The Obama camp recently released this commercial, which basically amounts to “the old man can’t even use a computer!” as its sole source of criticism.
The attack angle is super weak (can you imagine any swing voter anywhere saying “well, i was considering John McCain but after finding out that he’s not good with computers!? Nooooo thank you!), as well as risks needlessly offending a large voter block who might be in the same non-technical area (senior citizens are known for high vote turnout).
But far worse is the allegation that McCain’s war injuries limit his ability to use a computer. Yikes! If true, that would make this line of attack incredibly tasteless, not to mention misleading.
I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.
Seeee? He’s holding a phone. IN A CAR! So clearly he can use electronics just fine. Not to mention that the awkward way the Senator is holding the phone in that picture doesn’t help the Huffpo’s claim, but that’s besides the point.
Maybe they were relying on this answer he gave to Yahoo News 7 months ago? ….ya. probably not. It basically says the same thing said in the Times quote.
Assuredly McCain isn’t comfortable talking about this — and the McCain campaign discouraged me from writing about this — but the reason the aged Arizonan doesn’t use a computer or send email is because of his war wounds.
I realize some of the nastier liberals in the blogosphere will see this as McCain once again “playing the POW card,” but it’s simply a fact: typing on a regular keyboard for any sustained period of time bothers McCain physically.
He can type, he occasionally does type, but in general the injuries he sustained as a POW — ones that make it impossible for him to raise his arms high enough to comb his hair — mean that small tasks make his shoulders ache, so he tries to avoid any repetitive exercise.
Again, it’s not that he can’t type, he just by habit avoids when he can repetitive exercise involving his arms. He does if he has to, as with handshaking or autographs.
Conservative blogger Allahpundit comments:
Making fun of a war hero’s severe injuries — smooth move, Team O. Talk about computer illiteracy! Doesn’t anyone on the Obama campaign know what they’re doing? Didn’t it ever occur to them that a man who can’t raise his arms above his head might have a physical barrier to using a computer?
And matters were not made better when an Obama spokesman, appearing on Fox News, won’t deny he knew McCain’s injuries limited his computer use…
So what happened here? Allahpundit hypothesizes: Sounds like what happened is they did their research, stumbled across the Globe piece from 2000 claiming McCain couldn’t use a keyboard because of his wounds, then stumbled across the NYT interview from this summer where he talks about using a computer and learning to go online and assumed the problem must have been resolved through some sort of technological advance in the eight-year interim. Clearly a risk worth taking for a line of attack this dorktastic.
Jonah Goldberg makes this killer observation about the thesis of the ad:
Lord knows I think the chicken-hawk arguments are stupid. And I don’t think the fact that Obama never served in the military should count against him in and of itself. But how stupid is it for the Obama campaign to claim that McCain is unqualified to be president because he can’t grasp cyber-security issues based on the fact he has never sent an email when the McCain campaign can just as easily say Obama can’t understand first order national security issues because he’s never fired a rife, flown a plane, commanded men in battle, or faced an enemy? I mean which prepares someone to be commander in chief better, hitting “send” on AOL or fighting a war?
Obama, by this 1982 ad, has made this point valid and fair. Whether the McCain camp is likely to take the opportunity is unlikely, but remains to be seen.
Scott Ott of Scrappleface produced this second ad for Team Obama:
Indeed if the Obama camp had shown some technical know-how themselves, finding The Boston Globe report that explained this 8 years ago, or when Forbes Magazine noted McCain’s disability in 2000 would have been smart moves to get out of the way before producing the ad.
You know, I dont buy the war injuries keeping him from using the computer. For gods sake, there are many more people who are far more disabled than he is who have jobs in computers. This is just McCains way of throwing this ad back in Obamas face.
Since when does “using a computer” make one an excellent President? This is stupid and childish of Obama and clearly a last ditch effort to throw mud at an obviously more capable candidate.
obama making fun of mccains inability to use his arms or fingers for any length of time is a very sad way to promote yourself obama.
Youre funny Amanda! I dont know about you but I want a President who is not “behind the times” and this means one who knows how, or at least gives the effort, to use a computer. Besides, what’s gonna happen when McCain dies in office because hes so damn old? President Palin, lol! Thats funny, as a matter of fact she is a freaking joke! The only reason he chose her as a running mate was to have a woman in the race and play that card against the African American. You didnt happen to catch that interview with Palin did you? She is a disgrace and she should be embarassed to say the least. Not qualified for this position AT ALL!!
Ohh yeah, Randy. I dont think Obama said a word about his inability to use his arms. you need to pay better attention. He was referring to the fact that his is way too old fashioned. Get your head out of the sand!
To Kipling…
The country’s TECHNOLOGY has changed. The COUNTRY (generally speaking) has not. This country still requires a strong leader to make decisions for the good of the nation. You don’t need a computer for that.
And seriously…do you think the President does a lot on the INTERNET in the way of research or communication??? He has AIDES for that.
I bet Clinton only used his computer to search for p*rn…..when he wasn’t getting the live version in his office.
Amanda,
If you want to live in a time where there are no computers or where the President doesn’t have to use them or know how to use them, maybe you need to learn how to build a time machine and take all of your Republican buddies with you. Your statements are ignorant.