McCain is an Amateur
On a day when the Wall Street Journal/NBC Poll shows Obama widening his lead, McCain inserts foot in mouth on the Today Show.
The Obama campaign and Democratic leaders accused Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of being confused and heartless after he told NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday that it’s “not too important” when U.S. troops return from Iraq.
It seems to me that McCain is losing any credibility as to his foreign policy qualifications. He doesn’t seem to know the difference between a Sunni and a Shia, and his saying that Iraq will look like Korea (i.e. a 60+ year deployment) is not something the American people support.
But more importantly, he is an amateur candidate, who can only sputter about tax cuts. A recent Peter Hart Poll found that more than 50% of McCain’s current Female supporters do not know he opposes abortion and would have the opportunity to create a Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade. That should be fairly easy for Obama to clarify. According to WSJ/NBC, he already beats McCain with women. So just watch. Barack is up by 7 and we still have 12 days to meet my projection of 10
It’s been interesting to watch the blogosphere discuss McCain’s complete lack of understanding of modern technology (which is totally expected given he doesn’t know how to use a computer, wtf?).
Someone, in defense of McCain’s frequent statements about and his later denials of making those statements, said politics is a different world today that it was 20 or 30 years ago. Politicians used to be able to say whatever they wanted to different audiences and no one compared the two. Now, with the power of the internet (something mccain is incapable of understanding seeing as he can’t turn on a computer), politicians are actually expected to tell the truth or at least stay consistent. His inability to do so is just a throwback to another generation.
Touching, no?
It’s been interesting to watch the blogosphere discuss McCain’s complete lack of understanding of modern technology (which is totally expected given he doesn’t know how to use a computer, wtf?).
Someone, in defense of McCain’s frequent statements about and his later denials of making those statements, said politics is a different world today that it was 20 or 30 years ago. Politicians used to be able to say whatever they wanted to different audiences and no one compared the two. Now, with the power of the internet (something mccain is incapable of understanding seeing as he can’t turn on a computer), politicians are actually expected to tell the truth or at least stay consistent. His inability to do so is just a throwback to another generation.
Touching, no?
He’s been so useless that I used to think McCain was put forward because the Republicans figure they can’t win this time ’round and don’t want to waste any candidates with real potential.
But then I realised that, by that logic, they should never have put George W forward.
Then I realised that McCain’s consistent gaffes are lowering expectations among voters, while Obama’s upward trajectory raises expectations. So when the two men meet in a debate, if McCain steps up his game even a little – especially without teleprompters – it won’t be difficult to come out looking far better than Obama if the latter isn’t absolutely on his game.
The next five months are certainly going to be interesting…
He’s been so useless that I used to think McCain was put forward because the Republicans figure they can’t win this time ’round and don’t want to waste any candidates with real potential.
But then I realised that, by that logic, they should never have put George W forward.
Then I realised that McCain’s consistent gaffes are lowering expectations among voters, while Obama’s upward trajectory raises expectations. So when the two men meet in a debate, if McCain steps up his game even a little – especially without teleprompters – it won’t be difficult to come out looking far better than Obama if the latter isn’t absolutely on his game.
The next five months are certainly going to be interesting…
If McCain knows nothing about technology, he’s not alone. One of the things that continues to amaze me is how little understanding there is among middle and senior corporate leadership of technology, at least in my own limited experience. I worked for one Fortune 500 company in which I had, I won’t say frequent, but regular contact with the very top officers in the company, and frequent contact with a lot of middle management.
When it came to technology, even in terms of using Excel or Word on their own computers, they were all as dumb as a box of rocks. When I was involved in discussions about infrastructure, they were all deer in the headlights. They had to rely on certain key non-management people (modern day Pepin the Shorts, or would that be Pepins the Short) to make decisions for them.
When they didn’t rely on those people, they relied on the salespeople who took them golfing or sent them on weekend getaways. The results in such cases were catastrophic; without going into a lot of inane detail, the company is on the rocks, and one of the key reasons they’re on the rocks is because of a colossally stupid decision about their e-commerce system.
I knew it was stupid and I got out ahead of time, fortunately. Everyone involved with the decision has since been fired.
If McCain knows nothing about technology, he’s not alone. One of the things that continues to amaze me is how little understanding there is among middle and senior corporate leadership of technology, at least in my own limited experience. I worked for one Fortune 500 company in which I had, I won’t say frequent, but regular contact with the very top officers in the company, and frequent contact with a lot of middle management.
When it came to technology, even in terms of using Excel or Word on their own computers, they were all as dumb as a box of rocks. When I was involved in discussions about infrastructure, they were all deer in the headlights. They had to rely on certain key non-management people (modern day Pepin the Shorts, or would that be Pepins the Short) to make decisions for them.
When they didn’t rely on those people, they relied on the salespeople who took them golfing or sent them on weekend getaways. The results in such cases were catastrophic; without going into a lot of inane detail, the company is on the rocks, and one of the key reasons they’re on the rocks is because of a colossally stupid decision about their e-commerce system.
I knew it was stupid and I got out ahead of time, fortunately. Everyone involved with the decision has since been fired.
I’m really enjoying the wise use of humor here, in Jon’s post and in these three ensuing ones. I feel in my funnybone that this kind of wit will see us through just fine.
zak, please keep it up with the witty dispatches from the blogosweird. zestypete, you share Jon’s winning knack for the prognostication of perception, but he’s a damnably busy dude so I hope to see much more of your insights.
And Dan, that was so forensically faithful to my own experience—only, not with CEO’s but with idiot politicians—that I think it might have given me Lyme Disease, as my dog has been delivering deer ticks into the carpet in which I was rolling while reading your post so fitfully.
And my dog may have his problems, but he’s a smart old cur, and knows when something’s downright funny.
I’m really enjoying the wise use of humor here, in Jon’s post and in these three ensuing ones. I feel in my funnybone that this kind of wit will see us through just fine.
zak, please keep it up with the witty dispatches from the blogosweird. zestypete, you share Jon’s winning knack for the prognostication of perception, but he’s a damnably busy dude so I hope to see much more of your insights.
And Dan, that was so forensically faithful to my own experience—only, not with CEO’s but with idiot politicians—that I think it might have given me Lyme Disease, as my dog has been delivering deer ticks into the carpet in which I was rolling while reading your post so fitfully.
And my dog may have his problems, but he’s a smart old cur, and knows when something’s downright funny.
Pepin asked Pope Zachary, “Is it right that the royal power sit with the person with the title of King, or the person who makes the decisions as King?”
My goodness, our national Dick is a Peppin the Short. Who knew?
Pepin asked Pope Zachary, “Is it right that the royal power sit with the person with the title of King, or the person who makes the decisions as King?”
My goodness, our national Dick is a Peppin the Short. Who knew?