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John McAfee Pondering Presidential Bid

An anonymous reader writes: Since this U.S. presidential election cycle clearly isn't chaotic enough already, it seems John McAfee is now considering a campaign as well. Wired reports that McAfee hasn't decided for sure yet, and he's hoping to persuade somebody more charismatic to run with his backing. He said his advisors are pressing him to run, adding, "I have many thousands of emails saying please run for President. It's not something I would just choose to do on my own." What would his platform be? It actually sounds pretty simple: "It's clear that the leadership of our country is illiterate on the fundamental technology that supports everything in life for us now, that is cyber science, our smartphones, our military hardware, our communications." He'd be a strong proponent for privacy and autonomy. We should know in a few days whether McAfee is in or out — Wired says he "seems far more concerned with having his voice heard on one particular issue than with taking a seat in the Oval Office." Something seems to have changed his mind about politics: in a 2014 interview here, McAfee said. "I would never run for office, neither would I want to be in office, of any kind. I would rather drive a nail through my foot." According to the paperwork McAfee has filed, he is founding a new party (PDF).

32 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. Libertarian? by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I want to know which party he'd run under. Or if he would be independent.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    1. Re:Libertarian? by geekmux · · Score: 2

      I want to know who he is. The antivirus guy?

      Oh boy.

      At this point, I'm certain he would love to only be remembered for his bloatware, but his history is a bit more creative to say the least.

    2. Re:Libertarian? by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2

      I want to know which party he'd run under.

      That would be the "Pants on Head" party. Not much different than the usual suspects, but with a little added bit of crazy.

    3. Re:Libertarian? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What that's the john mcafee video you link to? https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  2. Peak Slashdot by American+AC+in+Paris · · Score: 2

    This is a front page story.

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    Obliteracy: Words with explosions

  3. I guess it makes sense.... by DougOtto · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Most of the other candidates are batshiat crazy, why not throw John into that mix?

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    Solving Unix problems since 1989...
    1. Re:I guess it makes sense.... by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, like we can do any worse than a former Tech CEO whose product is mostly known for slowing systems that use it to a crawl. I mean, I guess it could be worse - you could have someone who ruined one of the iconic tech companies of Silicon Valley by pushing a buyout of an increasingly unprofitable hardware company against the advice of pretty much everyone and their dog, nevermind laying off tens of thousands of workers, who's now running for president claiming that as part of their qualifying experience.

      Oh, wait...
      http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08...

    2. Re:I guess it makes sense.... by dpidcoe · · Score: 4, Informative

      To be fair, he's completely disowned the product that has his name on it and has made slashdot news a few times when he's gone on rants about how terrible of an antivirus it's become.

    3. Re:I guess it makes sense.... by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Funny

      do I really have to go for the obvious joke?

      ok. you forced me.

      the reason we do not want him to be president is: once he's installed, he'll be impossible to be removed!

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      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    4. Re:I guess it makes sense.... by meta-monkey · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm voting for Trump. He's the only candidate who doesn't talk like a fag.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    5. Re:I guess it makes sense.... by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      He stopped having anything to do with antivirus since the early Windows 98 days. That is, Windows ME wasn't a thing, and neither was Windows XP for that matter.

      During those days it wasn't any slower than any other antivirus software that I recall, and it was actually easy to remove if you wanted to do so. It wasn't until about 2004 that both McAfee and Norton became the dread of many a computer user.

    6. Re:I guess it makes sense.... by Darinbob · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The problem with America are people who know how to use sarcasm and irony?

    7. Re:I guess it makes sense.... by Jeremi · · Score: 2

      And... you're what's wrong with USA these days. Congratulations.

      I'm pretty sure he was sarcastically paraphrasing one of the characters in the movie Idiocracy.

      Then again, you never know.

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      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
  4. Re:Security Clearance by JazzHarper · · Score: 2

    No, the President does not require a security clearance.
    He has access to virtually all information by virtue of his Constitutional office.

  5. Re:Security Clearance by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He has access to virtually all information by virtue of his Constitutional office.

    You'd think so, but there have been times when the President was removed from "need to know" on various bits of information.

    The cracking of the Japanese code in WWII was withheld from FDR for a time, and other information has been withheld from time to time.

    That being said, your statement is generally true.

  6. Re:Stability by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm thinking Charlie Sheen. Together, they've probably done more drugs than half the country combined. It'd certainly be entertaining!

  7. Re:Security Clearance by geekmux · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No, the President does not require a security clearance. He has access to virtually all information by virtue of his Constitutional office.

    Yeah, something tells me the POTUS position kinda gets a pass on the whole background investigation thing.

    It certainly will have to if Hillary is somehow elected.

  8. Public Service Experience by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Business leaders should spend at least 4 years as a representative in Congress or a state governor in my opinion, and show aptitude there. Running government and dealing with politics is too different from the private sector. You have to learn how to compromise and persuade, not just order around underlings to carry out your vision your way.

    This also applies to Trump, Carly, and Carson.

    1. Re:Public Service Experience by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

      Not true. Those politicians owe a lot of favors. They take their orders from the private sector.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    2. Re:Public Service Experience by ganjadude · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I disagree. I want someone in government who isnt in government for the single reason that they are not in government.

      we have gone how long electing governors and senators and we end up with bush and obama??? yeah we can do much much better if we open the pool to those not beholden to the whims of government

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    3. Re:Public Service Experience by ganjadude · · Score: 2

      what i mean is that obama never had a real job, he was a politician his whole life and while you look at the ACA as a good thing, i dont. There is a reason it never passed before, and thats because it isnt any good.

      what i am saying is that career politicians are probably the worst people to elect because they are so out of touch with reality its sad.

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  9. Evolving positions over time by steveha · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder if he has also reconsidered his position on driving a nail through his foot?

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    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  10. Re:Stability by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Most of the other candidates are batshiat crazy, why not throw John into that mix?"

    Here's how I would do it: In every election, place McAfee by default onto both the Republican and Democratic candidate list. The parties would have to go to special trouble to delete him from the list each time before someone better could be run. Deleting him would not be tat easy, either; it would take a special "removal tool."

  11. Must be a joke? by Timmy+D+Programmer · · Score: 3, Informative

    Wasn't he a fugitive from murder charges, and also not born in the US. Only slightly better presidential option than Trump.

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    (If at first you don't succeed, do it different next time!)
  12. At this rate by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe the US should just consider picking someone at random. Just write a program that takes all adults that meet the criteria for president (age, born in the US, etc) and select one. Can't be worse than what's going on now. And as a added bonus US carbon emissions will plummet since there won't be all of the campaigning.

    1. Re:At this rate by godrik · · Score: 2

      I always thought that picking congress for a year out of the citizen on the jury duty list would be better than whatever we have right now.

    2. Re:At this rate by Michael+Woodhams · · Score: 3, Informative

      Arthur C Clarke's novel "Imperial Earth" does this: The future USA have decided that anyone who wants to be in the Whitehouse should never be allowed to be there. They make a list of people who are competent and would need to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Whitehouse, but once there will do their best. Then they just choose their president by lottery from that list.

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      Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
  13. He should join Lessig by Bob+Gelumph · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Larry Lessig is looking for a running mate, so that he can resign in favor of the VP after reforming the electoral system.

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    I'm gonna need a spec.
  14. Re:Security Clearance by cavreader · · Score: 2

    The background check is accomplished during the election campaign. People who oppose a candidate will delve into that persons background in depth looking for the slightest abnormality or perceived wrongdoing to gain electoral advantage. There is nothing the FBI, NSA, CIA, DIA, or any of the other state security services can discover that cannot be discovered by the general public. The closer a person gets to being elected the harder his opponents will look for any thing to derail that persons chances of being elected.

  15. Re:Not elgible? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 2

    1. No, they're not ineligible.
    2. John McAfee isn't a felon.

    No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

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    "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  16. Re:Security Clearance by Pubstar · · Score: 2

    They ask about your drug usage over the past 7 years. I just went through the process. As long as you aren't currently doing them nor have done them recently, its usually a pass.

  17. Re:Stability by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 2

    Yep, I know I'd want a guy who's voluntarily played Russian Roulette to occupy the presidency.

    two reasons:

    1) he's not a pansy

    2) he does not scare easily

    being somewhat serious, for a moment, we have 'leaders' who continue to play the "be afraid! all the fucking time!" card. they now govern by fear and we lose rights more and more as those jerks continue to screw us over for their own good.

    I'd like to have someone in office say 'life is hard, its unsafe by definition and by nature and we are not going to legislate you into a 100% safe society.'

    not saying HE would be the guy, but someone who takes a few risks is more trustable, to me, than some think-of-the-children perl-clutcher. (oops, I mean pearl.)

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    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."