GOP candidates refuse to take part in YouTube Debate

[mhollis]

Source: Washington Post

In four days, CNN and YouTube plan a debate with Republican candidates for President. Only Senator John McCain and Ron Paul are willing to participate, with the Giuliani campaign stating that he definitely will not participate. Sam Feist of CNN states "Aside from those two candidates, we haven't heard from anyone else."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072700283_pf.html

---

Obviously, the Republicans watched how free-wheeling the Democratic debate was and have chickened out (or maybe they're "cutting and running"). Republicans have been counting on the press to be soft on them for some time, which is a pretty good indication of press bias (of course a press bias opposite to what Republicans have been portraying).

I was laid off at NBC last November as a part of their "NBC 2.0" downsizing effort. I don't believe my political affiliation or opinions had anything to do with the layoff, as I did cost NBC more than some of their other people in the same position due to my particular talents as an editor and producer. But NBC has been and I believe the other media outlets have been treating politicians like film stars, not like servants of the people. The media does not challenge candidates enough and they absolutely do not challenge politicians who hold office.

Nobody asked Bush, Cheny, Ashcroft, Congressmen, Senators or anyone about withdrawal of our rights encased in The "Patriot" Act. Nobody asked the administration to offer any proof whatsoever about the connection proposed between Saddam Hussein and Al Quaeda. Nobody questioned the administration in their case about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq or even questioned the plausibility of the story about the purchase of yellow cake uranium by Iraq or the plausibility of the claim that aluminum tubes would be used in centrifuges when anyone could determine, based on the particular tubes ordered, that they would not work.

With CNN moderating questions directly from the people, Republicans obviously have a real issue here. Mitt Romney even singled out the "snowman" question as being inappropriate. Of course he's putting the focus on the questioner and not the question, which is a standard Republican tactic—attack the source of the question so that you can evade speaking to the actual issues.

CNN and YouTube are billing these debates as "The Peoples' Debate." I do appreciate the fact that the questions are phrased by actual individuals who have Internet access and the ability to videotape themselves (a subset of "The People") but we do need to keep aware that these questions are filtered through the media conglomerate that is CNN.

Even with the benefit of that filter, I find it significant that "The Party of Inclusion" wants things more candy-coated and more heavily scripted.

[stray cat]

1. The debate isn't even scheduled until September

[blayne]

10. I thought it was supposed to be in September also,

so this doesn't make any sense. If it was really in 4 days, it would be plastered all over cnn and cnn.com. Maybe the registration deadline is in 4 days?

[global1]

2. So The Repugs Don't Want To Talk To The People.......

if I were CNN and YouTube that's how I would spin it. Embarrass them. Say that they are afraid to answer questions that aren't provided to the networks for them to answer. And the Dems should be out there now too saying the same thing about the Repugs. Let show'em for what they really are.

[PassingFair]

3. The Pugs have been told that YouTube is "bad",...

My "Personal Freepers" were over for dinner a few months ago........


and in the middle of a conversation about something (I forget what), the
female freeper just SHOT OUT "I HATE YOU TUBE!". Just like that! I was
GOB SMACKED!

"How can you HATE YouTube?" I asked her. "It's just video on the net."

She couldn't rationalize it (they NEVER can, can they....) and when
pressed, it became apparent that she was spouting something she had
heard (probably from Rush) on the radio about how YouTube would bring
down conservative civilization. Admittedly, this was close on the heels
of the "Maccaca" bring down, so THAT may have played into it.

My semi-Freeper boss, is AFRAID of YouTube. He thinks he needs a CLASS
or something to "GET ON" YouTube. And he uses a computer everyday.

I swear, the 'puglicans are able to throw SPELLS or something on their
minions....

:crazy:

[noahmijo]

12. YouTube will bring down Conservative Civilization?

If an entity like YouTube could actually bring down a civilization (even an imaginary one) then that civilization deserves to be brought down for its WEAKNESS. :)

[RiverStone]

4. Good - it further illustrates how they march in lock-step

And having to wing it with the regular folk is too scary off-script.

I'm guessing a few more rethugs will eventually decide to join in --- in a way --- it's win/win for the DEMS.

Wimp out, and the People will remember the rethugs refused to hear their questions - debate, then they might just have to respond to a YouTube question that does not fit comfortably into puke talking points.

[LibDemAlways]

5. If the others chicken out, it would be a big boost for

McCain and Ron Paul. It would be hilarious to see a bunch of empty podiums with names attached. And the first question should be, "Why aren't the other r's there today? What are they afraid of?"

[tridim]

6. CNN will cancel it if only Paul and McCain accept..

At which point all the GOP quitters will claim CNN cancelled before they accepted.

[ooglymoogly]

25. I've got an idea how to get them all there

have a Utube member or submitter or maybe a dem candidate or some of the pug fringe not yet committed candidates looking for the publicity stand in for every missing pug and they would show up en mass

[NoodleyAppendage]

7. COWARDS. We need to say it loud and repeatedly. Guiliani is a COWARD.

So typical that most of the Repuke candidates are afraid of the citizenry.

J

[Cobalt-60]

8. Theres no need for anyone to hear Republicon debates

We all know they stand for fascism, executive privelege, wage slavery, endless war, and a free ride for Big Business and Old Money.
The backwash will vote as they're told.
No one else outside the corporate board room or deep woods militia HQ will be voting for them.

[mhollis]

11. Re: There's no need (?)

"We" and you would not know what they stand for were it not for the fact that "we" and you are exposed to their message.

Call me an idealist but I do honestly believe in the Revolution that created this country. And part of that Revolution was that the truth would win out in the marketplace of public opinion. Unfortunately, the truth about this administration came out (for the majority of the voters) only after Katrina demonstrated how little they really do care about most Americans. It was not until that Perfect Storm that their spin began to be seen as lies.

Had Katrina happened before the last Presidential Election, we'd have a Democrat in the White House, a significantly different US Supreme Court and most probably a Republican majority in at least the Senate.

Unfortunately, I wonder if the Democrats will hang onto a House majority now that they have proven themselves to be largely impotent against the Bush crowd. They may win the White House but I'd predict that the Senate will swing right and they'll lose seats in the House.

Those who don't pay attention to what the Republicans are saying will have no idea how to counter it. And that's the reason why they're tending to win.

[Cobalt-60]

15. I confess, I just can't take 8 or 9 of these jerks

all trying to channel Reagan at the same time.
I just assume that all they lack are armbands and jack boots.
The model describes their behavior perfectly.

[Robson]

28. What you say is true but......

There are far too many Americans that have been kept dumb, barefoot and pregnant like the old adage, so that politics has become the least of their worries.

That's part of the dumbing down of America that big media and government policies favoring the rich and famous have accomplished. It's very unfortunate that instead of having the enthusiasm to march in the streets against these policies, Americans are being turned into downtrodden huddle masses more concerned about voyeurism of the celebrity class than their own welfare.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

32. Many Americans choose to be "dumb, barefoot and pregnant".

It's easier to sit and be spoon-fed by the likes of Wolf Blitzer and Bill O'Lielly, rather than be challenged and asked to think (Democracy Now! or any indie newspaper come to mind...).

I'm convinced that if a "state of emergency" were declared next year and elections not held in November, most Americans wouldn't be bothered enough to turn off NASCAR or Flip This House and hit the streets. Sigh.

[Robson]

36. Propaganda

I'm a big fan of personal responsibility but I'm also acutely aware of the capabilities of mass manipulation by the media, government and big money. It works.

Less educated, less affluent people are more pliable and far less willing to rise up against fascism. Instead of voting or marching, the huddled masses and sheeple are disenfranchised and disconnected. Current US government policies stifle advanced education of the masses.

Suggest you read "Propaganda" by Edward Bernays.

[Judi Lynn]

9. They recognize not one of them, other than Ron Paul is CAPABLE of "thinking on their feet."

As another poster mentioned, they NEED heavy scripting, and a rigid format. Any chance they are simply expected to have a ready fund of knowledge, a set of defendable values, and the intelligence needed to speak extemporaneously will expose them as limited, bigoted, awkward, twisted, and sub-standard.

They can't afford a similar debate. It will expose they are all, with the exception of Ron Paul, not equal to the task the Democrats handled so capably in their own debate.

[PassingFair]

16. Mitt Romney "thinks" on his feet.

If you call LYING "thinking".

That man is a BULLSHIT MACHINE.

[Judi Lynn]

18. How can you tell the difference? With Republicans, lying is the same!

You have to be able think of the lie, in order to have anything at all to say, if you're a Republican!

Without lies, they'd simply have to wait until they could throw the election with the Republican-owned, unverifiable voting machines.



Romney, the great American visionary.

[PassingFair]

19. The rest of the dais are STAMMERING idiots....

Romney is a FACILE idiot.

(With good hair.)

[Doctor_J]

13. Most of them chickened out of military service, now they're even afraid

of unscripted questions.

Still cowardly, after all these years.

[nc_gadfly]

14. i'm going to predict the talking point on this one...

...the Republican candidates will debate on Fox, and it's okay to for them to turn down CNN since most of the Democrats turned down Fox when they were asked

[Bjorn Against]

22. Yes that will be the talking point, but there is a big difference

Fox is an obviously slanted right-wing propaganda station and pretty much everyone knows that. For the Democrats to have a debate on Fox would be like the Republicans having a debate which was hosted by the Democratic National Committee.

YouTube on the other hand is a medium which is used by ordinary people, some of whom are on the left and others who are on the right. YouTube in itself however is non-ideological it simply gives people a new way to express their opinions no matter what those opinions may be. That is not the way Fox operates.

[tridim]

30. No doubt Faux will play along and help them sell that talking point.

See how that works? It's a scam, just like everything with the GOP label.

Obviously the Dems had an actual reason to boycott Faux, the Republics are just afraid of questions from real people.

[ooglymoogly]

17. Hmmmm....Just one comment on your comments

The second paragraph seems to be at odds with the rest of your well reasoned post and you use the all encompassing phrase politicians in office....are you seriously implying that B*sh and most republicans have not been treated by the media as the sugar plum fairies with no or nearly no criticism or challenge while Clinton, Cary, Gore and Dean were treated like the wicked witch of the east with every whisper of unsubstantiated gossip trumpeted as truth or that Clinton was not nearly hounded out of office by the MSM. I am an old news gunky and the bias is clearly palpable and rampant and not at all favorable to democrats especially progressive democrats.
.

[ohio2007]

20. just rerun the previous YouTube debate questions for the GOP to respond

no reason they should be thrown different questions imo.

Some may think it's only a softball game to gain shameless ratings via YouTube watchers.

[ooglymoogly]

24. Good Idea...

imo it won't fly...those questions were chosen for dem candidates and might be too hard for the GOP'rs to handle besides the filterers could not get their particular biases across and the candidates would not get a chance to bloviate. My prediction is that the candidates will choose or the cheifs at CNN will choose softball questions and let the candidates in on which ones they selected so they can prepare and be able to pontificate ad nausium.

[JudyM]

21. And by the same token I appreciate the bravery and effort of our Dems to stand before us like that.

[TankLV]

23. Gee - no pre-screened questions or questioners - must be a shock to the repukes...

[SemperEadem]

26. COWARDS!!!

Yes, the "cut and run" party cuts and runs when it comes time to face their own people. Their unwillingness to face We the People should be hung around their necks for the rest of the race. What kind of leader is afraid to face his own people? Oh, yeah, the kind that wants to send other people's children into a civil war and then deny them care and support once they return-if they even let them return.

[LuckyLib]

27. Chimpy set the guidelines for all Repugs -- don't meet unless the audience is pre-screened,

and will put up with endless amounts of repetitive, scripted bullshit. UTube is wa-a-a-y to open for their liking. CNN would have to filter through endless rants from the public that would have to be bleeped out!

[brentspeak]

29. Ba-ba-ba bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk!

[rodeodance]

31. ought to be simply a splash!! one for the war, the other not. etc etc

[IndianaGreen]

33. If only McCain and Paul appear, then the war in Iraq will be at the forefront

CNN should not cancel the debate, for then the American people will see two candidates at complete opposite of one another on the war and on PATRIOT. Ron Paul is a libertarian that is concerned about Bush's power grabs. Who knows? Perhaps he might make a better case for impeachment than any of the Democratic candidates.

[dardango]

34. They don't believe ...

in democracy for the most part, so why should they come if all the questioners are not pre-screened and told what to say?



DemocracyInteractive.com - A Real-Time Progressive Free Speech Zone

[Az_lefty]

35. Cowards are afraid of the public...

if it's not heavily scripted and orchestrated they run and hide, just like their little leader. :puke:

[guruoo]

37. IMHO, although well-intentioned, the "youtube debate" has become

a trap that is more likely to hurt Democrats than Republicans.

The Repugs refusal to play will slide under the radar, while Dem's response
to the 'silly' questions are played over and over in the MSM.

[ryanmuegge]

38. I don't see anything at all wrong with the Republicans' decision.

They don't represent the public anyway.

I'm a proponent of dropping entirely the facade of debates and primaries for choosing Republican nominees. I say the boards of the 150 most profitable companies (this would likely consist of about 10 people) should just choose the nominee in an internal election.

[Exultant Democracy]

39. Good for McCain and Paul, I hope it is them on a stage full of empty podiums

wouldn't that be a great.

[DutchLiberal]

40. Good! This will only damage their party and their individual campaigns.

I hope CNN will STILL air the debate, with only McCain and Paul on stage, so everybody can see what chickens the Republicans are! And Paul can be given all the time to explain why US foreign policy in the Middle East doesn't work.

[radfringe]

41. Cowards? not the right spin

over the past few days there have been many responses which accuse the republics of being afraid to take YOUTUBE questions.

I don't think calling them cowards is the right spin.

the way I would spin is:

if the republic candidates won't listen to us now, and answer our questions - what makes you think they will listen if elected?"

they say they know our concerns, but how do they know what our concerns are if they won't talk to us. Do they consider themselves above us, and know what's best? We've seen the results of this type of attitude over the past 7 years, do we want more of the same?

they'll stage a "townhall" format, but with the audience and questions scripted, screened and pre-approved, is this a real representation of real americans with real concerns or have they joined bush and exist in a fantasy world?

[Vinca]

42. Gee, one might think they're afraid of the public.

Someone might inquire about why they love embryos and hate kids, love war and hate peace, love the rich and hate the poor, etc., etc., etc. Don't they know CNN will edit the "bad" stuff out?

[opihimoimoi]

43. WEEMPY ASS COWARDS.....Chicken shits....They want it for cheap?...fake their way in like Bush?

These debates are the only filter we have to see if the candidates have the Right Stuff

Sometimes the filter fails and we end up with a friggen bush,,,,,,

For those that refuse to answer questions in this forum...I say they are cowards...wooosey ones at that....

[lonestarnot]

44. And who here really thought they would?

[Blue_Tires]

45. no surprise there...

[rocktivity]

46. Candidate for this month's "You Call This NEWS?" Award

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 it would (be) "very problematic" if the Republican candidates declined. "What's worse -- questions from the public, many of whom are supporters, or questions from the media, who many Republicans believe are biased?..."

A former RNC director AND former adviser to Guiliani? That explains his belief in the existence of "many" Republican supporters and "biased" national media--and also why he can't stay employed!

But seriously, folks, this isn't rocket science: next to a level playing field, a media event that's beyond their control is a Rethuglican's worst nightmare. Have you already forgotten about that you had to sign over your vote to the GOP if you wanted to attend a Bush town hall meeting, and that the only thing missing from the Republican debate on MSNBC was the ghost Ronald Reagan floating down from that replica of Air Force One and declaring HIS candidacy?

P.S. Is that Rethug answer to YouTube still around? Oh, yes, here it is...will THEY be sponsoring the next Repub debate?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Endangered Specie]

47. Maybe if CNN promises to have a dozen FDNY in the audience...

Ghouliani might come.


and as far as MesserschMitt, tell him they'll have a dozen potnetial second wives in the audience he can pick from later.