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New Poll: The CNN/YouTube Debates |
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This week, I’m curious to see your reaction to last night’s CNN/YouTube presidential debates. But first, last week’s results:
Last week, we asked you if you thought the so called Republican revolt against President Bush over the Iraq war is genuine or not. Cynically, but not surprisingly, 73% of you thought that the Republicans were just faking it for the viewers back home, and never had any intention to split with the President. 27%, myself included, feel that this was just the beginning of the revolt, and that eventually Republican congressmen will cave to their consituants’ pressure.
Now for this weeks poll. As I’ve written, I don’t feel the CNN/YouTube debates lived up to their hype. Promoted as a sea-change in debate format, allowing people from all over the world to submit questions directly to candidates, CNN instead, in my opinion, came out as a heavy handed editor, preferring to give airtime to silliness over substance. But what do you think? Were last night’s debate nothing new? Were they a complete innovation? Were they a good idea, but a flawed execution? Vote your conscience in the sidebar at right!
The format does not allow time to respond to questions that are based on false premises. The question that prompts this comment was: “Will we raise the Social Security Tax or reduce benefits?” in the context of the fund “going broke”. The Social Security System has been a cash cow for the government ever since it was started, is liquid now, and will be for many years into the future. The rest of the government, by contrast, has been broke for as long as I can remember.
Well sure the candidates don’t realy get time to answer, but that’s what you get in all these early debates. Things don’t really start getting interesting until the field is a bit narrower. But yeah, some of those questions were pretty bad.
The media is responsable for the content it allows.
And what it allows seems lead me to believe that they have a better idea of I want to hear than I do, or anyone else for that matter.
I’ll sum it up with the world famous question that came out in the ” Rock the Vote ” MTV special during Bill Clintons campaign.
” Boxers or briefs ?”
Unfortunatly I also think that question was a clear reflection of that eras youth and what was really important to them.
I personally dont appreciate CNNs presentation, in two hours not one question was asked about the war on terror.
These kind of presentations lead our youth to believe that there is supposed to be something light hearted about electing our leaders.
It should not be presented as entertainment.
A lot of readers feel the same way I do when it comes to the amount of time a candidate has to answer.
Let them talk for christ sake !
But I guess CNN the sound bite speach is what every one wants.