In a recent ad running on television stations in battleground states, the Obama campaign mocks John McCain’s inability to use a computer, portraying him as out of touch. After the ad began to air, Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said “It’s extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president and our commander in chief doesn’t know how to send an e-mail.”
The reason for McCain’s technical old-fashioned stance: he cannot use a computer because of the damage to the muscles and nerves in his arms, sustained when he crashed his jet and subsequently was beaten by the Viet Cong. He cannot type, comb his hair, or tie his shoes. Perhaps as part of the Obama’s oft-repeated claim that they will be “getting tough”, their next hilariously effective ad can compare McCain to Trig Palin in these regards.
McCain can’t send an e-mail because he can’t type on a keyboard, from injuries received in service to his country. Obama apparently can’t use Google. And as a result, he’s just run an ad mocking John McCain’s physical disability. Classy!
(The Boston Globe reported on the extent of McCain’s injuries in 2000, although I think most people knew them by now - its towards the end, you can just search for “shoes”.)
This one would have been a blunder just on its face - 20% of Americans, mostly older folks, can’t or don’t use computers. Insulting and alienating that group of voters seems like a poorly-considered decision, given the level of voting participation in that demographic. The ignorance of the reason for McCain’s lack of computer skill and/or the mind-boggling insensitivity of the ad is just another indication of the staggeringly poor level of judgment we can expect from Obama.
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12 users commented in " Obama Ad Slams McCain For Not Using E-Mail; McCain Unable To Use Keyboard After War Wounds "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackFunny how Stephen Hawking who is almost completely paralyzed can use a computer and blind people as well, but McCain can’t because he was a POW. So, please explain how he is learning NOW how to use a computer if he physically can’t?
Obama is getting desperate and pathetic.
Since when did computer use become the litmus test of Presidential leadership?
Most Presidential candidates don’t place phone calls or drive cars. Hillary says she hasn’t driven since the Arkansas days.
When we look back, we will see this as the melt-down phase of the Obama campaign.
Words fail me. Almost.
First, we have Joe Biden encouraging a handicapped, wheelchair bound Chuck Graham to stand up for a crowd.
Then we have Obama’s Law Review Article, the only one he wrote, on the topic of abortion, where he says the state has an interest in ” preventing increasing numbers of children from being born in to lives of pain and despair.” Got that? If you are pregnant with a child with a possible birth defect, the state has an interest in you aborting it. So much for Trig Palin.
And now we have the latest ad from the Obama/Biden camp making fun of John McCain for not being able to use a computer or send email. Obama/Biden poke fun at McCain, suggesting he is old and doesn’t get the new technology.
One small problem.
John McCain’s hands were so severly crushed by his torture as a POW, he can’t use a keyboard. It is physically impossible for him. John McCain cannot brush his own hair or tie his own shoes. He is a brilliant man, but he cannot lift one of his arms higher than his elbow. Prior to being tortured and having his bones broken over and over, John McCain could fly jets. So let’s not pretend McCain is some doddering buffoon who doesn’t understand technology.
John McCain is handicapped.
Obama and Biden are asses.
Ace Tomato: “John McCain could fly jets.”
That is an understatement. This article is about President Bush, but the salient facts are apropos to Senator McCain:
http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000136.html
To paraphrase the author, it is not possible to be technology illiterate and fly a supersonic jet fighter.
And Barack Obama wouldn’t know how to close the canopy of an A-4E Skyhawk.
Just for the record, Biden’s mistake was simply an error in perception - he didn’t see the guy was in a wheelchair, and he recovered gracefully and tactfully.
I agree with the rest of your comment.
First, on McCain’s war injuries: if he can write he can type. This is just another cheap attempt by the right to shout HE WAS A POW!! and hope that will elect this man to lead us into more failure.
But, second, you don’t need fingers, or even arms or legs to send an e-mail. Buddy of mine died of Lou Gehrig’s disease a couple of years back. At the end, he was sending e-mails with his eyes - - I’m not kidding. There are all kinds of technologies for voice activation and much else.
This is cheap and boring theater, McCainiacs. You’ve got to come up with something better than this.
Thats right- Republicans play the sympathy card. I love the USA, people will cast their vote in November because they feel bad because of campaign ads.
Where were you when the republicans made a mockery out of Kerry’s war history, where were your calls of foul on his contribution to military efforts?
The internet and email is a vital part of our ecomony, global terrorism, domestic and international business and much more…It is not too much to expect a President knows how to use it. Get over the self rightous BS.(poor me I am old and he is calling me old.)
The 20% of americans not knowing how to use the computer are not running to be president.
On that note: maybe it is time for you old people to either get on board or get out of the way of progressive movement for our county to be able to compete globally. Hey, the next thing is ET=energy technology are you going be crying about that too?
Quit your whinning and either “teach the old dog new tricks or let him- roll over.”
It’s funny to see that people who have compared McCain to Stephen Hawkin or claim that even blind people can learn to use how to use email. But, the thing is, email is just a tool for communications, if he is able to communicate thru other channels, why would he spend his time to struggle typing an email with his physical difficulty while he will have other more important stuff to deal with. One will need to prioritize what one needs to do. I think knowing internet has transformed th world is important, but not being techy guy is not a serious impediment to presidency.
Being a “techy guy” is considered knowing the indepth workings and abilities of technology.
knowledge of both hardware & software is a requirement in the work force for most mid-level position and beyond. Not to mention all the other forms of technology out there. Yes, it is a serious impediment. If you do not understand the simple working of a process- how on earth can one govern the needs for regulations, procedures, laws pertaining to the ever advancing Internet. Ever heard of Global terrorism by use of the internet? It is around, but McCain is in that 20% that does not see the need to educate himself on those “techy things”. Come on get a grip- you could not even get a mid-level job at any company if you did not know how to use email, software programs, internet, powerpoints-etc. 7 yrs. olds know how to use email & technology.
Argh, come on, John. There are adaptive technologies to help cripples use computers, so don’t play the POW card on this one.
Obama’s campaign just frakked up. It’s too bad, because this is the opposite of classy. I still won’t vote for John “stuck in the cold war” McCain because I think he is not the man to move America forward. I do however respect his service and war record.
However, as a notorious one-finger-hand-jammer, I can attest that you can indeed type an email, or a blog reply, with the one finger hunt-and-peck technique. Unfortunately I don’t have the excuse of being tortured by the VietCong, I just cheated in typing class decades ago and I am now paying the price.
No one with a disability should be led into thinking that that should necessarily exclude him or her from using the internet. It is a wonderful tool for people like my daughter with cerebral palsy or her friend with muscular dystrophy for gaining access to a world of information and communication — a world without physical prejudices.
If typing is too painful as it can be even without a disability, there are many innovations such as virtual keyboards, sound activated programs and even customized computers that enable those with physical and other disabilities to use the internet.
I hope Senator McCain’s supporters will not mislead people into thinking that a disability should exclude them from this world.
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