CNN YouTube woo reluctant Republican candidates with delay

[mhollis]

Source: Washington Post

CNN Washington Bureau Chief David Bohrman, the idea man behind CNN-YouTube debates has offered to delay the debates until December "to accommodate their fundraising schedule." But Mitt Romney, a prolific YouTuber himself, seems likely to be pressured into debating. That would place three Republican presidential candidates on the stage with Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) who have both agreed to attend.

Conservative bloggers have started a campaign to try to get Republican candidates to do the debate in a new website SaveTheDebate.com

Romney is on the record as saying these debates are disrespectful of the candidates, saying, "There is a degree of respectfulness that ought to be associated with the process of selecting a nominee. From what I've heard, that level of respectfulness was breached."

Read more: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/07/28/romney_will_skipyoutube_forum.html?hpid=moreheadlines

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I didn't notice any lack of respect in the questions and I'm supposing CNN might have prevented any such from airing. I suppose the most pointedly anti-Democratic platform would have been the question about gun control from the M-16 semiautomatic owner. Democrats proved that they could give right back, with Joe Biden questioning the man's sanity.

Former Governor Romney doesn't feel like he can belittle the questioner? That's been a major Republican technique since Reagan (actually Agnew with his "nattering nabobs of negativism" comment aimed at the press).

Again, I would suggest that this recent debate style follows the "mea culpas" from a mostly disinterested press who routinely fails to ask probing questions of political figures.

[Hulk]

1. The repug machine doesn't want to get into anything of substance...

All these neocon pieces of crap are interested in is talking big on terrorism, bashing gays, and showing how they each sit at the right hand of the Almighty. What a bunch of morons. I can hardly wait for fat ass thompson and cocky smirk-ass grinch get intot he mix. They'll upstart the Three Stooges.

[dipsydoodle]

2. I thought it meant

there would be a delay between the questions and the lies given in response.

[Drum]

5. lol!

:D

[gratuitous]

3. If Mitt Romney can't stand up to a pre-screened YouTube question

How is he going to deal with a real problem that someone else isn't blocking for him?

[mhollis]

10. He'll lie.

He'll deal with things as President the same way he Bush administration does. He'll lie. And he'll have his surrogates repeat his lie so many times that it achieves what Colbert calls "Truthiness."

During the run-up to the war in Iraq, over 60% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein actually had something to do with the Al Qaeda attacks in New York and Washington on September 11th, 2001. It's incredible what an administration can do with a lie when it's told again and again. So it's a given that he'll lie and have his surrogates repeat the lie.

[ooglymoogly]

4. watch now for concession after concession. nt

[Renew Deal]

6. Let the candidates that show up debate the empty chairs.

Simple as that.

[Supersedeas]

12. profiles in Courage -- only the pre-approved questions need apply (Bush model of debate)

[gasperc]

7. GOP doesn't want their looney base 'exposed'

Romney had enough flak from the no osama, obama or chelsea's momma sign. The candidates seem to fear this debate for various reason's but namely, they would get crushed by their evasive responses to real people questions and God only knows what kind of questions they would get hit with from their reactionary base that the GOP quietly embraces but carefully cloaks from the media.

[ProgressiveFool]

8. I can see it now... CNN/YouTube will end up having to pick from the left

in order to get any sane, reasonable questions to ask the candidates, and then they'll be accused of bias.

[mhollis]

11. There's a particular technique they don't like

They don't like the fact that CNN actually had some of the questioners in the audience respond to a CNN question: Did the candidate answer the question you posed?

Now that's something they cannot deal with.

[bamacrat]

9. Ok, why would anyone want a puke in the WH if theyre too affraid to answer questions.

Well ones they havent had a month to prepare for. Or is postponing CNN's way of allowing them to prepare for the questions more so than the Dems did.