Republican YouTube Debate Tonight: No Dems Allowed.
Wed, 11/28/2007 - 1:58pm
As the Republican candidates prepare for tonight YouTube debates, the media attention is shifting away from them and turning towards CNN senior vice president David Bohrman and his method for selecting the questions.
Instead of allowing people to vote on YouTube for the questions they want asked, David Bohrman has given that job to his team of journalists. Bohrman claims that if the questions are chosen by the people the debate would be filled with questions like “whether Arnold Schwarzenegger was a cyborg sent to save the planet Earth”. Bohrman’s point is not without merit (remember the diamonds or pearls question in the last Democratic debate?), but the concern is that it wont be just the ludicrous questions that get excluded.
Bohrman recently told Townhall.com that he “wants it to be a Republican debate, focusing on issues that are important to Republican voters” and when selecting the questions his team is “eliminating the obvious Democratic gotchas…the stink-bomb grenades.”
So what question is too Democratic to ask someone who might be President someday? Can we not ask a Republican about gay marriage or ending the war? Would it also inappropriate to ask a Democrat about gun rights and the border wall like they did in the Democrats' YouTube debate?
If Mr. Bohrman is concerned with having a debate filled with useless questions about diamonds or pearls than having journalists screen the questions prior to the debate is a legitimate safe-guard. However if his concern is not wanting to make Republicans answer questions that CNN considers too Democratic than we might as well keep things trivial.
Here’s my David Bohrman-safe question: Mr. Giuliani, do you prefer the Yankees or the Red Sox?
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Sox / Yankees
By Josh Berthume
Wed, 11/28/2007 - 1:59pm
That might actually be a controversial question for Giuliani.
Too Blue For The Blue?
By Patrick M McLeod
Wed, 11/28/2007 - 3:08pm
I will simply provide the link to the discussion at Balloon Juice of what some REALLY good questions for the Republican candidates might look like.
I'd love to see them squirm on #1.
Now That's a Sticky Situation
By codeblue1914
Wed, 11/28/2007 - 5:18pm
It looks like Lucy has some splanning to do, lets see how ricky saves the day. I think they Republican's should have to answer questions that are made for a Democrats. So a Republican becomes president and just ignore the issues of Democrats, Now you have to be Republican to have rights.Lol
Gays in the military
By John McClelland
Thu, 11/29/2007 - 10:52am
Did anyone else enjoy the look of horror on the faces of the candidates as they had to explain their positions on gays in the military to a retired openly gay general?
I also thought it was fairly uncouth of CNN to attempt to cut his microphone when he was allowed to speak from the audience, but Anderson Cooper was there to save the day with an extra mic.
I am curious why "conduct" was the reason provided by some candidates, as we have a military who is allowing convicted felons and high school drop outs to now serve in its ranks.