On CNN, Jack Cafferty And The Shallowest Political Argument Ever

Alright, maybe not the most shallow ever, but its up there. Here it is from Jack Cafferty's blog:



"Will the Internet be John McCain’s grocery store scanner moment? Remember how the first President Bush was awestruck in a grocery store by that little gizmo that tells you the price of your Cheez Whiz? The president of the United States with cameras rolling was simply beside himself. You’d think one episode like that would be enough.

Now we have a guy who wants to be president that doesn’t know how to use a computer. Two years ago, John McCain expressed amazement that his wife could order movie tickets online, something people had been doing for years at that time. He called her a wizard and admitted he was a “Neanderthal” when it comes to computers.

Dear Senator McCain, computer technology and the Internet have changed the world. And the fact that you don’t know much about either one suggests you’re in some sort of a time warp. Translate that: “old.”

Sensing the risk of being perceived as a fossil, McCain recently told the San Francisco Chronicle that he understands the importance of the computer and blogs, that he’s using the computer more and more every day. McCain says this doesn’t mean he has to e-mail people, but that he reads e-mails – that his staff constantly shows him emails during the day.

Grocery store scanners, computers and the Internet are the ingredients of every day life for the overwhelming majority of Americans. For a man who wants to be president to admit that he is pretty much clueless about some of these things feeds into the perception that old, rich, white Republicans are out of touch. They have no idea what the average American’s life is like. For the last 26 years, John McCain has lived inside the cocoon of the United States Senate and his wife’s money."

I find this to be a rather superficial argument and I believe there to be much larger concerns that we can focus on concerning the candidates and their bid for the White House. The internet is not the only means of acquiring information, though it is indeed useful and efficient when utilized properly. The internet, after all, is a reflection of what societies concerns, desires and ideals are. To gain insight into these does not require the internet, for indeed, decades of social and economic growth and productivity occurred long before the rise of the internet. Well, at least we know McCain may not be prone to frequenting porn websites, pirating software, and illegally downloading mp3 files. Like I said though, its superficial and won’t even be in my top ten of considerations when I enter the voting booth in november. Apparently America so far feels the same way, the top issues important to voters are, in this order; The Economy, Iraq, Health Care, Terrorism, and Immigration. (I'm kind of surprised Afghanistan isn't there, but perhaps its included under Terrorism)

Though, I guess it could be said that Cafferty himself probably is REAL well versed with what is on the internet and how to use it. I offer proof in the video below. One of the funniest, absurd things I have ever seen:

Wonder if he had a talking to during the pause for station identification.