites for the  next 5 Days. 

http://www.borowitzreport.com/default.asp

Jane  Thanks for sharing that story.  Now I have to rethink my politics.  Next thing you know McCain will be settting the time on his VCR all by himself.

I wonder if he'll step up to Betamax....

Do you suppose he's heard about MP3's, or is he still thinking about getting a Sony Walkman?

Robert Brown

Don't worry .  I know lots of agents who can burn up a keyboard a day, wear out a blackberry a week, walk around with a bluetooth hanging on their ear, and have two types of GPS units in their cars.  But they still can't sell a thing.  Then there's the guy that has a 4 year old version of Windows on a 5 year old PC, pecks when he types, has a 4 year old cell phone, takes home 150k a year, by simply knowing how to speak with people in a convincing and professional manner.

Yes...   I agree The President needs to learn how to run a computer, but in the great scheme of things  when it comes down to being presidential I feel honesty, sincerity, courage,experience, maturity, and  perseverance trump  pretty, techie, charming and talkative any day of the week. This isn't a high school beauty pagent, even though the press has turned it into one on purpose.  

Trey - it appears that you too have missed the message of my Blog.

I know agents who can burn up a keyboard a day, wear out a blackberry (and an iphone) a week, walk around with a bluetooth hanging on their ear, and have two types of GPS units in their cars - who consistently make over $250,000 a year. 

I also know of other agents who have 4 year old versions of Windows on their 5 year old PC's, pecks when they type, have 4 year old cell phones, and can't sell a thing. 

With respect - I think you make a mute point.

Stewart,

That was exactly my point. Just having tecnical tool expertise and looking pretty isn't enough either.

Just my view.

This issue isn't merely about technical capabilities.

Knowledge of the Web and how the Internet functions has become a political football in Washington lately.  Read the Save the Internet Blog here and learn why.

The FCC (appointed by the President) recently took historic action to stop Comcast and other enormous telco companies from selectively blocking internet access to consumers.  This action was hotly debated in Congress, mostly along party lines.  GOP candidates have received a significantly  higher share of lobbying money from mega-companies like Verizon, Comcast and ATT this year, with lobbyists trying desperately to scuttle the Net Neutrality movement.

McCain may not have much of a grasp of this issue either if he is not an Internet user.  And his party (the Republicans) has been courted heavily by companies that wish to control the Internet.  Bloggers and other Web users should be paying close attention to this issue, if they're not aware already. 

Great comment Eric - Thanks.

(Where have you been? Haven't seen you on AR for some time)

8/6/08 - John McCain has started talking about an "Econominc Surge", linking Economics to the Iraq war: He claims that like the "Surge" in Iraq achieved results, we need an "Economic Surge" to get our country on a more solid footing.

Any practical ideas instead of silly rhetoric Mr Mccain?

Maybe he had a 'Neural Surge' that's slightly affected his thoughts.....

Tchaka - What is so puzzling is that the race between McCain and Obama is still so close in spite of these kinds of comments.

What are American voters thinking?

Interestingly enough, CNN's Jack Cafferty today posed the question: Important for president to be computer literate?

"Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong" - John McCain - 9/15/08