11 ms·

John McAfee for President

123 points by miket 11y ago

coco1989 11y ago
He looks seriously high..
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
csmattryder 11y ago
See, if McAfee says the right things, I think he'd end up doing well - as well as a fringe/joke candidate could do. He's pro-gun and quite anti-government. If Trump can do it, why not McAfee? And the scrolling seems off or hijacked in some way, on the "How to Vote" page, it's the digital equivalent of having your breaks cut.
- adventured 11y ago
  The Trump phenomenon is built on three decades of national, tabloid level fame. His name and image recognition is the primary reason he's out in front of the other mostly bland or non-recognizable candidates (not to mention the obvious anti-establishment thing going on that has been much discussed). McAfee can't do what Trump is doing, because he's not actually famous on any meaningful scale. Relatively few Americans know who he is or would recognize him. They also would be unlikely to automatically associate the name with the anti-virus product, "McAfee" means nothing to most of the population. Practically anyone in the US born between 1940 and 2000 knows who Donald Trump is.
  - seren 11y ago
    Even though I know who he is, at a very basic level, McAfee is the annoying anti-virus I can't disable at work, and the only time I have to deal with it, is when my computer is grinding to halt. Not the best name association.
    - blueblob 11y ago
      Yeah, he sold the company a long time ago and doesn't like where it's headed/doesn't want to be associated with it. Then again, Intel is renaming it to Intel Security; I guess because they don't want to be associated with him either. I think the most the average American knows about him is that he was fleeing the country because he was being investigated for murder and that he was behaving strangely. I am not sure that the majority of people would look into it any further.
  - at-fates-hands 11y ago
    >> His name and image recognition is the primary reason he's out in front of the other mostly bland or non-recognizable candidates. Perhaps initially, but its not true now. The reason Trump is killing it in the poles is that he can't be bought, and he doesn't pull punches and he speaks his mind. Something people who are fed up with the political correctness have been starving for. He's also resonating because he's talking about doing things voters want to hear - securing the border, getting tough with China, creating jobs, and taking out ISIS.
    - ConceptJunkie 11y ago
      I think the public is breaking down into 3 groups. 1. The people who like what the Democrats under Obama have been doing. They are likely to support Clinton or Sanders at this point... or Biden or Gore or Kerry, etc. should one of them get drafted. They won't be interest in Trump, who is attacking their guy. 2. The people who consider themselves Democrat but aren't crazy about what the party has been doing the last 6 years. 3. The people who definitely don't like what the Democrats are doing and are voting Republican to try to change things. Actual conservatives are completely disillusioned with the GOP and people who see them as a way to check the Democrats are also being very let down. But, when you only have two evils, you have to figure out which is the lesser. 4. Establishment Republicans who like the status quo. Group 4 consists of people in office and U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other interests who are milking the system, but can be discounted in terms of actual votes (but not in terms of their very powerful influence). They are backing Jeb Bush and definitely don't like Trump. Group 1 also won't be interested in Trump. Group 2 may be attracted by Trump. Group 3 will probably be attracted by Trump, and like him (like me) even if they (also like me) don't think he'd actually be a good President. Trump, despite his flaws, is a much better cheerleader for the GOP than almost anyone inside the GOP. Group 2 and 3 are most of the country. If you don't, there is no good alternative because the Republicans have pretty much pre-emptively surrendered on everything and it's clear the party honchos like the establishment guy (Bush). So who can you look to? Trump plays the media like a fiddle, and he's naturally attracting most of the attention, but Carson, another non-politician is #2 in the polls. Fiorina is rising quickly as well. No one likes the GOP right now.
ck2 11y ago
Apparently the ultimate way now to show off how you have money to throw away (or other people's money to throw away) is to run for president. It is the ultimate conspicuous consumption item.
vegancap 11y ago
I prefer McAfee to the other front-runners in the U.S. election. That's for sure.
drfuchs 11y ago
Right, and his running mate will be Hans Reiser? Seriously, last I heard, the guy is pretty clearly a murderer. Or lunatic. Or both. http://memeburn.com/2013/01/john-mccafee-anti-virus-pioneer-escaped-murder-suspect-master-spy/ http://memeburn.com/2013/01/john-mccafee-anti-virus-pioneer-... etc. etc.
- brohee 11y ago
  AFAIK he was never really under suspicion. But being possibly paranoid he thought he was, and he didn't trust Belize justice system (and is possibly right about that).
  - drfuchs 11y ago
    Of course he was a suspect. He'd had an escalating battle with his neighbor, who coincidentally turned up shot to death. http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder
    - brohee 11y ago
      He was only ever a "person of interest", if they had anything material against him he'd have been officially suspect likely. And there are various citations of unnamed Belize officials, stating that he's no longer even a person of interest in that case.
      - drfuchs 11y ago
        An actual quote reported by an actual journalist who was actually there at the time and actually heard from the lips of "Marco Vidal, the head of Belize’s Gang Suppression Unit": McAfee is a “prime suspect” in Faull’s death. http://www.wired.com/2012/11/threatlevel_1112_mcafee/ http://www.wired.com/2012/11/threatlevel_1112_mcafee/
        brohee 11y ago
        http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20315415 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20315415 > Raphael Martinez of Belize's Ministry of National Security said no charges had been filed in the case and Mr McAfee was simply "a person of interest". > "It's too early in the investigation," he told the Associated Press. "To say he is a suspect would be a bold statement." And in 2015 "not a person of interest anymore". If they had anything tangible, why wasn't he charged?
tempodox 11y ago
I'd rather vote for Frank Zappa if he were still around.
nerdy 11y ago
Wait, THIS John McAfee? [NSFW, Rated "R"] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRvaQsGIY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRvaQsGIY8
- sp332 11y ago
  He did an AMA recently https://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/3hr9f0/i_am_john_mcafee_ama/ https://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/3hr9f0/i_am_john_mc... and an interview with Uses This a while back https://usesthis.com/interviews/john.mcafee/ https://usesthis.com/interviews/john.mcafee/ Edit: To clarify, the Uses This interview was done while he was being threatened in Belize. That's why it's all paranoid.
  - paulmd 11y ago
    I'm a big fan of his Slashdot AMA, which he mostly spends informing you about the best ways to bribe policemen and smuggle drugs while you're in Central America. http://interviews.slashdot.org/story/14/04/06/2344201/interview-john-mcafee-answers-your-questions http://interviews.slashdot.org/story/14/04/06/2344201/interv...
    - lepht 11y ago
      Ha. From the end of that AMA: > 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.
- witty_username 11y ago
  It's a slightly satirical video.
  - eloisant 11y ago
    Maybe he was genuinely fed up with the MacAfee antivirus, people associating him with it, so he made the video so Intel would not want to share the name of their product with him. That's a pretty smart move. Sex, drug, weapons... A bunch of things a respectable company wouldn't want to be associated to.
Kenji 11y ago
I don't know what problem people have with him... Imagine he was serious about the campaign... >He is a murderer Well that is still not proven and the government of Belize is not exactly the most trustworthy entity about this, so in no way is it this clear. Even if it was true, let's face it - after their presidency, every former president is a murderer. >He is a lunatic and insane And Hillary Clinton is not? >He is paranoid Well at least he's more paranoid about the STATE than about the CITIZENS so that would sway things around a bit. However, I'd love to hear his stance on abortion, gay marriage, etc. I presume he'd be quite liberal, again, a point for him. But yeah, sadly, he doesn't even stand a chance.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
mydpy 11y ago
I love the music playing in the background of his video.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
nnq 11y ago
...should I feel guilty for fantasizing an apocalyptic WW3 scenario with the USA lead by MacAfee and Russia led by Putin? the world would turn to ashes, but boy it would be fun to watch :)
- grkvlt 11y ago
  "Some men just want to watch the world burn...", I guess?
- bdg 11y ago
  "Don't blame me -- I voted for Trump"
doe88 11y ago
I must say I find his speech in the linked video [1] very well written. I certainly was more used to his usual erratic behavior. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=246&v=sMz6GV3b1ys https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=246&v=sMz6GV3b1ys
quinndupont 11y ago
Anyone know where this video was shot? Is McAfee a big book collector?
- jeffbr13 11y ago
  In front of a green-screen, if the halos around his hair are anything to go by.
- itsmillertime4u 11y ago
  Yeah I'm 99% sure that's a green screen video special effect. The origination of the backdrop I don't know but I can assure he was not in that room when the video was recorded.
adultSwim 11y ago
Already enough megalomaniacs in politics... Still, I would probably vote for anyone who isn't a warmonger (tragically, doesn't seem like either major party will nominate someone who fits this criterion)
smrtinsert 11y ago
John McAffee, Wrong on Security, Wrong on Ashley Madison, Wrong for President.
chuckgreenman 11y ago
I am legitimately confused, this is a prank right? right?
mindcrime 11y ago
I could get behind McAfee. I think I agree with him on his views on privacy and surveillance at least. I just need to know more about where he stands on foreign policy, taxation, and a few other things. But I still think he'd have been better off pursuing the nomination of an established (albeit "3rd party") party than starting a new party from scratch this late in the game. That is, unless his ideology truly is completely different from that of any existing party.
mrmondo 11y ago
He has become a double entendre parody of himself, it's really the quite an amusing play on the state of the American political system. While I think that Stephen Colbert could make a fine president, John McAfee; while playing a similar game, could not.
sparkzilla 11y ago
I made a news timeline of McAfee if you'd like to catch up: http://newslines.org/john-mcafee/?order=ASC http://newslines.org/john-mcafee/?order=ASC
- badloginagain 11y ago
  It's like reading a trainwreck in chronological order.
kelvin0 11y ago
The funny thing is that whomever becomes head of state, most of the system and it's influential players stay the same. Basically, the way I see it nothing changes, just a different face on the news.
jMyles 11y ago
I.... Wow, that was actually a good speech.
wnevets 11y ago
Once hes installed as President we'll never be able to get rid of him
sctb 11y ago
Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10189288 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10189288 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10190859 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10190859

123 points by miket 11y ago

coco1989 11y ago

He looks seriously high..

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

csmattryder 11y ago

See, if McAfee says the right things, I think he'd end up doing well - as well as a fringe/joke candidate could do. He's pro-gun and quite anti-government. If Trump can do it, why not McAfee? And the scrolling seems off or hijacked in some way, on the "How to Vote" page, it's the digital equivalent of having your breaks cut.

adventured 11y ago
The Trump phenomenon is built on three decades of national, tabloid level fame. His name and image recognition is the primary reason he's out in front of the other mostly bland or non-recognizable candidates (not to mention the obvious anti-establishment thing going on that has been much discussed). McAfee can't do what Trump is doing, because he's not actually famous on any meaningful scale. Relatively few Americans know who he is or would recognize him. They also would be unlikely to automatically associate the name with the anti-virus product, "McAfee" means nothing to most of the population. Practically anyone in the US born between 1940 and 2000 knows who Donald Trump is.
- seren 11y ago
  Even though I know who he is, at a very basic level, McAfee is the annoying anti-virus I can't disable at work, and the only time I have to deal with it, is when my computer is grinding to halt. Not the best name association.
  - blueblob 11y ago
    Yeah, he sold the company a long time ago and doesn't like where it's headed/doesn't want to be associated with it. Then again, Intel is renaming it to Intel Security; I guess because they don't want to be associated with him either. I think the most the average American knows about him is that he was fleeing the country because he was being investigated for murder and that he was behaving strangely. I am not sure that the majority of people would look into it any further.
- at-fates-hands 11y ago
  >> His name and image recognition is the primary reason he's out in front of the other mostly bland or non-recognizable candidates. Perhaps initially, but its not true now. The reason Trump is killing it in the poles is that he can't be bought, and he doesn't pull punches and he speaks his mind. Something people who are fed up with the political correctness have been starving for. He's also resonating because he's talking about doing things voters want to hear - securing the border, getting tough with China, creating jobs, and taking out ISIS.
  - ConceptJunkie 11y ago
    I think the public is breaking down into 3 groups. 1. The people who like what the Democrats under Obama have been doing. They are likely to support Clinton or Sanders at this point... or Biden or Gore or Kerry, etc. should one of them get drafted. They won't be interest in Trump, who is attacking their guy. 2. The people who consider themselves Democrat but aren't crazy about what the party has been doing the last 6 years. 3. The people who definitely don't like what the Democrats are doing and are voting Republican to try to change things. Actual conservatives are completely disillusioned with the GOP and people who see them as a way to check the Democrats are also being very let down. But, when you only have two evils, you have to figure out which is the lesser. 4. Establishment Republicans who like the status quo. Group 4 consists of people in office and U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other interests who are milking the system, but can be discounted in terms of actual votes (but not in terms of their very powerful influence). They are backing Jeb Bush and definitely don't like Trump. Group 1 also won't be interested in Trump. Group 2 may be attracted by Trump. Group 3 will probably be attracted by Trump, and like him (like me) even if they (also like me) don't think he'd actually be a good President. Trump, despite his flaws, is a much better cheerleader for the GOP than almost anyone inside the GOP. Group 2 and 3 are most of the country. If you don't, there is no good alternative because the Republicans have pretty much pre-emptively surrendered on everything and it's clear the party honchos like the establishment guy (Bush). So who can you look to? Trump plays the media like a fiddle, and he's naturally attracting most of the attention, but Carson, another non-politician is #2 in the polls. Fiorina is rising quickly as well. No one likes the GOP right now.

ck2 11y ago

Apparently the ultimate way now to show off how you have money to throw away (or other people's money to throw away) is to run for president. It is the ultimate conspicuous consumption item.

vegancap 11y ago

I prefer McAfee to the other front-runners in the U.S. election. That's for sure.

drfuchs 11y ago

Right, and his running mate will be Hans Reiser? Seriously, last I heard, the guy is pretty clearly a murderer. Or lunatic. Or both. http://memeburn.com/2013/01/john-mccafee-anti-virus-pioneer-escaped-murder-suspect-master-spy/ http://memeburn.com/2013/01/john-mccafee-anti-virus-pioneer-... etc. etc.

brohee 11y ago
AFAIK he was never really under suspicion. But being possibly paranoid he thought he was, and he didn't trust Belize justice system (and is possibly right about that).
- drfuchs 11y ago
  Of course he was a suspect. He'd had an escalating battle with his neighbor, who coincidentally turned up shot to death. http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder
  - brohee 11y ago
    He was only ever a "person of interest", if they had anything material against him he'd have been officially suspect likely. And there are various citations of unnamed Belize officials, stating that he's no longer even a person of interest in that case.
    - drfuchs 11y ago
      An actual quote reported by an actual journalist who was actually there at the time and actually heard from the lips of "Marco Vidal, the head of Belize’s Gang Suppression Unit": McAfee is a “prime suspect” in Faull’s death. http://www.wired.com/2012/11/threatlevel_1112_mcafee/ http://www.wired.com/2012/11/threatlevel_1112_mcafee/
      - brohee 11y ago
        http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20315415 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20315415 > Raphael Martinez of Belize's Ministry of National Security said no charges had been filed in the case and Mr McAfee was simply "a person of interest". > "It's too early in the investigation," he told the Associated Press. "To say he is a suspect would be a bold statement." And in 2015 "not a person of interest anymore". If they had anything tangible, why wasn't he charged?

tempodox 11y ago

I'd rather vote for Frank Zappa if he were still around.

nerdy 11y ago

Wait, THIS John McAfee? [NSFW, Rated "R"] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRvaQsGIY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRvaQsGIY8

sp332 11y ago
He did an AMA recently https://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/3hr9f0/i_am_john_mcafee_ama/ https://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/3hr9f0/i_am_john_mc... and an interview with Uses This a while back https://usesthis.com/interviews/john.mcafee/ https://usesthis.com/interviews/john.mcafee/ Edit: To clarify, the Uses This interview was done while he was being threatened in Belize. That's why it's all paranoid.
- paulmd 11y ago
  I'm a big fan of his Slashdot AMA, which he mostly spends informing you about the best ways to bribe policemen and smuggle drugs while you're in Central America. http://interviews.slashdot.org/story/14/04/06/2344201/interview-john-mcafee-answers-your-questions http://interviews.slashdot.org/story/14/04/06/2344201/interv...
  - lepht 11y ago
    Ha. From the end of that AMA: > 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.
witty_username 11y ago
It's a slightly satirical video.
- eloisant 11y ago
  Maybe he was genuinely fed up with the MacAfee antivirus, people associating him with it, so he made the video so Intel would not want to share the name of their product with him. That's a pretty smart move. Sex, drug, weapons... A bunch of things a respectable company wouldn't want to be associated to.

Kenji 11y ago

I don't know what problem people have with him... Imagine he was serious about the campaign... >He is a murderer Well that is still not proven and the government of Belize is not exactly the most trustworthy entity about this, so in no way is it this clear. Even if it was true, let's face it - after their presidency, every former president is a murderer. >He is a lunatic and insane And Hillary Clinton is not? >He is paranoid Well at least he's more paranoid about the STATE than about the CITIZENS so that would sway things around a bit. However, I'd love to hear his stance on abortion, gay marriage, etc. I presume he'd be quite liberal, again, a point for him. But yeah, sadly, he doesn't even stand a chance.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

mydpy 11y ago

I love the music playing in the background of his video.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

nnq 11y ago

...should I feel guilty for fantasizing an apocalyptic WW3 scenario with the USA lead by MacAfee and Russia led by Putin? the world would turn to ashes, but boy it would be fun to watch :)

grkvlt 11y ago
"Some men just want to watch the world burn...", I guess?
bdg 11y ago
"Don't blame me -- I voted for Trump"

doe88 11y ago

I must say I find his speech in the linked video [1] very well written. I certainly was more used to his usual erratic behavior. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=246&v=sMz6GV3b1ys https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=246&v=sMz6GV3b1ys

quinndupont 11y ago

Anyone know where this video was shot? Is McAfee a big book collector?

jeffbr13 11y ago
In front of a green-screen, if the halos around his hair are anything to go by.
itsmillertime4u 11y ago
Yeah I'm 99% sure that's a green screen video special effect. The origination of the backdrop I don't know but I can assure he was not in that room when the video was recorded.

adultSwim 11y ago

Already enough megalomaniacs in politics... Still, I would probably vote for anyone who isn't a warmonger (tragically, doesn't seem like either major party will nominate someone who fits this criterion)

smrtinsert 11y ago

John McAffee, Wrong on Security, Wrong on Ashley Madison, Wrong for President.

chuckgreenman 11y ago

I am legitimately confused, this is a prank right? right?

mindcrime 11y ago

I could get behind McAfee. I think I agree with him on his views on privacy and surveillance at least. I just need to know more about where he stands on foreign policy, taxation, and a few other things. But I still think he'd have been better off pursuing the nomination of an established (albeit "3rd party") party than starting a new party from scratch this late in the game. That is, unless his ideology truly is completely different from that of any existing party.

mrmondo 11y ago

He has become a double entendre parody of himself, it's really the quite an amusing play on the state of the American political system. While I think that Stephen Colbert could make a fine president, John McAfee; while playing a similar game, could not.

sparkzilla 11y ago

I made a news timeline of McAfee if you'd like to catch up: http://newslines.org/john-mcafee/?order=ASC http://newslines.org/john-mcafee/?order=ASC

badloginagain 11y ago
It's like reading a trainwreck in chronological order.

kelvin0 11y ago

The funny thing is that whomever becomes head of state, most of the system and it's influential players stay the same. Basically, the way I see it nothing changes, just a different face on the news.

jMyles 11y ago

I.... Wow, that was actually a good speech.

wnevets 11y ago

Once hes installed as President we'll never be able to get rid of him

sctb 11y ago

Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10189288 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10189288 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10190859 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10190859