Just watched the Republican YouTube debate on CNN. Quite a contrast from the Democratic YouTube debate in so many ways — far fewer inventive user videos and far more predictable questions that made this not very different from a debate with traditional media scribes.
The opening was a bit bizarre. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (who’s he?) is "the nations’ most popular governor"? Tell that to the Guvernator out here in California.
The videos produced by the candidates were almost uniformly bad. An attack video by Thompson. Pandering to Iowa’s religious right by Huckabee. Stunningly poor production values by McCain’s team (what, he can’t spend a couple of thousand dollars to pull together a decent video for national TV? I could have done a better job). Tancredo’s opening video looked like it was produced by a 10-year-old. Romney’s was just a standard TV-style commercial. Only Giuliani’s showed any flair.
Romney certainly scored points and Giuliani took some big hits in the first half of the debate. Giuliani seemed to stumble much of the night, and the audience greeted him with a fair share of catcalls. Thompson continued to be a nonfactor. (Was he even there?) Ron Paul didn’t come off particularly well. On a question about America’s crumbling infrastructure he talked about fixing the problem … by downsizing government. Huh? (On the other hand, his position on noninterventionism and pulling out of Iraq is unique and brave among the GOP candidates.)
Huckabee’s answer on the literal interpretation of the Bible (a softball question for a Baptist preacher) was inspiring, but do we really need another evangelical Christian in the White House? He, McCain and Ron Paul are standup and decent guys, even if I disagree with their stands on most issues. (Unlike many of my fellow Americans, I vote based on the issues rather than whom I’d like to have hamburgers with at a backyard barbecue.) After a slow start, Huckabee seemed to carry the night. Not sure whether to root for him or not. After all, he’s a bit loony-tunes: He believes in creationism and called for the abolition of the IRS.
GOP World: An alternate universe
Ah, the issues. Republicans, it appears, are transfixed by the specter of hordes of illegal immigrants crossing the border and taking "our" jobs. (Pretty sure the press will lead with the immigration issue.) And, of course, they hate taxes, hate crime, hate abortion and hate the defeatists who want to withdraw from Iraq. One upside is that the race is so tight, none of them can afford to appeal to the mainstream electorate.
For a while it seemed that we were witnessing an alternate universe throughout the evening. Video questions asking candidates to boast about their gun collections. Questions about who can crack down hardest on illegal aliens. A question about whether the candidates support the Confederate flag. A question about whether the candidates believed every word in the Bible or not. McCain alone among the candidates in opposing water-boarding, with Romney pandering to the wingnuts again by saying he’d expand Guantanamo Bay.
Not one question about health care, global warming, education, energy or Iran.
One of the few moments that broke the cliched atmosphere came when Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr posed a question about reforming the military’s failed don’t-ask, don’t-tell policy. Naturally, not one of the candidates had the courage to state the obvious: that the military needs every hand on deck, gay or not. It was revealed after the debate that Kerr served on Clinton’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender steering committee. (What? They have no reporters at CNN?)
Kerr, who came out of the closet after his retirement, was in the audience, and was booed by the audience when he said he wasn’t happy with the candidates’ responses.
Like the rest of the evening, it came as no surprise.
It’s hard to believe that any of these guys can beat the Democratic candidate, whomever he or she is. One political journalist after the debate suggested that Huckabee would make a good running mate for Giuliani. I think Giuliani’s toast. Romney or Huckabee looks like the most likely nominee to me.
Reaction to the debate:
CNN: Campaign rancor carries into YouTube debate.
500-plus comments at the Daily Kos.
Good roundups at TechPresident.
Meantime, TechCrunch reminds us of the ABC News-Facebook Democratic and Republican debates on Jan. 5, right after Iowa and right before the New Hampshire primary.
JD Lasica, founder of Inside Social Media, is also a fiction author and the co-founder of the cruise discovery engine Cruiseable. See his About page, contact JD or follow him on Twitter.
I wish they would have asked Mitt Romney a more direct question. “Do you believe every word in this book – The Bible. He answered YES, which probably pleased the traditional Christians and Evangelicals, but anyone raised in the LDS (Mormon) Church knows that they always, always qualify the answer by saying “provided it is translated or interpreted correctly” because Joseph Smith (their founder) had so many problems with the Bible that he was in the process of correcting it when he was killed. Mitt Romney knows well enough that the Bible is really secondary to the Book of Mormon and the D&C (another LDS doctrinal book). These books do NOT agree with the New Testament. If Mitt Romney truly believes the Bible is the word of God, than he must abandon many of his core LDS beliefs. We highlight all the fundamental differences in our articles on ExposeRomney.com. Romney utilizes a method taught to all Mormon missionaries; it's call giving “Milk before Meat,” i.e. give people an answer that they will accept, even if it is not completely true or the full story. We have LDS video on our site of LDS teachers explaining how to answer “difficult” questions without exposing the truth. Looks like Mitt attended the same training. :)
“…..Ron Paul are standup and decent guys, even if I disagree with their stands on most issues.” “I vote on the issues..” Are you kidding……So you disagree with ron paul on taking back the constitution and your freedom from bad economic lies. The “wool,” over the Americans eyes has gotten so thick (due to the influence of money in u.s. politics) I barely think you could even see the picture on the tv screen. The networks can’t have any part of exposing the reality of the imminent trouble America is in financially, politically, and internationally. For example, in Ron Paul’s first response of tonight’s debate, he outed the talks of a joining of north America, described as a union, between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. If America only knew….. they would wipe their a** with that dollar because they would realize 5 or so sheets of charmin are now actually more valuable. I would ask you to do your own research NOW, the caucus is in one month. Or we could just start you a passport fund.
Dems don’t have a chance in hell–it’s like watching a high school football team play an NFL team.
There is more to this deceitful CNN/Keith Kerr story–like the fact that there is no such thing as the “California National Reserve,” for which he is described as being a former General.
This story is going to blow up in the Democrat Party’s/MSM’s face in the coming days.
THIS IS A FREAKING OUTRAGE. 40 MINUTES into the you tube debates and they’ve only asked questions to ruiney and gholiani. WHAT A F’IN JOKE! It’s now 9:20est and Dr. Paul has had 1 question and 2 answers. Huckabee also has had 1 question and 2 answers. WTF… Even the Nut Tancredo got 2 questions….GOD WTF IS GOING ON…
OH..AND THE FIRST QUESTION DR. PAUL GOT WAS SOME “CRAZY” CONSPIRACY QUESTION ON THE NORTH AMERICAN UNION. As if that’s a conspiracy.
However, I must say ALL of Dr. Paul’s answers have gotten huge applauses.:)
In addition they did manage to sad bag paul at the end with an question they knew would draw ire of the crowd but Dr. Paul being the man he is answered it straight up..THAT MY FRIENDS IS CALLED INTEGRITY!
I wish they would have asked Mitt Romney a more direct question. “Do you believe every word in this book – The Bible. He answered YES, which probably pleased the traditional Christians and Evangelicals, but anyone raised in the LDS (Mormon) Church knows that they always, always qualify the answer by saying “provided it is translated or interpreted correctly” because Joseph Smith (their founder) had so many problems with the Bible that he was in the process of correcting it when he was killed. Mitt Romney knows well enough that the Bible is really secondary to the Book of Mormon and the D&C (another LDS doctrinal book). These books do NOT agree with the New Testament. If Mitt Romney truly believes the Bible is the word of God, than he must abandon many of his core LDS beliefs. We highlight all the fundamental differences in our articles on ExposeRomney.com. Romney utilizes a method taught to all Mormon missionaries; it’s call giving “Milk before Meat,” i.e. give people an answer that they will accept, even if it is not completely true or the full story. We have LDS video on our site of LDS teachers explaining how to answer “difficult” questions without exposing the truth. Looks like Mitt attended the same training. :)
“Dems don’t have a chance in hell?” BWAHAHAHA!
America is sick of the corrupt GOP flushing our country and citizens down the toilet.
Give me Hillary…The first Madame President who will focus on the national health care crisis instead of a GOP loon keeping us in someone else’s civil war and babbling against gay marriage and stem cell research.