Mitt Romney has a technology problem. Not the sort of problem that Rick Santorum had with Google search results, but with his latest app called With Mitt. Apparently, his developers had trouble spelling the word "America." Whoops. That's an important word to know how to spell when you're trying to become a U.S. president.
But Romney isn't the first politician to be tripped up by technology. In fact, Romney's misspelling, while hilarious, is tame compared to other technology failures that have plagued politicians over the years. Let's look at some of the worst, shall we?
Mitt Romney - With Mitt App
In what should have been a simple app designed to rally Romney support, the With Mitt app has become a joke dominating the campaign news cycle. The app contains templates of national pride combined with messaging that intimates the photographer (or perhaps a photo's subject?) is "with Mitt."
But the premise quickly fell apart when it was discovered that one of the templates contained the phrase, "A Better Amercia." We're not sure where Amercia is, but if Romney wants to make it better, more power to him.
A bug update has already been pushed to the iTunes App Store, so say goodbye to Amercia.
Anthony Weiner - Twitter Weinergate
An unfortunate last name haunts the former Democratic congressman from New York who decided that Twitter was the best way to share photos of his private bits. After initially saying that his Twitter account had been hacked and the photo was of someone else, Weiner eventually fessed up to his naked-photo-sending ways.
Weiner admitted to sending explicit images and conducting inappropriate conversations on Twitter, Facebook, and via e-mail. While he may have misunderstood the inevitably public nature of photo-sharing on Twitter, he seemed to have been a pro at "cybering."
Weiner resigned from Congress in June 2011.
Larry Pittman - 'Public Hangings' Reply All
Who hasn't accidentally hit the "reply all" button? Fortunately, most reply-all errors involve someone innocently venting about a coworker -- usually someone no one likes. Very rarely do they call for a return to public hangings to deter crime.
North Carolina State Representative Larry Pittman did just that when he sent a reply-all message saying, "For my money, we should go back to public hangings, which would be more of a deterrent to others, as well.” The e-mail was intended solely for Rep. Tim Moore. Instead it was sent to the entire North Carolina State Assembly.
Pittman later said, “I got a bit carried away and overstated my case.”
Dane Deutsch - The Hitler Tweet
Note to politicians. Actually, note to everyone: You should distance yourself from Hitler. Republican state Senate candidate Dane Deutsch of Wisconsin realized this after tweeting that Hitler was a strong leader.
Deutsch tweeted the following: "Hitler and Lincoln were both strong leaders. Lincoln's character made him the greater leader whose legacy and leadership still lives on!" Yeah, comparing Hitler to Abe Lincoln is also a no-no. Deutsch deleted the tweet but once something appears on the Internet, it's there forever.
The candidate explained that he meant that both men influenced people, but that Abe Lincoln had a righteous character that Hitler lacked. Maybe Twitter isn't the best forum for nuanced comparisons.
Deutsch lost his bid for the state Senate.
Indian Politicians - Porno During Parliament
Getting caught watching porno at home: bad. Getting caught watching porno in parliament: much, much worse. Just ask the three Indian politicians that were caught on video watching porno on a mobile phone during a debate. While debates can be tedious affairs, turning to pornography for boredom relief is never advised.
To make matters worse, one of the politicians, CC Patil, was the Women and Child Welfare Minister. In a country rife with social inequity, the politician charged with protecting women and children should probably steer clear of any affiliation with porn.
All three politicians resigned.
Louis Magazzu - The Naked Pics
After corresponding with a woman online for several years, Cumberland County freeholder Louis Magazzu decided that her request for naked photos was something he should fulfill. Little did he know that the woman would turn the photos over to a GOP activist's website.
The freeholder took photos of himself with his BlackBerry, and sent them to the woman who then turned them over to a site run by someone that had been arguing with Magazzu for years. Magazzu immediately resigned after news of the photos hit the local news. Magazzu issued an email statement apologizing to friends, family and constituents.
Political discourse at its finest.
Sarah Palin - Refudiate
The Internet is full of made-up words. LOLcats speak in an entire language made up of English-inspired gibberish. But when a politician is attempting to make an argument, making up a word in a tweet does little to advance his or her position.
Palin sent the following tweet during the mosque near Ground Zero controversy: "Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn't it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate"
Palin deleted the tweet but not before it was picked up and mocked. Palin came to the defense of her new word by comparing herself to the Bard: "'Refudiate,' 'misunderestimate,' 'wee-wee'd up.' English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!"
Who could refudiate that?
Ted Stevens - A Series of Tubes
United States Senator Ted Stevens uttered one of the most convoluted descriptions of technology by a politician when he likened the Internet to a series of tubes. While debating against network neutrality, Stevens used the analogy to explain how the Internet works.
The term was widely mocked and caused some to question the ability of lawmakers to regulate a system they didn't actually understand. Stevens defended his description of the Internet and insisted that he had been contacted by experts: "I have a letter from a big scientist who said I was absolutely right in using the word 'tubes.'"
Ted Stevens died in a plane crash in 2010.
