Republican Youtube Debate Show

Article By Writer Michael Kraft By Michael Kraft on July 30, 2007

With the Charleston, SC Democratic debate behind us, hundreds of video questions pour into Youtube in preparation for the Republican turn at the wheel handling user questions.

The problem is, the candidates dont seem excited, or even interested in the gimmicky format scheduled for September 17th.

So far only Sen. John McCain and Rep. Ron Paul have agreed to participate in the debate, hosted by the Republican Party of Florida in St. Petersburg, CNN and Youtube.

Ron Paul is widely popular on the internet so this is no suprise, and McCain is dying fast in the polls and likely desperate for any bone he can get.

“Aside from those two candidates, we haven’t heard from anyone else,” said Sam Feist of CNN, who is sponsoring the debate with the popular video site YouTube.

Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, who are the current frontrunners and “big fish” both have very busy YouTube channels, but neither seem all too interested in the debate as it stands.

Sources familiar with the Giuliani campaign said the former New York mayor is unlikely to participate in the debate as it now stands.

“Kevin Madden, Romney’s spokesman, said the former Massachusetts governor has seven debate invitations over a span of 11 days in September.

“We haven’t committed to any of them yet,” Madden said.”

Romney had commented that he is not a fan of the proposed format using Youtube videos. Romney pointed out users using props or gags in their questioning.

Romney says “I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman.”

The reality of the debate format is that the questions are still “canned”, but now served up with the gimmick of “real life” readers.

There are many thousands of questions available to CNN and they in the end pick the topic and which few get aired. In this way the questions are still selected in a board room at CNN.

This screening meant that the same ‘tired’ questions got presented on the same basic and predicible topics. This was hardly the breakthrough, and much more a sales pitch to watch politics.

CNN pitched this format as the “people’s debate”, but this meant the people at CNN who hand select which 1% of questions best fit there format and approved topics.

CNN is attempting to shake off the look of being, as Rush would say, Main Stream Media. They wanted to bring a bit of legitimacy and “grassroots feel” back to their coverage, and this certainly created that illusion.

What worked for the “Hollywood left” may be a bit too gimmicky and phony for the right. Mitt Romney seems to have the right sentiment in not wanting to be a part of a “presidential reality show”, when there is real work to be done.

Republican Youtube Debate Show

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