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Interviews: Ask John McAfee About His Presidential Run 157

Posted by samzenpus from the go-ahead-and-ask dept.
samzenpus writes: He's run a multi-billion dollar company and hidden in the jungles of Central America while being chased by Belizean authorities, but John McAfee's presidential bid may be his most interesting adventure yet. Last week John said: "Our government is in a dysfunctional state. It is also illiterate when it comes to technology. Technology is not a tool that should be used for a government to invade our privacy. Technology should not be the scapegoat when we fail to protect our digital assets and tools of commerce. These are matters of priorities," when announcing his run. According to his Cyber Party website: "Donkeys and elephants just don't make sense in the modern world. If the federal bureaucracy adopts technology in a meaningful way, it will become much easier to adapt to changes in policy or procedure. 10 hour long congressional hearings will no longer be needed for a simple change in workflow. By adapting a lean approach to government, the amount of savings that can be realized by improved efficiency will eliminate the need for wholesale changes to foundational policies. Other parties consistently lag behind trends in technology – Cyber Party members are committed to staying ahead of the curve and remaining proactive in policymaking." John has agreed to answer any questions you have about his step into politics or any other questions you may have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.
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Interviews: Ask John McAfee About His Presidential Run More

Interviews: Ask John McAfee About His Presidential Run

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  • Are you insane?

  • What will you do when you become president? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Kohath ( 38547 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:19PM (#50533925)

    What is your agenda for the first 100 days of the McAfee administration?

  • Nuclear Power using LFTR (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:22PM (#50533959)

    John, what is your position on Nuclear Power?

    Would you support the re-opening of research into liquid fluoride thorium reactors. These reactor designs, and the thorium fuel cycle were researched back in the 70's and can solve both our energy crisis, be far more environmentally friendly than uranium based fuel cycles, and can even used 'spent' uranium reactor fuel as fuel sources, allowing us to reprocess our vast quantity of spent fuel into less harmful waste, while also capturing the energy from them (instead of having it wasted heating water in spent fuel ponds).

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by dotancohen ( 1015143 )

      Would you support the re-opening of research into liquid fluoride thorium reactors.

      As much as this question is flamebait, the truth is that many people smarter than me see these types of reactors as the only really feasible way out of the environmental mess that we're in. They reduce the need to release carbon, and at the same time clean up the mess that light water reactors leave behind.

      I would support a presidential candidate on this basis alone.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      This is really a more generic question about energy subsidies. Thorium needs many billions from goverment to be commercially viable (why else do you think it isn't happening?), but there is also great demand from other technologies. Is Thorium the best way to spend that money, or would some other renewable system be better? Storage tech perhaps. Or just no subsidies for anyone, let them stand on their own merits.

  • Yeah, I'll get right on that....because I really care about what this aging crack addict thinks about foreign policy.

    (sigh) Just kill me now. Please.

    • Re:Yeah, I'll get right on that (Score:4, Interesting)

      by LaurenCates ( 3410445 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @02:16PM (#50534475)

      Yeah, well, look, with Donald Trump running (and having momentum), running for president is now officially a free-for-all.

      If I was rich and nobody's told me "no" in a decade or two, I'm sure I could be convinced that I could run for president while balancing random fruits on my head and calling my party the "Hell no to GMOs" party.

      • Yeah, well, look, with Donald Trump running (and having momentum), running for president is now officially a free-for-all.

        It used to be that people asked themselves if they should run for the office of president, now they ask themselves, "Why shouldn't I run for president?"

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      (sigh) Just kill me now. Please.

      This is probably the #1 thing not to say to John McAfee.

  • Serious questions for a serious candidate. (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Psychopath ( 18031 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:26PM (#50533999) Homepage

    In your opinion, what are the societal implications of electing an alleged murdering drug addict to the office of President? As a followup, if elected will you install a stripper pole in the oval office?

    • In your opinion, what are the societal implications of electing an alleged murdering drug addict to the office of President? As a followup, if elected will you install a stripper pole in the oval office?

      Odd he's starting his own party.

      It sounds like he's the one who could finally challenge Trump in the Republican primary!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sls1j ( 580823 )
      Wasn't that the situation with the last 3 presidents? It's just more of the same.

    • In your opinion, what are the societal implications of electing an alleged murdering drug addict to the office of President? As a followup, if elected will you please install a stripper pole in the oval office?

      ftfy

  • technology? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by rubycodez ( 864176 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:27PM (#50534015)

    that's the least of a president's worries. Trade, strategic alliances, military actions, departments of education, transportation, etc.......

    never vote for someone just because they "understand technology", and the fundamental problems of the USA even regarding privacy are not in the realm of technology, but rather of who really wields power. Someone who doesn't understand corporate fascism will only become part of the problem

    • Herbert Hoover understood technology. He was our only engineer president.

      To make a long story short ... voters became less interested in engineers after his administration.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        I thought Carter's B.S. from Annapolis was in engineering.

        • No it was an uspecified Bachelor of Science degree. He took six month reactor operator training after that. People might be confused as to the term "engineering officer" aboard a nuclear sub, but that is not a designer type of "engineer". A train engine operator type of engineer is closer to truth

      • But he understood other things too, He was Secretary of Commerce under Harding and worked on relationships between banks, government, business, labor

        • Ah, you are a student of history. Yes, he was also involved with a number of charities. Roosevelt asked him to run as a Democrat. I think he almost might have, but he replied saying the only Democrat he knew in the Iowa town he grew up in was a drunkard. They started making whiskey cheaper in those days.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Qzukk ( 229616 )

      Or, to put it differently: If we're going to become issues voters and only vote on the technology issue, why should we vote for you instead of Lawrence Lessig?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Mitreya ( 579078 )

      never vote for someone just because they "understand technology",

      Also keep in mind that if someone makes decisions about technology that you don't like, they probably know exactly what they are doing.
      They have someone on staff who can explain. You want someone who supports your position, not necessarily someone who "understands technology"

  • Cyber Policies (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Will your cabinet be allowed to WFH?

  • Nuclear Fusion (Score:3)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:30PM (#50534053)

    John, what is your position on Nuclear Fusion?

    Would you support increased funding for US participation in ITER? I believe increased funding would allow ITER to achieve it's goals faster. Would you also support alternative programs for researching fusion, including the re-opening of the NIF (National Ignition Facility) which was exploring inertial confinement fusion?

    Clearly, the US can afford such massive undertakings, just be switching its priorities from war (military spending) to peace (energy research)

    If we had near unlimited free energy, there is a lot we could do to help the planet, including completely phasing out coal, natural gas, and oil for electrical production.

  • 1 issue candidate? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I don't want to be overly critical with this question as many other candidates can be cast under this umbrella as well (Donald with immigration, Bernie with ridiculous spending policy, Hillary with illegal email is ok... etc).

    Aside from the obviously important issues of information security what are you other positions and although you may not have been able to articulate a complete platform by now who might you share positions with on other issues (between say Ron Paul, and John McCain). I'd also

  • Please say 'YES'. I will forgive your shitty software escapades if you do.

  • Not a question, but a suggestion: (Score:5, Funny)

    by bistromath007 ( 1253428 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:35PM (#50534101)
    Make sure you have a big presence on chan boards. Get memes made about you, and generally continue being your awesome-ridiculous self. Don't act professional for the sake of your campaign. That isn't what millenials want, and they are the ones you can get to vote for you if you do your marketing right. Think about that. Millenials might actually vote. All you have to do is entertain them. Get yourself made fun of on John Oliver repeatedly. Be a bigger cartoon character than Donald Trump. You can do this. I believe in you. You're the closest we could ever get to President Zaphod Beeblebrox. Please make it happen.

  • What do you think will be your margin of victory? Do you think it'll be a landslide?

    • What do you think will be your margin of victory?

      About (-100)%. I'll get exactly two votes, mine and some dead guy from Detroit.

      Do you think it'll be a landslide?

      On top of me? Yes...

  • Fine. (Score:3)

    by American AC in Paris ( 230456 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:36PM (#50534115) Homepage

    Mr. McAfee,

    As President of the United States, would you make any significant changes to what drugs you take and how often you take them? If so, could you give us a general sense of what those changes might be?

    • Mr. McAfee,

      As President of the United States, would you make any significant changes to what drugs you take and how often you take them? If so, could you give us a general sense of what those changes might be?

      He will be using the JFK cocktail.

  • I guess I don't really need to elaborate. It's a huge subject to go into any nuance, but surely you can generalize for me.

  • Copyright (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Do you feel that copyright protections on art and entertainment are too weak or too strong, and do you intend to do anything about it?

  • Why not run under the Democrats/Republican party? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by gQuigs ( 913879 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:40PM (#50534163) Homepage

    Third party runs in the US aren't really given a remotely fair shot.

    Specifically the republican party primary seems like you would have the best shot there... I would be shocked if you can't make it to the top 10...

  • How do I uninstall McAfee antivirus?
    It really bogs down the 10 year old electronic voting machines and the trial expired years ago.

  • Cybersecurity Knowledge? (Score:4)

    by jmac_the_man ( 1612215 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:44PM (#50534197)
    Mr. McAfee, obviously your field of expertise is Information Security. What are the one or two biggest problems facing the Federal government from an IT perspective? How would you solve these problems?

  • Trump (Score:5, Interesting)

    by justcauseisjustthat ( 1150803 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:45PM (#50534207)
    What are your thoughts on Donald Trump (another businessman)? And why are you more qualified to be president?

    • Sorry to grammar police you but your punctuation was way off. Reformatted:

      What are your thoughts on Donald Trump, another businessman (???), and why are you more qualified to be president?

  • Your stance on offshoring/outsourcing (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    See subject: Your thoughts on what needs to be done on the account of outsourcing/offshoring jobs in the United States, most specifically on the software industry related front?

    * I think you'd be a great candidate on privacy issues, and from what I've read from you on that note plus your industry experience, there I have little doubts in your knowledge & experience... the above question is what I am interested in, as it affects the USA as a whole.

    (I'm semi-retired from the field myself, only doing contr

    • Did you offshore your hosts file creation yet?

  • What are the sources of funds for your campaign?

  • Snowden (Score:5, Interesting)

    by gQuigs ( 913879 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:50PM (#50534239) Homepage

    Would you pardon Edward Snowden?

  • What is the purpose of government?

  • Can you run in under 2 hours 30 minutes?

    Or are you slower?

  • What is a good life?

  • Where's the rest of the platform? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mr_mischief ( 456295 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:51PM (#50534263) Journal

    We understand where you stand on surveillance. Where do you stand on these issues?:

    firearms
    abortion
    gay marriage
    investing in prisons and drug stings vs. investing in job training and job creation
    legalizing marijuana
    keeping the FCC from preventing flashing of consumer electronics with new firmware
    net neutrality
    the Keystone XL pipeline
    amnesty for illegal immigrants
    streamlining guest worker visas for legal immigrants
    HB-1 visa quotas
    lowering the skyrocketing levels of student debt
    making healthcare affordable or subsidizing paying for it
    investing in our roads and bridges
    making Internet a common utility like water and electricity

    • We understand where you stand on surveillance. Where do you stand on these issues?

      Add to that:
      Stance on Israel
      Nuclear power
      Renewable power
      Carbon-based power
      Fusion research
      Edward Snowden
      Manned space exploration
      Robotic space exploration
      Recent Russian expansionism
      Syrian and African refugees

    • Hello,

      To add to the list:

      campaign finance reform (wrt. Citizens United v. FEC)
      copyright infringement (should it be a civil or a criminal matter)
      education (vouchers for private schools)
      intellectual property (in particular, patents on software)
      prostitution (legalization of)

      Regards,

      Aryeh Goretsky

  • I know this is almost certainly not McAfee's job personally, but the "cyberparty" website has a glaring typographical error on it. Did they hire former slashdot employees to work on it and not realize it?

  • Priorities (Score:3)

    by meta-monkey ( 321000 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @01:59PM (#50534315) Journal

    Would you rather fight one horse-sized Hillary Clinton or 100 duck-sized Donald Trumps?

    Also, "Cyber Party?" Is that like a group sex chat room? I do not want to have a cyber party with you.

  • One World (Score:5)

    by shuz ( 706678 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @02:05PM (#50534377) Homepage Journal

    Hello Mr. McAfee,
    The world largely views the USA as a bully and full of very wealthy people that don't care about those less privileged. As president of the USA, how would you advance world cooperation and work to change world views of the USA to just another location in the world full of mostly average non-privileged individuals living out their lives?

    Unrelated, my best friend almost ran you over at Defcon. He wasn't looking where he is going and apologizes.

    • Follow-up: how DID you make it to DEFCON this year after getting picked up for DIU and weapons charges?
      http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... [theregister.co.uk]

      >> how would you advance world cooperation and work to change world views of the USA to just another location in the world full of mostly average non-privileged individuals living out their lives?
      And for the last poster: why should this be a priority? Is this a question about reducing the size of the terrorist bulls-eye on us or what?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Kohath ( 38547 )

      The world largely views the USA as a bully and full of very wealthy people that don't care about those less privileged.

      We were promised that the world would love us if we elected Obama. Did the world break it's promise?

  • Why do you live in west Tennessee?

  • I don't know what's more exciting - this, or the Ellen Pao court case!

  • Would you clamp down on commercial sex, or move towards legitimizing it?

  • Comment on your last interview (Score:3)

    by schneidafunk ( 795759 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @02:39PM (#50534693)

    Care to comment on your last answer from your last interview [slashdot.org] here on slashdot?

    McAfee: The attorney for the House Ways and Means Committee contacted me and asked if I would help. I said “no”. 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.

    • He has been working on driving the nail through his foot and decided that running for president actually was the better option.

  • Reality (Score:4)

    by wstrucke ( 876891 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @02:47PM (#50534769)
    How do you plan to overcome the virtual impossibility of breaking through the two-party system [wikipedia.org]?

  • Is there anything you can do about self-reproducing laws? Like how people repeatedly make it illegal to murder, to show they are "tough on crime"?

  • How can we take you seriously? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Smelly Von Smellerto ( 993026 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @03:07PM (#50534959)
    Trying not to be facetious here, but why should we believe you're genuinely interested in leading this country and not just trying to get some media coverage? What in your recent history would lead a voter to believe you'll take this process seriously enough to make and difference at all?

  • Clueless (Score:3)

    by SpankiMonki ( 3493987 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @03:12PM (#50534995)
    If technology is the main plank of this guy's platform, then he doesn't have a clue about what's wrong with our government.

  • What Technologies? (Score:3)

    by Bodhammer ( 559311 ) on Wednesday September 16, 2015 @03:40PM (#50535219)
    What technology research should be government funded and what should be private?

  • I thought he left McAffe (the company) before the whole Belize incident. Or did he run another big corporation at that time?

  • "By adapting a lean approach to government, the amount of savings that can be realized by improved efficiency will eliminate the need for wholesale changes to foundational policies."

    The line which amounts to "We will save so much under my administration that I will give you all this pork for NO COST!" has been used before, and it was bullshit back then.

    If you are cynical, you should avoid this line because other cynics (cynical about government? this is a large population) will see your BS clearly. If you

  • everyone knows that the american people vote on single issues, but your campaign site takes the prize.

    besides cyber security and police state and using technology on goverment processes, what is your second most important issue? if there is any.

  • Do you have a target goal for the amount of money you need to launder via your campaign? or are going to keep on even after that amount is met?

  • Would you disband the NSA and TSA, and replace them with a Federal Bureau of Tree-Cops?

  • I understand that your platform suggests a massive investment in techno-literacy for Americans, which will take years beyond a presidential term to achieve. In the meantime, given the state of the modern internet with regards to cyber crimes and foreign government-sponsored hacking, what are your plans to protect U.S. technology interests and investments, and when those measures fails, what forms of sanctions can we expect the McAfee administration to seek redress the damages?

  • The key issue I've read about relating to your campaign is that the government is "illiterate when it comes to technology". Governing, like managing and leading, requires being an expert in working with advisers, it's up to those advisers to be experts in their fields. Technology aside, what makes you more qualified than other candidates in the fields of National Defense; Foreign Affairs; Environmental Protection; Infrastructure Management; Resource Management; Financial Management; Employment Stability; a

  • runaway freight train (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Mr McAfee, your campaign seems to have the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why are you so popular?

  • What do you feel the likelihood of getting elected is as a numerical percent?

  • Oh wait... been there, done that

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