Is a person qualified to be President who doesn't have minimal

[pnwmom]

computer skills?

Of course any President will have access to advisors who can get him any information he needs. But what I'm thinking about is what McCain's total lack of computer literacy tells us about his mind. Doesn't it betray a lack of minimal intellectual curiousity and/or flexibility? Is a person who lacks those qualities suitable to be President?

I know that the majority of 72 year olds may not have computer skills, but my 79 year old mother does and so do a number of her friends. And the majority of 72 year olds -- and of all ages -- simply aren't qualified to be President. As far as I'm concerned, McCain's lack of computer skills is part and parcel of his character -- deep at heart, he's the same egotistical goof-off he's been since his Naval academy days. One more instance of McSame.

[bluedeminredstate]

1. My 75 year-old Dad

can run rings around me. He would be cut off from civilization without his computer! I can't imagine that someone who has lived away from his family all these years wouldn't want to take advantage of all the great ways computers connect families. Is he totally and completely computer illiterate as in can't-send-an-email? If so, that does show a stunning lack of curiosity and initiative on his part.

[pnwmom]

3. That's what I understand.

He doesn't touch the computer.

[AllentownJake]

2. His temper and his policies

Should disqualify him too. There are so many reasons he isn't qualified for the job. This is just one of them.

[rug]

4. Why not? Bush can't sharpen a pencil.

[polmaven]

18. Well, yeah,

and he doesn't know exactly how many internets there are, either. But the question is if he is qualified to be president. Bush isn't qualified to be a human, so the comparison is irrelevant

[CTyankee]

5. As a 68 year old computer challeged person I can relate to what you are saying.

But my issues are the same that many otheryounger people would probably face. However, I am very bothered by my inability to deal with the frustration. It makes me feel like an old, crabby person. That may be one reason McCain doesn't even bother to try.

My guess is that he feels too important to care about the hassle of dealing with everyday technology. However, he should know the basics about computers and know the frustrations that most all of us face daily with technology.

Then there's the embarrassing moment when your 10 year old granddaughter rips along on her Mac while you are just plodding along...:headbang:

[1Hippiechick]

7. "Then there's the embarrassing moment when your 10 year old granddaughter .." Switch roles - let her

be the teacher! You may have been the one to teach her to tie her shoes. Let her be the one to teach you something about 'puters!

:loveya:

[CTyankee]

14. Oh, she does! She's super smart and I have no qualms about letting her be the teacher!

She takes that role anyway. She's a real leader. Strong Democrat too!

[woolldog]

23. how are you posting this if you know nothing about computers?

You can't be too bad.

[pnwmom]

27. Give yourself credit for plodding. At least you're open-minded

enough and flexible enough to adapt to change.

You know what gave my mother the courage to try? She said that when she came here and saw that we let our two year old son play games on our computer, she figured that if we weren't worried about HIM ruining the computer, then she probably wouldn't ruin one either.

Thank goodness - because now that she can't drive anymore, her computer is her lifeline.

[1Hippiechick]

6. He's the perfect puppet. As far as computer skills, I posted somewhere earlier about how wonderful

it would be if ANY non-computer literate voters could have web Access. They would have access to information that would allow them to weigh the options and reach their own conclusions rather than have to depend on the Kool-Aid the MSM offers everyone under the guise of "truth" and "news."

So when we hear the MSM "junk" being espoused by our parents or other no-web-access ppl we just have to be patient and offer other viewpoints for them to consider These ppl are intelligent and capable of drawing their own conclusions, but when they only have access to one viewpoint......


Bottom line: this is a demographic that O's campaign needs to focus on, IMHO.

[SmileyRose]

8. I disagree computer skills are needed to be POTUS.

It may come to that sooner than later but we aren't there yet. I think we probably have no earthly clue how demanding POTUS is. We think we know by looking at the physical deterioration of our presidents, but I suspect it much much much harder than anyone realizes.

I'm sure there were problems, but FDR ran this country pretty darn well without a computer. A person with the right delegation and organizational skill could still do the same. Email would make it easier sure - but we do still have print newspapers so a POTUS can keep their "ear to the ground" citizenry wise - and of course their's the phone to communicate.

All that said, there was a time when, though I disagreed with him on just about everything, I had a small amount of respect for him. When he decided to be the NeoCon's bitch I lost whatever respect I had for him. I think that is what disqualifies him more than anything else. While a president does need to have a little flexability, McCain has proved he's willing to sell himself, and us, out.

No thanks.

[pnwmom]

31. I'm not saying computer skills per se are necessary. But his having no

minimal computer competence tells us something about his habits of mind -- and those habits are something we SHOULD be concerned about.

[SmileyRose]

37. I just disagree

I know a number of people who are curious, intelligent and well informed that do not own any sort of computing device. No TV, DVD, computer, cell phone, blackberry or such. All of them are over 60 yrs old. The one runs a $40 Million a month business quite well. Another is one of the sales people in NYC who is on target to outsell last year even in this economy. The salesman finally broke down and got a cell phone but that's it.

These are people who understand on a basic level Wii, YouTube, and "the internet tubes" just fine. They are just more comfortable with pen and pad, printed information, and face to face or if needed phone negotiations. They want to get the added communication with body language and voice inflections - not just the meaning of the words.

I'll grant you older people who are not participating in the masses of technology we use now can only understand the technology enhanced world we live in to a point. But to say technology is the only way one can be successful is not yet true. It probably will be true by the time the high school kids are ready to take the reigns. Not because there's no other valid way to live, but because all the other people they are communicating with is doing so via technology. As long as we still have land lines, pen and pad, printed materials and secretaries, a person can still successfully be well informed and competant.


Please understand, I'm not arguing McCain would make a successful POTUS - all I'm saying is what will make him unsuccessful are his viewpoints and goals, not his ability to use a computer.

[Mz Pip]

35. It just shows

a lack of intelectual curiosity and an unwillingness to at least be somewhat familiar with technology. It's about keeping up with the times.

It's not that hard.

FDR didn't use a computer because ther were no computers. If there were, I'd be pretty sure he'd know how to use one.

[HannibalBarca]

9. It's an excellent point

It is no longer acceptable to say that "I'm not a computer person" as if somehow that's an admirable attribute especially for such a prestigious and demanding position, access to information fast is a must and if this idiot really does want to be president he should sit down and read computer for dummies or some such equivalent text, followed in quick succession by diplomacy for dummies and finishing off with anger management for dummies.

[CK_John]

10. On the other hand should they all be jet pilots. n/t

[papapi]

34. You call McShame a jet pilot? He crashed two or three and wrecked a couple more...

McShame as a test pilot......what a joke.

[dems_rightnow]

11. Computer skills are completely unneccesary....

.... to fill the job as POTUS. It does, however, tend to point to someone who is out of touch with the real world.

[ladjf]

22. It's sort of like a person who doesn't know how to use a library.

[Igel]

24. Eh.

I was research assistant in a non-profit to a guy who couldn't find his way around a library easily. He'd walk into one, find the reference librarian, and go from there. Or he'd just send me.

A few years later, as a grad student, I was a research assistant for my then-future advisor. One day he handed me a thick stack of index cards, things he'd had others try to find over the previous 4-5 years with no luck, and had tried to find himself. A month later, between interlibrary loan, local libraries, and the university system, the list was down two just a very few cards, with titles in Danish or some less-common language. I gave him a list of libraries in Europe, and told him to track them down himself when he was there during the summer.

Incompetent to be faculty, except he published a few journal articles a year, an edited volume every 2 years, a monograph every two years, and presented at a couple of conferences per year. Not a slouch, by any means. An asshole, sure, but academically he was one of the more productive members of the dept., and in the top 10% at the university.

In fact, it was a waste of time for him to stress out over it. Grunts do that kind of work. Time spent looking in the library and sorting through reams of crap takes time away from what his job was, teaching and actually doing research. (I'm the opposite: I'm hideously non-productive, simply because I *like* sorting through reams of crap, inspecting all source materials and not trusting others' generalizations, even when they're almost certainly sound and I have no reason to doubt them.)

[pnwmom]

29. That is what I'm saying. Not only out of touch, but inflexible

and intellectually lazy.

More Bushness.

[Overseas]

12. Once GWB was appointed president, that opened the door

to people who have zero qualifications except dynastic status.

[LeftishBrit]

13. Well, the president for the last 8 years didn't have minimal skills in ANYTHING.

[1Hippiechick]

16. LOL n/t

[MH1]

15. Being clueless about such a major aspect of modern society

disqualifies him from serving as President, in my book.

I just don't see how he could be informed enough to make intelligent decisions where technology is involved. And technology is involved in everything these days.

I don't think a candidate needs to be a wiz on a pc, but to not be able to use one at all is pretty scary.

[1Hippiechick]

17. Another indication about being out of touch? Off topic, didn't he recently remark in surprise

about $4 gas?

[MonkeyFunk]

19. Yes

I think computer skills are largely irrelevant to the position.

If he needs to virus scan an email attachment, there are people who can do it for him.

[Norrin Radd]

20. It's pathetic, for someone in his position. He's had three decades to catch up in this area.

[sakura]

21. My husband's grandma is 91...

... and computer literate. And she delivers "Meals on Wheels" for the old folk. It's all about intellectual curiousity and flexibility. She doesn't feel old, so she doesn't act old. When, I wonder, did McCain begin to feel old? Just before he acquired his trophy wife? When he was diagnosed with his first skin cancer? His thirtieth?

[Thothmes]

25. Check the Constitution, it is the only source that counts.

[pnwmom]

30. Yeah, and it says

that electors choose the President. But the people who choose the electors are free to decide what they think qualifies a President, beyond age and citizenship.

[RichardRay]

26. I'm sorry, but my eltism is going to show here...

I'd guess that there might be a few percent of the folks who participate here who have a minimal understanding of computing or computers. Most people know way more about how their cars work than they know about the actual workings of their computers, software and the infrastructure it all lives on, and most people know diddly about their cars.

That fact that you can post on an Internet bulletin board is analogous to being able to drive your automatic transmission vehicle on straight and level section of a limited access highway in broad daylight in good weather. Don't break you arms patting yourselves on the back for that.

There are a lot of things to question about McCain's competencies - I don't think this is one of them.

[pnwmom]

28. But you are making MY point. He doesn't need to have a technical understanding

of computers. But the fact that he doesn't even have minimal skills -- that he can't surf the web or send an email -- is telling. Not because they are advanced skills, but because he hasn't bothered to get even minimal skills. This says a lot about him, IMHO. He's too inflexible to be President.

And I'm sick of having a President who is less qualified than practically anyone I personally know.

[ShadowLiberal]

32. We've had presidents who couldn't even read and write already

I can think of two of them, one is Andrew Johnson, ranked as one of the worst presidents ever, congress completely ran over him and ran things themselves, they even tried to kick him out of office and install one of their own people in the white house by impeaching him, but fell one vote short in the senate.

Andrew Jackson also couldn't read or write, or couldn't very well at least, as he got criticized for not being able to spell his own name, to which he jokingly responded "I don't respect a man who spells their name the same way twice".

Jackson may be ranked in the top 10 of greatest presidents by historians, but he had horrible policies that set up a ticking economic time bomb and caused a huge recession weeks after he left office.

My point, yes dumb presidents who can't do stuff that most Americans can have proven to be horrible presidents.

[FrenchieCat]

33. No they are not. Not in the 21st century.

We need someone who's sharp and has a quick mind and is curious and enegertic.

Did I say no?....cause if not, ....NO.

[papapi]

36. 'lack of minimal intellectual curiosity' . . . you hit the nail on the head...

McShame has been minimal since his days in the Naval Academy. I think it's pitiful that someone in this age can expect to be POTUS yet brag about his lack of computer skills. The depth of his ignorance is appalling.