Democratic Youtube/CNN debate tonight...

[Penny]

Electorate can show true colors in YouTube debate
Story Highlights
Videos "a window into people's live," says CNN's Anderson Cooper

Format puts Democratic candidates "out of their comfort zone," CNN exec says


     
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidates will face a new kind of questioning Monday night when queries for their debate come straight from America's living rooms via YouTube.




_{Final preparations are under way for the CNN/YouTube debate on Monday night in Charleston, South Carolina.}

 CNN's Anderson Cooper, who will moderate the debate from Charleston, South Carolina, says the video questions submitted to the YouTube Web site will showcase the electorate as much as the eight Democrats vying for the 2008 nomination.

"You're actually kind of getting a window into people's lives," Cooper said.

"These are people who are living the topics, who are not just asking a theoretical question," he said. "There is an intimacy that you don't normally get. And I think it adds really another dimension to the debate."

Besides the job of helping whittle down the 2,000 YouTube user submissions, Cooper said his responsibilities as moderator change with the video format.

"I think my primary role is to make sure that the candidates actually answer the questions," Cooper said. "As we all know, politicians are very good at giving a response, but a response is not necessarily an answer."

Analysts say the format could force candidates to produce more straightforward answers and less spin than they sometimes get away with in more traditional debates, because politicians are not as trained to deflect questions in this kind of setup.

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"They're a little bit out of their comfort zone," said CNN Senior Vice President David Bohrman, who has helped screen the video submissions. "It's going to be very different than how [candidates] react to panelists and journalists at a traditional debate."

But some suggest the debate isn't as different as it should be.

For starters, CNN journalists are screening the questions, rather than letting Internet users select them with their votes. Plus, candidates frequently handle questions from their constituents and from individuals in town hall formats.  Watch which questions might make the cut »

But that's where the intimacy comes in, Cooper said, arguing the video format allows people to show a side of themselves that may be masked by the nervousness or rehearsed nature of town hall formats.

"What makes them so interesting is clearly they're very personal," Cooper said.

YouTube users don't seem to be holding anything back with their submissions.

Costumes and props show up along with some pointed questions on everything from the environment to energy to ending the war in Iraq.

Bohrman said Iraq didn't dominate the 2,000 submissions, and that will be reflected in the questions chosen by CNN screeners.

"There are a lot of questions on Darfur. There are a lot of questions on health care and the economy, pocketbook issues," Bohrman said.

"I think we will try to represent that sort of sense or mood of the submissions in the questions that we pick."

Cooper said CNN screened the questions to make sure the mood of the electorate was preserved and no campaign could manipulate the process.

"You would see campaigns going out there and having all their people click on the questions that they wanted to be asked," Cooper said when questioned about why a popular vote wasn't used to select questions.

"The best stuff separates itself from the rest," he said of CNN's screening process. "It really is not a top-down process. It really is a bottom-up process."

The debate begins at 7 p.m. ET Monday at The Citadel military college in Charleston.

Contenders for the Republican nomination face a similar debate on September 17. E-mail to a friend


http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/youtube.debate/index.html

[Penny]

Will it be seven against one?
Story Highlights
Sen. Hillary Clinton is trying to defend her position as "The Inevitable"

Seven other candidates will try to challenge her during CNN/YouTube debate

Loyalty of African-American vote critical to South Carolina primary

Sen. Barack Obama could split black vote with Clinton
Next Article in Politics »


By Bill Schneider
CNN Senior Political Analyst
     
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- South Carolina primaries are all about the base. That's true for both parties.


Final preparations are under way for the CNN/YouTube debate in Charleston, South Carolina.

 For Republicans that means conservatives. It's the conservative firewall state, where George W. Bush put out the John McCain brush fire in 2000.

For Democrats, it means African-Americans, who make up about half of the voters in the South Carolina Democratic primary. The main reason the Democratic Party is allowing South Carolina to hold an early primary is to give African-American voters a bigger voice.

As a result, South Carolina could be crucial in the selection of the Democratic nominee, just as it has been for Republicans for many years.

Unlike the turmoil in the Republican contest, the Democratic race has been fairly stable all year. Sen. Hillary Clinton has maintained a lead in the national polls, with Sen. Barack Obama second and former Sen. John Edwards third. No other candidate has made double digits.

The Clinton campaign has been trying to surround its candidate with the aura of inevitability: "Face it, she's going to be nominated. Better get on the bandwagon now.''

The CNN-YouTube debate in Charleston, South Carolina, Monday night could look like seven against one: seven Democratic contenders trying to challenge Clinton as "The Inevitable" -- and competing with each other to become "The Alternative."  Watch CNN's Candy Crowley explain how the questions for the debate will be selected »

The debate, hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper, begins at 7 p.m. ET.

One way to challenge Clinton has been to criticize her as too cautious and calculating -- a "triangulator.'' It's the same complaint many liberals had about her husband.

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Early in the year, it appeared that Clinton might be vulnerable to that line of attack on the Democrats' number one issue -- the war in Iraq. Sen. Clinton refused to apologize for her vote in 2002 authorizing President Bush to use force. At first, she was cautious about demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Since then, however, Clinton has made sure to allow no daylight between herself and other Democrats on the antiwar issue. She voted against a troop funding bill that contained no troop withdrawal deadline. Her squabble with the Pentagon over withdrawal plans has burnished her credentials as an antiwar candidate.

She has also been helped by her husband's increasingly visible role in her campaign. As President Bush's popularity has collapsed, former President Clinton's popularity has grown, especially among Democrats.

Many Democrats remember the Clinton era as the Golden Age in contrast with the last six and a half years under Bush. There doesn't seem to be much lingering resentment over triangulation, welfare reform, free trade or Monica Lewinsky.

Barack Obama has discovered another way to challenge Hillary Clinton's aura of inevitability: cash. Obama edged ahead of Clinton in fundraising, making a powerful impression on Democrats, especially because he did it with so many small contributors. Obama appears to be leading a genuine grassroots movement that could take on the party establishment.

Democrats really have two front-runners, not one: Obama in fundraising, Clinton in the polls. Moreover, the national polls don't mean a great deal when there is no national primary.

In Iowa, Clinton and John Edwards are in a close race. An Edwards victory in Iowa would throw the Democratic race wide open. Clinton would then rely on New Hampshire to restore her frontrunner standing.

But an upset is possible there, too. Obama is doing well among New Hampshire Independents, who can vote in the Democratic primary. If Edwards were to beat Clinton in Iowa and Obama were to beat Clinton in New Hampshire, her aura of inevitability would be shattered. Then what would happen?

Then it would come down to South Carolina, where African-American voters could be the Clinton firewall. The latest CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll shows Clinton with a solid 16-point lead among black Democrats in South Carolina (and a 14-point lead among all Palmetto State Democrats).

But Clinton is not the only candidate who does well with black Democrats in South Carolina. Obama does, too. He could be highly competitive with her for black votes, particularly if he wins the New Hampshire primary. African-Americans might suddenly become excited by the prospect of nominating one of their own.

Another scenario: Clinton and Obama could split the black vote in South Carolina. That might enable Edwards to win the Democratic primary, as he did in 2004. Edwards was born in South Carolina and was elected to the Senate from neighboring North Carolina. And the CNN poll shows Edwards nearly even with Clinton among white Democrats in South Carolina.

There is one other issue competitors could use to challenge Clinton's inevitability, namely, her electability. So far, no other Democrat has brought up Sen. Clinton's relatively high negatives among Republicans and Independents. But her campaign has issued a steady stream of polling reports showing she can be elected and Democrats seem convinced.


In CNN's poll, South Carolina Democrats believe Clinton has a better chance than Obama of beating the Republican candidate in 2008, 54 to 35 percent. African-Americans seem to worry more about Obama's electability than Clinton's. By more than two to one (63 to 29 percent), black Democrats say Clinton is more electable than Obama.

Will voters raise questions about Clinton -- or Obama's -- electability? That's something to watch for in the upcoming debate. E-mail to a friend


http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/sc.debate.preview/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

[Adrienne]

Questions, not answers, highlight YouTube debate
Story Highlights
YouTube questions were sometimes personal, heartfelt and comical

Observers say no candidate stood out enough to challenge front-runner Clinton

Kucinich points out he voted against Iraq war as opposed to other candidates

Dodd: "We've lost our moral leadership in the world" because of war
Next Article in Politics »


 Read  VIDEO INTERACTIVE
     
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidates faced questions directly from voters on Monday in the first CNN/YouTube debate.


Democratic candidates answered questions ranging from Iraq to taxes to Al Gore.

 The lights and cameras were focused on the eight candidates, but it was the personal, heartfelt and, at times, comical nature of the user questions that stole the spotlight.

Questions included one from a father who lost a son in Iraq and wondered if he would lose another, a gay couple asking why they shouldn't be allowed to marry and a woman stricken with breast cancer who asked if her chance of survival would be better if she had health insurance.

In all, 39 questions were asked from the 3,000 submissions YouTube said it received.

Most observers agreed that none of the candidates debating at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, particularly outshone their rivals, doing nothing to challenge Sen. Hillary Clinton's position as the Democratic race's front-runner.  Watch the candidates judge the strengths and weaknesses of each other »

An average of 11 national polls taken in June put Clinton in the lead at 40 percent to Sen. Barack Obama's 25 percent and 14 percent for former Sen. John Edwards. The rest of the field was in single digits.

The video questions came in all forms -- people facing the camera straight-on, people in makeup, people with flash cards. There were the two men from Tennessee and their "Red State Update" asking if the candidates were hurt by all the attention given non-runner Al Gore as well as a man who sang about how much tax he paid. And then there was the talking snowman with a question about global warming.

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Interspersed with the questions and answers were videos the campaigns had produced themselves.

Edwards' video took a swipe at Republicans, who had raised the issue of his spending $400 for haircuts, with a video that showed the haircuts of President Bush and embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales morph into images from Iraq and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to the tune of the song "Hair" from the musical of the same name.

One of the highlights came when a YouTuber asked the candidates to look to their left and say one thing about that person they liked and one thing they disliked.

Edwards said he liked Clinton's service to the country, as well as her husband's. But Edwards looked at the salmon-colored jacket Clinton wore and said jokingly, "But I don't know about that jacket."  See telling quotes from each candidate »

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson noted that each one would make an excellent contribution to his future administration.

The debate continued online after the lights went down on the set as Web users weighed in on the candidates' performances and on the groundbreaking format.

Some said that the questions from YouTubers were as good or better than those of the media and phrased that the candidates had a tough time ducking them.

Others, though, said that the candidates dodged questions from YouTubers like they did those of the media.

Jordan Williams, a student at the University of Kansas, asked Clinton and Obama how they would address critics who charge that "either one is not authentically black enough, or the other is not satisfactorily feminine."

"Well, I couldn't run as anything other than a woman," Clinton replied, drawing laughs. "But, obviously, I'm not running because I'm a woman."

Obama, who is biracial, said, "You know, when I'm catching a cab in Manhattan -- in the past, I think I've given my credentials."

Rep. Dennis Kucinich narrowed the focus to Iraq, saying he voted against the war in Iraq -- which sets him apart from other candidates on the stage. He said he would never send Americans to fight in a war based on "a lie."

And he faulted his colleagues in Congress for allowing the war to continue, saying voters didn't vote Republicans out of control of Congress last fall just to get a Democratic version of the war.

Sen. Chris Dodd expressed frustration at how the Iraq war has colored opinions of the U.S. around the world.

"We've lost our moral leadership in the world," Dodd said. "No one listens to us when it comes to foreign policy."

Richardson tried to put distance between himself and his senatorial rivals on the stage, saying that all U.S. troops should be brought home from Iraq by the end of 2007 "with no residual forces."

"The time has come to bring the troops home. No politics. Get it done," he said.

That brought a retort from Sen. Joe Biden, who said a pullout of U.S. combat troops would take at least a year to complete and that, unless some U.S. forces remained in Iraq, all of the American civilians there would have to be evacuated as well.

"You better have helicopters ready to take those 3,000 civilians inside the Green Zone [in Baghdad]," he said. "You better make sure you have protection for them, or let them die."

Another question asked if the candidates would scrap or revise "No Child Left Behind."

Richardson and Biden said they would do away with it.

A gay female couple appeared on the screen next, asking if the candidates would allow them to be married.

Kucinich said yes; Dodd and Edwards said no but that they support civil unions for gay couples.

"The honest answer is I don't [support gay marriage]," said Edwards. "But I think it's wrong for me as the president of the United States to use my faith to deny anyone their rights."

Asked whether he would work for the minimum wage, which goes from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 on Tuesday, former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel responded: "Oh, yes, I would, but I would say that we don't need a minimum wage; we need a living wage. We don't have that in this country because of what they passed."

The debate kicked off with a series of questions from voters that moderator Anderson Cooper described as "not making the cut."

They included a questioner dressed in a Viking outfit, a 5-year-old posing a question about Social Security and a man in a chicken costume.

Though CNN vetted the questions, it was the first time that a journalist or a professional has not dictated what is asked of the candidates.

The debate was considered crucial for candidates wishing to stand out among their Democratic challengers, especially to distinguish themselves from Clinton.

South Carolina will hold one of the first primaries early next year, following on the heels of the Iowa precinct caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. For Democrats, the contest in the Palmetto State will be a key early test of strength among black voters.


In 2004, exit polls showed about 47 percent of primary voters were black, in a race Edwards, a South Carolina native, won.

Republican presidential candidates will face questions from YouTube users in a debate scheduled September 17 in Florida. E-mail to a friend

All About U.S. Democratic Party Politics

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/23/debate.main/index.html

[Luke Hodiak]

Obama tries to turn Clinton words on her
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
 



Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., left, and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., are pictured during a break at the Democratic presidential debate sponsored by CNN, YouTube and Google at The Citadel military college in Charleston, S.C., Monday, July 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried to turn rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's words back on her Wednesday, saying her vote to authorize the Iraq war was "irresponsible and naive."


 
Clinton had used the same language a day earlier to criticize Obama for saying he would be willing to meet with leaders of nations such as Cuba, North Korea and Iran without conditions within the first year of his presidency. Clinton said renegade leaders could use such a meeting for propaganda and that envoys below the presidential level should begin diplomatic work.

Obama told NBC News it's obvious that the diplomatic spade work must be done before any such meeting. But he wants to change Bush administration policies that freeze out enemies and move to a principle that says the United States should talk with everybody.

"The notion that I was somehow going to be inviting them over for tea next week without having initial envoys meet is ridiculous," he said in an interview outside his Senate office. "But the general principle is one that I think Senator Clinton is wrong on, and that is if we are laying out preconditions that prevent us from speaking frankly to these folks, then we are continuing with Bush-Cheney policies."

Obama's comment about meeting with foreign foes came in response to a question in a Democratic presidential debate Monday night. The Clinton campaign immediately highlighted his statement as evidence that he doesn't have the foreign policy skills to be president. "I thought that was irresponsible and frankly naive," she told the Quad-City Times of Iowa.

Later Wednesday, the Clinton campaign issued a statement by former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who is supporting her candidacy, taking issue with Obama's comments and saying she would bring an end to "the cowboy approach of the Bush years."

"She has said she would initiate serious, responsible dialogue with nations with whom we don't agree in order to further the national security interest of the United States," Holbrooke said. "But she is right not to risk the prestige of the presidency by unconditionally committing to meet with leaders of adversarial nations."

In his interview, Obama tried to turn the debate back to Clinton's vote to authorize the Iraq war, which he opposed.

"I think what is irresponsible and naive is to have authorized a war without asking how we were going to get out," Obama said. "And you know, I think Senator Clinton hasn't fully answered that issue."

Also Wednesday, an Obama campaign official told The Associated Press that New Hampshire Rep. Paul Hodes plans to endorse the Illinois senator Thursday. Hodes is the first member of the four-member congressional delegation from the nation's first primary state to make an endorsement.

[Luke Hodiak]

Personally, I thought that was a cheap shot by Hillary and also blatantly political. 

I also think it will backfire.  I may be wrong, but I don't think people are in the mood for cheap politics this election, they will want real answers.

[Luke Hodiak]

Gun enthusiast doesn't warm to Biden
The senator's response to his video question about protecting gun rights was 'kind of off-kilter,' a Michigan man says.
By James Rainey, Times Staff Writer
July 25, 2007


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Jered Townsend had the distinction of being one of three dozen Americans whose video question for the Democratic presidential contenders was broadcast during Monday night's debate — and the further distinction of being the only one whose mental stability was questioned.

Townsend, a 30-year-old from Clio, Mich., came next to last among the amateur inquisitors in the CNN/YouTube debate. But he made an indelible impression by asking the candidates if they would protect his "baby" — the Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic rifle he cradled in his arms.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson gave a standard answer about the need to improve screening of gun applicants. But Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, who said that he sponsored an assault weapons ban, was not so sanguine.

"I'll tell you what, if that's his baby, he needs help," Biden said of Townsend. "I don't know that he is mentally qualified to own that gun. I'm being serious."

Many in the audience at The Citadel military college in Charleston, S.C., laughed and applauded. But the response in Townsend's home and among gun enthusiasts was considerably more chilly.

Townsend called the Biden response "kind of off-kilter," adding: "I think he hurt himself. A lot of people who are out there said, 'We are all gun owners. He lost my vote.' "

Townsend picked up his interest in guns from his father. He said he used the rifle for target practice and to hunt for coyotes on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Townsend uses a 10- or 20-round clip, saying that a 100-round clip is too expensive.

The longtime gun enthusiast said he agreed with background checks but was opposed to excessive regulations, which he did not enumerate. "It all goes back to the fact that guns don't kill the people, the people with the guns kill people," Townsend said. "They should put stiffer punishments on these people who commit the crimes."

A fan of YouTube, Townsend had never posted a video until last Thursday, when he responded to the site's competition for questions in what it billed as the first video-driven debate. Wearing shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt, Townsend propped himself on a small wooden stool and said: "Tell me your position on gun control, as myself and other Americans really want to know if our babies are safe." He then reached off camera and pulled his rifle on screen, adding: "This is my baby, purchased under the 1994 gun ban. Please tell me your views."

After taking his dig at Townsend, Biden added: "I hope he doesn't come looking for me."

The exchange received nearly 200 comments on YouTube by Tuesday evening, and Townsend judged at least half to be supportive.

His 28 seconds of fame (the length of the video) continued into Tuesday, as local television stations and newspapers called for interviews. He said one supporter asked him whether he intended to sue Biden for slander.

"I don't know. I guess it's worth looking into," he said.

For now, Townsend said he had e-mailed and phoned the Biden campaign, inviting the senator to come to Clio to discuss gun issues. "It would surprise me if I got a response."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-gunguy25jul25,1,6653803.story?coll=la-politics-campaign&ctrack=4&cset=true

[Volitzer]

If constituents want real answers then they had better get on the internet and check each politician's connection to the Illuminati.

America can't survive more job losses and bankruptcies.

[Volitzer]

That and any anti-gun politician should be "voted off".