Dumb. Stupid. Idiotic.
There's are the most accurate words to describe any Republican presidential candidate or campaign that skips the September 17 CNN/YouTube debate, in which the candidates are to answer questions submitted as YouTube videos by members of the public. Skipping the debate is a mindless dissing of the web-addicted, politically engaged and mostly younger YouTube democgraphic.
According to the Washington Post, though, several GOP candidates are skipping the event...
Four days after the Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C., more than 400 questions directed to the GOP presidential field have been uploaded on YouTube, as Republicans are scheduled to take their turn at video-populism on Sept. 17.
But only Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) have agreed to participate in the debate, co-hosted by the Republican Party of Florida in St. Petersburg.
"Aside from those two candidates, we haven't heard from anyone else," said Sam Feist of CNN, which is co-sponsoring the debate with the popular video-sharing site.
Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mitt Romney, both with dozens of videos on their YouTube channels, have not signed up. Neither have the rest of the Republican candidates, including Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.), whose "Tancredo Takes" on his YouTube channel draw hundreds of views.
Sources familiar with the Giuliani campaign said the former New York mayor is unlikely to participate. 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.
In an interview Wednesday with the New Hampshire Union Leader, Romney said he's not a fan of the CNN/YouTube format. Referring to the video of a snowman asking the Democratic candidates about global warming, Romney quipped, "I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman."
Well, when you're president, Mitt, you can make that call and refuse inquisitive snowmen. Right now you're just an ex-governor with a nice resume and a hefty personal bank account who is using mostly other people's money to run for president. You're not the president yet. Which means you have to kiss a lot of babies, shake a lot of hands, give a lot of speeches and generally do whatever it takes to convince voters to hire you for the job.
Including answering questions from the YouTube generation, even if they want to ask them with a video featuring a snowman.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican like you, Mitt, called called the YouTube Debate format "the people's debate." It's a good name for it.
As Patrick Ruffini, former eCampaign director at the Republican National Committee who served as online adviser to Giuliani for a few months earlier this year, said in the WaPo article, it would "very problematic" if the Republican candidates declined to participate in the YouTube debate.
Says Ruffini: "What's worse -- questions from the public, many of whom are supporters, or questions from the media, who many Republicans believe are biased? This is YouTube. That's not something they'd want to snub."
He's right.
I can picture now the YouTube grassroots attack ads that will be aimed at GOP candidates who skip the YouTube Debate: A video of the question, followed by an empty podium with the nametag of the no-show, and the sound of crickets chirping.
No candidate I was advising would skip the YouTube debate. Heck, with more than 400 possible questions already online, I'd have my candidate taping answers to each and every one of them right now, a few a day, casually and informally on the campaign trail.
Good post, Bill. Yeah, I don't think it matters to people so much WHAT the candidates say in a debate like that, as it does that they're there. In other words, if I were a candidate, I'd either go or have a really really good excuse.
Posted by: Easton Ellsworth | July 28, 2007 11:42 AM | Permalink to Comment