"Most voters won't care that John McCain doesn't use e-mail or surf the web." - Inspired by Andrew Romano, Newsweek

I think younger demographics certainly will care. Many younger voters nowadays get all of their political information online and the web is ingrained into the culture. Blatantly ignoring the web and saying it is not important in one's life makes a big statement that the candidate is not entirely in touch with is voters. As silly as the Twitter debate might have been, at least it proved that the candidates (or their advisers, at least) recognized the influence and potential that the internet serves when it comes to a presidential campaign.

I'm a 'distinctly older demographic' and I don't like John McCain or trust him. His refusal &/or inability to learn about the Internet tells me his thinking processes are stuck in the mud, which means he will be as lousy a president as "W"; unable to grasp simple concepts, definitely can't grasp difficult ones. We're in deep doodoo in so many areas - global warming, the brat attitude of too many Americans re oil, drilling in the arctic are just a few - we don't need someone with lackluster thinking abilities in the White House. John McCain's inability to learn how to access the Internet tells me he can't access the thought processes needed for survival, to say nothing of thriving, in today's world, either.

Though I think the comment is true, given that the largest populations we have right now are baby boomers and Millennials. The Millennials will care and think he's an anitquated throwback, but it doesn't matter, not all of that generation is of voting age. The baby boomers on the other hand won't really care, though many of this generation uses a computer at work, there are still not enough of them living a wired life for the idea of innovation being driven by technology to effect them.

Yet, like Carel Two-Eagle, it does somewhat bother me that the guy won't even attempt to get with the ages here. It does sort of color what his thinking process looks like.

@Lynne and Carel - where are you getting this information that he's not attempting from? He's 72 years old, from a different generation altogether. He didn't grow up with computers and yet he's made it clear that he will make an attempt to learn how to use them. I hate to come off sounding like a republican but there are too many cases of people judging a public figure without knowing enough about what he actually intends and this one rings all too familiar.

Perhaps W's problem is that he's getting all his information second hand from staffers that are afraid to share bad news.

I think people would be concerned if McCain didn't use a phone, of course, surely those will be answered for him as well. That said, email and internet use are approaching the kind of ubiquity that telephones enjoy.

"McCain's computer illiteracy doesn't reflect a lack of curiosity..." So John, there's this thing called the internet through which you can access all sorts of information about the world. You do want to be the "leader of the free world", right? Interested?

My biggest concern is that he will undoubtedly need to make policy decisions regarding technology and the Internet in the coming years. I'm concerned about his ability to make good decisions without first hand experience. Sure he will have advisors, but that's not the same as "experiencing the Internet." There are plenty examples of the older generation embrasing and using the Internet. At this point I would expect our leaders to set those examples.

I can't think of any reason in the world why I would care if John McCain uses e-mail or not.

The very crowd that bases their political opinions on how tech-savvy a candidate is is the same crowd who's only political knowledge coems from what their their favorite 'blogger' writes.

John McCain has beena leader in Washington DC for over 20 years. It's not because he's a bully, it's not because he has a famous last name or his Fatehr's money. It's because he's smart, articulate and passionate about serving his constituents and meeting their needs.

If you are going to base your preference on the man to run this country strictly on how often they "surf the web" you might as well forego voting for McCain OR Obama and instead write in a candidate like "Steve Jobs"...or whoever you are following on Twitter...

Saabira - My father-in-law is 80+ years of age and he took up using email and the web 10 years ago. Sorry but the generational factor doesn't hold up.

The fact this question comes up in an online venue skews the debate. If this were the 19th hole at a Country Club, would be discussing the relevance of the fact Obama isn't a golfer?

I believe there are more central concerns than the personal use of technology in forming an opinion of the candidates.

We have seen the amazing organizational capabilities of the Obama campaign, of which technology is but one element.

Being a great campaigner doesn't equal great ability as chief Executive. However, Sen. McCain helps no one by making wisecracks and expecting a mulligan on account of his age.

Technology is no longer just a fad or hobby. It is a significant fact of life for many Americans, and a stimulus for future economic growth and societal changes. While it is not necessary that Sen. McCain regularly use these tools, not being aware of how to use them or what people are doing with them leaves him out of the loop. It also means that important decisions made by him related to technology would be based strictly on reports by aids, with little ability on his part to completely understand the issues or the impact of the decisions made.

First - The quote doesn't say why John McCain doesn't use email or surf the web; it just says he doesn't. Second-guessing why he doesn't use it isn't useful. (I'm not sure knowing that he doesn't use it is either.)

Second - Being a Senator in the USA and a committee member on some very important committees avails him of information that could not be found on the web. Keep in mind that most of his decisions are made with information you need a security clearance to receive. Where on the web do you get this kind of information.

Third - Do you really think the information on the web is a good place to get information? How much time would you have to spend in a day in order to sort chaff from wheat? Most of what you read is secondhand and the firsthand version was crap to begin with.

Do I care that John doesn't use the Internet? No.

Do I care if it is more an inability to learn rather than a conscious decision? Yes.

Probably the most important part about this quote is who quoted it and why.

Its usually not the information that is important, its why you are given the information.

Not using Web tools won't lose the election for McCain, but it's just one more negative (in the minds of many) and after you have enough of those things pile up, the vote goes elsewhere -- and this campaign seems to be coming down to negatives more than positives. Heck of a way to choose the leader of the free world, isn't it?

The world is changing, rapidly. Those who don't jump on the bus will get left behind. Let's face it, in our lifetime we've gone from a locally-focused community to a global one through digitization. Our next leader must be able to lead the way, and see the necessity of it, by setting an example himself. How he's leading his campaign is a notable indicator. My experience with the campaign (or lack thereof): http://www.basilandspice.com/journal/whos-winning-the-race-online.html

Kelly Jad'on/Founder
www.BasilAndSpice.com

I guess I would care if he said, "I tried using email and I just can't seem to get the knack of it." But I categorically do not care, in general, whether he is internet active or not. I know some (admittedly not young) upper management types that just don't bother. That's what staff are for. Timewise, you can tell an assistant to tell somebody a,b and c, a faster than you can sit down an email the person yourself.

The president of the USA is a big-picture people job. The president needs to understand people, governance, cultures, and what makes the USA the USA. I'd much rather have a president that reads and understands the Constitution than reads and understands email.

Obama does email. McCain doesn't. So what? What are their ideas? And have they managed to move their ideas into reality? Those are the questions that matter.

I think it will make a difference, although the difference is based on a misguided perspective.

I have many other reasons for not voting for McCain, but his unfamiliarity with technology is not one of them. When we elect a president or choose to place anyone in a specific position, we should first be answering a fundamental question - 'What are my expectations for that person in that position?'

The President of the United States should be a visionary, a negotiator, a diplomat, and a leader. He should surround himself with several tiers of individuals capable of handling other tasks, from the complex to the mundane.

Communication is certainly part of all those responsibilities, and to the degree technology facilitates communication, it has a place in the oval office. However, communications from the President are heard, formatted, and transmitted by staff, as they have been for decades.

That a President is removed from the technology we all use is no more important than his infrequent driving, handling of cash, taking out the trash, or the hundreds of other things the President of the United States simply does not do.

Let he who not wasted his valuable time misusing technology cast the first stone.

The most cherished resource to a leader is time. Learning what the best use of your time is and delegating to others to do those things that are not a good use of your time is essential to effective leadership. And once delegated, it should be to someone who can also train the next person so you don't have to relearn what you let go of to make more mind space available for bigger matters. For instance I sign checks, but I no longer fill them out and I incapable of filling them out without a mistake such as putting the addressee on the date line.

Everyone has their preferred way of correspondence and you can't jugde someone's efficency and character based on that. Sales people by nature are "talkers;" people who get things done prefer written communication because it takes out the chitchat that sales people use to try to further the sale. Some people can filter the b*s and move on without a sales rep "guiding" them.

Are you kidding? Elect a guy who can't get his own information from the Internet? Can't find out what the public is thinking? Doesn't understand the great democratization of information and news over the past fifty years? No way. I four years younger than he is and light years away from him.