Will the new debate format crash?

Aha! So the CNN/YouTube presidential debate is being forecast in dire terms by respectable media watchers. I’m giving it a chance, but watching with interest in how they’re going to pull this off, because YouTube can be treacherous waters for CNN to be casting about in an effort to present ‘the people’s’ questions. The networks have tried town hall type settings, recently on a college campus, questions coming from students, faculty and assorted affiliates.

When I heard the first promo for the thing on CNN, I did a double take….’What?! YouTube and CNN and the presidential candidates?!’ But the major cable news network has big stakes here, so I’ll give them a chance to pull it off.

Greg Pollowitz over at NRO Media Blog, however, is more skeptical. Of both the debate format, and Dan Rather’s remark that the candidates are nervous about it.

Unless YouTube has a bunch of secret questions from its users that they’re holding for the debate, all of the questions are already online. As of today, there are 1514 videos up. It would take 5 of a candidate’s lowest level staffers maybe 3 hours in total to watch all of the videos and catalog the questions, making note of any “gotcha” ones. The only person shivering is debate moderator Anderson Cooper who has to be questioning the benefit this train wreck will have on his career.

This is going to be dicey. But interesting in what it winds up saying about CNN, through their selection of questions that deserve prominence. After all, at the last Republican debate, Wolf Blitzer hammered the candidates about gays in the military well beyond its currency. They came out looking noble, he did not.

Here’s a snip from an earlier post on that:

Wolf Blitzer provoked all the candidates on this, to the point of exasperation. He finished off with one final shot, asking if there was any one candidate up there on stage who favored gays openly serving in the military. When no one raised their hand, I stood there thinking ‘but that’s not the right question.’ As it stands now, the Defense Department does not ask, and if an elistee exercises the discretion called for in the first place about matters of sexuality and does not tell, gays are already serving. The question for the media and activists is…what’s wrong with the existing policy?

One of the CNN correpondents asked Mike Huckabee about his beliefs on evolution vs. creation, and Huckabee said: “I can’t believe that you’re even asking me this question in a presidential debate.” Good response.

This debate took place at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. Sen. Sam Brownback used the occasion of the creation/evolution question to invoke the legacy of St. Anselm and the noble pursuit of “faith seeking reason.” Brownback said: ”We put faith and reason at odds with each other”. Too bad the time ran short on that one. It’s good for another debate.

Doubtful this CNN/YouTube event will be the one though. Let’s see whether any questions of faith are raised, how they’re raised, and how issues like abortion and….no doubt, gays in the military….are asked and answered. And whether anyone appeals to reason.