Comments on: Obama’s campaign’s lie about McCain’s email ignorance needs troubleshooting

By: Char Hamm

Char Hamm — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:53:40 +0000

Shame on liecount.com from even printing the inflammatory outright LIES made by someone named “tinfoil”. I can surely understand his/her reason for hiding behind such a stupid pseudoname! I thought this forum was supposed to be a discussion about honesty. Who is this stupid jerk??

By: tinfoil

tinfoil — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:51:40 +0000

I’m amazed people can actually think a ‘black supremist’, secret muslim, manchurian candidate could not only exist, but be this close to the presidency with no one finding out.

By: Art

Art — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:30:41 +0000

Discussion of McCain’s technology use surely rings of schoolyard taunting. Is that the best that the Obama camp can come up with? So what if McCain can, or can’t send an email? Who cares. He has lots of people around him to take care of that (assuming he can’t email). Come on Obama, talk about what’s really important here. Let’s say your connections with Middle Eastern countries and anti-white ministers. Your views on race are all to obvious. Even though you try to not mention, or disguise them, we see it.

By: Renaud

Renaud — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:17:54 +0000

This is not a lie.

“Asked whether he prefers a Mac or PC in a Yahoo News/Politico interview earlier this year, McCain admitted: ‘Neither. I am an illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance that I can get.’ ”

The quote says he reads email, but can’t send them… exactly what the ad says. He can’t email. His wife does it for him. Hopefully, if becomes president, he’ll have staffers do it for him.

It’s 3AM and the President is emailed, who do you want replying all?

By: eric

eric — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:09:18 +0000

Considering McCain drummed up his POW status on a spectrum of issues ranging from his many homes, to why he cheated on his first wife, to why he’s allowed to bend the rules of debates, it doesn’t seem he’d be modest on this issue if it directly pertained. He has an amazing and inspiring story of courage and sacrifice, and nobody is denying that. The issue is not about his mobility, but his knowledge and ability to lead a technological society as a self-defined technologically illiterate.

By: Jason B.

Jason B. — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:54:47 +0000

While not specifically talking about email, this Yahoo! piece during the primaries captures Sen. McCain admitting that he is “an illiterate” and relies on his wife for “all the assistance [he] can get.” The Obama ad is misleading (and I dislike the spot in general) but I would hesitate to call it an out-and-out lie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNehRSWmvJM

By: Chris Romero

Chris Romero — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:20:59 +0000

Excuse my typo: “…there *AREN’T* many jobs that will hire you…” my apologies.

By: Chris Romero

Chris Romero — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:19:21 +0000

I think the point being made is that the man is “illiterate” to the use of technology in a technology based world and that can be a major issue as President. Technology, the computer and Internet in particular, are becoming, if not are already, integral parts of this society and it shines poorly upon someone to be computer illiterate. I feel it would be comparable to hiring ANYONE who doesn’t know how to use a computer. If you can’t use a computer there are many jobs that will hire you outside of manual labor and even farms are using high tech gadgetry these days, so why would being President be any different. Not to say all important jobs require computer usage. And not to say that the man is not mentally capable of grasping the idea of the computer and its many uses. And not to say that anything else anyone one might take offensively and out of context from this post. I mean none of that. I’m only saying, in this day and age, one expects someone in a high position to be relatively knowledgeable when it comes to technology regardless of the title of that position, be it “CEO” or “Commander-in-Chief”.

By: David Bean

David Bean — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:26:31 +0000

well, of course he’s going to say that. you expect him to say “i never learned to use a computer because it hurts my arms.”

By: eric

eric — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:56:55 +0000

I am in no way chiding McCain for any disability his injuries may have caused, and I think anyone doing so is reprehensible. I hadn’t heard McCain say that before, and his own words on the subject seem to say otherwise:

“McCain, who has referred to himself as a computer ‘illiterate,’ has never cited his war injuries as the reason why he doesn’t use e-mail or never learned other computer skills.” McCain: “I read my e-mails, but I don’t write any. I’m a Neanderthal — I don’t even type. I do have rudimentary capabilities to call up some websites, like the New York Times online, that sort of stuff. No laptop. No PalmPilot. I prefer my schedule on notecards, which I keep in my jacket pocket.”
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/15/1398117.aspx

Either way, it seems like quite a stretch to think that the Obama campaign is trying to make subliminal jabs at McCain for wounds he received in the armed forces. Even if one was so pessimistic and irrational as to somehow believe Obama and Democrats literally hate our troops and take any opportunity to belittle them for their service, surely they wouldn’t shoot themselves in the foot snickering at McCain’s biggest public boon.

And like I said before, I think that McCain’s email usage is really irrelevant here. I’m not expecting a 72-year-old to be all hip on the internets, but I would hope any candidate would surround themselves with who expects in their respective fields, and not just the people who stand to make the most money exploiting a certain field.