John McCain: "it's a Google"

Who says John McCain is old and out of touch? Barack Obama may fist-bump his wife, but McCain can namedrop the hip new search engine that all the kids are using:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain joked on Monday that Google, the popular Internet search engine, had made investigating his list of potential candidates a little bit easier.

"You know, basically it's a Google," he said to laughter at a fund-raising luncheon when asked how the selection process was going. "What you can find out now on the Internet -- it's remarkable."

"[I]t's a Google"? Really? I'm pretty sure no one under 60 talks like that. It's one step removed from Ted Stevens's "a series of tubes".

Update 6/10 11:32 AM: Matthew Yglesias links, prompting one of his commenters to remind us that President Bush had a similarly awkward-sounding reference to "the Google" back in 2006:

HOST: I’m curious, have you ever googled anybody? Do you use Google?

BUSH: Occasionally. One of the things I’ve used on the Google is to pull up maps. It’s very interesting to see — I’ve forgot the name of the program — but you get the satellite, and you can — like, I kinda like to look at the ranch. It remind me of where I wanna be sometimes.

Comments

[Jon Henke]

Lots of people under 60 use Google as a verb, in place of "search" - e.g., "I Googled that", or "Google it."

Substitute "search" for "Google" and he's saying "basically it's a search".

[Dr. Victor Davis Handjob]

Yes, it's clear what McCain is saying.

It's also clear that no one ever says "a google" to mean "a search." The man mangled the lingo, plain as day, and it is funny.

[Michael Koplow]

But why should anyone actually care about this?

[sdkw]

I care about this as much as I care about lapel pins on presidential candidates, but the point is that Republicans like to label Obama as an elitist, without holding your billionaire, adultering candidate to the same standards.

McCain is not "one of us." He doesn't use Google. He owns so many homes he doesn't remember how many homes he owns. He sells golf gear on his website for god's sake.

I'm not saying Obama is a regular joe, but at least the things he has done to rise above what God gave him are real accomplishments we should all be proud of. Instead, you Republicans prefer to label him as out of touch.

[sdkw]

I care about this as much as I care about lapel pins on presidential candidates, but the point is that Republicans like to label Obama as an elitist, without holding your billionaire, adultering candidate to the same standards.

McCain is not "one of us." He doesn't use Google. He owns so many homes he doesn't remember how many homes he owns. He sells golf gear on his website for god's sake.

I'm not saying Obama is a regular joe, but at least the things he has done to rise above what God gave him are real accomplishments we should all be proud of. Instead, you Republicans prefer to label him as out of touch.

[sdkw]

I care about this as much as I care about lapel pins on presidential candidates, but the point is that Republicans like to label Obama as an elitist, without holding your billionaire, adultering candidate to the same standards.

McCain is not "one of us." He doesn't use Google. He owns so many homes he doesn't remember how many homes he owns. He sells golf gear on his website for god's sake.

I'm not saying Obama is a regular joe, but at least the things he has done to rise above what God gave him are real accomplishments we should all be proud of. Instead, you Republicans prefer to label him as out of touch.

[sdkw]

I care about this as much as I care about lapel pins on presidential candidates, but the point is that Republicans like to label Obama as an elitist, without holding your billionaire, adultering candidate to the same standards.

McCain is not "one of us." He doesn't use Google. He owns so many homes he doesn't remember how many homes he owns. He sells golf gear on his website for god's sake.

I'm not saying Obama is a regular joe, but at least the things he has done to rise above what God gave him are real accomplishments we should all be proud of. Instead, you Republicans prefer to label him as out of touch.