“Blogs have been buzzing recently over McCain’s admission that when it comes to the Internet, ‘I’m an illiterate who has to rely on his wife for any assistance he can get.’ And the 71-year-old presumptive Republican presidential nominee, asked about his Web use last week by the New York Times, said that aides ‘go on for me. I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself,'” The Associated Press reports.
AP asks. “How unusual is it for a 71-year-old American to be unplugged?”
“That depends on how you look at the statistics. Only 35 percent of Americans over age 65 are online, according to data from April and May compiled by the Pew Internet Project at the Pew Research Center,” AP reports. “But when you account for factors like race, wealth and education, the picture changes dramatically. ‘About three-quarters of white, college-educated men age over 65 use the Internet,’ says Susannah Fox, director of the project.”
AP reports, “McCain spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan presented a somewhat updated picture when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday: ‘He’s fully capable of browsing the Internet and checking Web sites,’ Buchanan said. “‘He has a Mac and uses it several times a week. He’s working on becoming more familiar with the Internet.'”
“As for McCain’s Democratic rival, Barack Obama is 46, and thus in an age group where fully 85 percent of Americans are plugged in,” AP reports. “A CNN clip available on YouTube shows him so engrossed with his Blackberry while crossing a street that he bumps into the curb.”
AP reports, “One blogger opined last week that all the fuss is silly. McCain, wrote Newsweek’s Andrew Romano, hasn’t become computer literate because he hasn’t needed to. ‘When aides are responding to your messages and briefing you on every imaginable subject, the incentive to get online sort of disappears,’ he wrote.”
More in the full article here.
[UPDATE: 2:59pm EDT: According to a Newsweek article published in February, Obama also uses a Mac: “Michelle [Obama] recently bought two MacBook laptops, one for Barack and one for the kids, so they could have video chats over the Internet.” Full article here.]
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “WalterKovacs” for the heads up.]
Work on that Internet thing, John; at least you have a Mac. And get an iPhone, Barak; you’ll instantly wonder why you ever thought you “loved” your BlackBerry.
Add McCain and Obama to the list of confirmed Mac users that includes President George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Al Gore, Karl Rove, John Kerry, Moby, and tens of millions more…
Definitely longer than five minutes.
“My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.”
– Ronald Reagan, Said during a radio microphone test, 1984, 40th president of the U.S. (1911 – 2004)
Topic: “Southern Voter” is neither Southern nor a voter.
“Talk among yourselves…..”
I thought there were pictures of Barack Obama using an iPhone?
“About three quarters of white, college educated men over 65 use the Internet”.
Sounds like McCain is blacker than Obama…..
(hope that helps, TMF)
Video footage of Obama and his iPhone (at about 3:23):
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10206.html
Sire Bill Gates said: “Maybe then we would try to cooperate and work with the rest of the world. Maybe then we would get off our asses and solve some of our many problems and quit blaming them on everyone else.”
Let’s all cooperate. But, uh, with the Russian dictator Putin or communist China?
Hey Billy, can I borrow the Unicorn tomorrow?
“(hope that helps, TMF)”
We don’t need a president who doesn’t know shit about the Internet, IMHO. Net neutrality, for example, wouldn’t mean a thing to him.
And Barack, my brother, it’s time for an iPhone makeover. Michelle already bought two Macbooks for you and her and the girls to iChat back and forth with. So what’cha waitin’ on?
Peace.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cool smile” style=”border:0;” />
Olmecmystic
Pig Freddy said: ” Perhaps the greatest quality needed is the ability to give a decent speech.”
Yeah. Talk those dictators, fascists and communists to death. That’s what we need – a bigger BLOWHARD!
Hey Pig, Billy said you had the Unicorn – can I borrow it tomorrow???
http://sendables.jibjab.com/sendables/1191/time_for_some_campaignin#/teaser/1191
They are standard issue for members of both houses of Congress. It is how they are notified of pending votes so that those members out of chambers can get to the floor to vote.
I’ve seen that footage of Barack with his iPhone, but figured the writer had some updated info I didn’t have.
That footage is from right after he beat Hillary and went back to the Senate and was treated like a rock star.
Damn, a President with a Macbook AND an iPhone? Maybe those four horsemen won’t get to ride, after all!
Peace.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cool smile” style=”border:0;” />
Olmecmystic
“Net neutrality, for example, wouldn’t mean a thing to him.”
Known in a few congressional circles as “The Taming of the Tubes”.
I wonder if that idiot Shoeman is going to turn up for this one…
Handsome Smitty,
“Let’s all cooperate. But, uh, with the Russian dictator Putin or communist China?”
Well, we don’t have to worry about cooperation with China. Your lord and master is bending over backwards to kiss their asses. Hope he enjoys the Olympics.
He and Vladimir seem to be on the outs lately. Maybe he will get along better with Dmitry.
Ampar FTW
Sire Bill Gates said: “He and Vladimir seem to be on the outs, lately. Maybe he will get along better with Dimitry.”
Uh, pay attention. I know being an Obama support you’re a little behind the loop, Medvedev is Putin’s bitch.
Okay, you can’t have it both ways; if Bush is working with the commies, how are we not getting along with the rest of the world?
Concentrate – yes you can!!!!!!
hahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahhahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Ampar(sand) said: “”Net neutrality, for example, wouldn’t mean a thing to him.”
Known in a few congressional circles as “The Taming of the Tubes”.”
Uh, you guys do realize Obama is a Democrat, right? Uh, the guys like to tax. How neutral will the net be after its usage is taxed.
Liberty is dead – why do I bother with these unedumacated dolts?!?!
You dumb people. Obama wouldn’t be our first black president. He would be our first Muslim president!
We have had black presidents before:
Thomas Jefferson
Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
Warren Harding
Calvin Coolidge
(and maybe) Dwight Eisenhower
Maybe a little reading would help to educate you.
I’m voting for Dr Ron Paul, the only practical sensible choice. Sure hope he isn’t stuck in the dark ages using a PC.
Our “leaders” our chosen by the Elite initially, then the media, electoral college, and eventually the owners of Diebold. btw, there is no discernible difference between the Repukes and Demorats. Can you say “velvet revolution”, I knew you could.
mw-years, in a couple, perhaps?
actually the chain of events are more like this… Elite pick some people who have bent over, the media promotes the one who are more bendable, then we ‘vote’ for them, then Diebold fixes that, and then eventually the electoral college/supreme court decides the final count. BS I say. pardon the double post.
Cascadians said: I’m voting for Dr Ron Paul, the only practical sensible choice. Sure hope he isn’t stuck in the dark ages using a PC.”
Oh, I’m sure his flying saucer has Apple on board…along with a few nuts for hibernation, naturally.
Mobey!? Blah! That’s a smug not a plus.
Obama’s been spotted using an iPhone:
http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2008/05/obama-flashes-his-iphone.html
Handsome Shitty,
Yeah, I know Medvedev is Putin’s chosen successor and vassal. But go ahead and pat yourself on the back if it makes you feel good.
Bush supports China because it’s in the self interest of him and his cronies. Big business makes some mighty nice profits from that cheap labor (yes, including Apple).
Unfortunately, his little missile defense program has pissed off Russia and others. It’s just an extension of his creation of an American version of the Roman Empire.
But now he is wanting to talk with Iran. Talk with Iran? I thought he (and McCain) would never do that. Nothing hypocritical about that, eh? Definitely not a phony political move.