July 20, 2007
The YouTube debate
On Monday, reports The LA Times, "CNN plans to host a debate in which Democratic presidential candidates will answer questions sent to YouTube".
"So far, people have submitted more than 1,500 video queries, many about problems faced by their families or friends.
Predictably, most of the videos bear little resemblance to network television. The unvarnished look, however, is part of the charm. The point isn't to replicate the look and feel of past debates, it's to use a different medium to create something new and, potentially, more powerful.
The best of the submissions give abstract policy issues a human face, as when a father shows pictures of his young Marine son and asks, "Please tell me what specific steps you will take in order to ensure Middle East stability so that my son will not have to go back."
... The most popular topics aren't geeky issues like high-speed Internet access and Net neutrality, but mainstream issues such as Iraq, the United States' image abroad, education, healthcare, energy policy and climate change.
Granted, there are some signs of infiltration by political professionals and lobbying groups. Maybe it's just a matter of time before the political establishment learns how to dominate this kind of event too. But one of the most refreshing aspects of the submissions is the blunt tone and the eagerness to ask questions that politicians are rarely willing to answer."
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