t r a c y r u s s o . c o m

Imagining Our Tomorrows

This post originally appeared at The Back Forty.

In a world where technology is changing the way we work and play, changing the way we connect and communicate and fundamentally altering our boundaries - how can a person who doesn’t know how to operate a computer be the kind of leader we need to move us forward and fulfill the potential all of our tomorrows hold?

It’s a question that’s been banging around inside my head since I first saw the clip of John McCain admitting he doesn’t do computers. And it has been bugging me ever since.

Far beyond the party lines and the political divide, I believe we need a leader who has vision - not just an understanding of who we are, but a clear idea of what we can be and where we can go. Understanding how the internet is changing our world and the potential it holds to further revolutionize our daily lives is a critical part of that.

Now I may be different from the average American, in terms of my reliance, obsession and love of the internet, I’d bet that if you had to place people on a spectrum of usage, that most would have more in common with me than with John McCain when it comes to computers. This isn’t an age thing - it’s a common sense thing. Plenty of older Americans are hip to the internet. according to the Pew Study, 37 percent of the population who fall into the 65+ category use the internet at least occasionally.

Every day the internet and new technology are changing our worlds. People are living their lives online, and it has made a difference in the way we consume goods and services, the way we communicate and the way we interact in this global village.

I can’t comprehend electing a president who doesn’t get that. I can’t fathom a president who doesn’t have the everyday understanding of what it means to hear “You’ve Got Mail” or doesn’t have the frame of reference to laugh at the unending spam in our inboxes. These are small things, but things that seem as regular to me as knowing the price of a gallon of milk.

How do you lead a people forward when you are stuck in the past? How do you inspire, elevate, and imagine the greatness that is ahead if you don’t understand the world we must navigate to get to those places?

If you ask me, you can’t. At least not in the way the American people deserve.