Senator John McCain and the Internet
Mark Soohoo is Senator John McCain’s Deputy Internet Director. He has said that “John McCain is aware of the internet“. That candid line about the Senator McCain’s online expertise has raised questions about how computer savvy he is.
The Telegraph from the UK has labeled Senator McCain as a “technology illiterate”:
“…When asked if he went online himself, the Arizona senator responded: “They go on for me. 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 - including going to my daughter’s blog first, before anything else.”"
link: John McCain ‘technology illiterate’ doesn’t email or use internet
Senator McCain admits that, at present, his computer skills are limited. For many this is an issue. So many of the present and future concerns center on the internet. There are issues such as surveillance, privacy, security, commerce, censorship, health, mass communication, education and so forth. The argument extends to Senator McCain’s age and how “in touch” he is with present day issues, where the internet is such an integral part of people’s personal and professional lives.
The counter-argument is that Senator McCain does not have to be online himself as long as he has good political advisers to brief him on technological issues.
It is a curious debate. Is having a ‘computer literate’ next president an important issue? Does it really matter?
Catherine Forsythe
Tags: Internet, leaqdership, presidency, Senator John McCain, skills
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