McCain the technophobe

It is inconceivable that an adult in public service these days would not have a fairly decent understanding of computers and the Internet.

McCain, according to BuzzFlash, "professes computer ignorance." He says "'I am a (sic) illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all the assistance I can get."

"...it seems difficult to believe a long-time sitting U.S. Senator still has no clue. Constituents communicate by e-mail, and the Senator doesn't? McCain's lack of curiosity is much more troubling."

As Chad at BuzzFlash notes, just about everyone, especially the young, use the Internet extensively for a variety of purposes, one of which is to gain information about candidates and issues.

"At Digg.com, if you 'Digg the Candidates,' you will see that Barack Obama has 18,847 friends vs. John McCain's 1,893 friends. Obama is clearly more popular, but the contrast shows his supporters are more internet-friendly as well."

The importance of Internet knowledge comes to the fore when you realize that a president has some say as to "who sits on the FCC, and one vital issue before the FCC is 'net neutrality,' the basic belief that every Web site has equal footing to be accessed by any Internet user."

Does John McCain have a clue as to the ramifications of altering that belief?

"The next president will have to confront many Internet-related issues: besides net neutrality, there is the desire to increase broadband coverage, especially in rural areas, and the hope to start hard-wiring major cities. As the Internet exponentially grows, the next president has to lead the charge for challenges we aren't even aware of right now. If you vote for the major parties, you have two choices: Barack '18,1847 friends' Obama or John 'I am a illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all the assistance I can get' McCain."

Read the entire article here. There's more here.