Did you watch the YouTube debate in July? CNN and YouTube’s live forum featured video questions submitted to YouTube which were broadcast and answered by Democratic candidates on CNN. CNN’s Anderson Cooper moderated the two-hour debate and posed follow-up questions. The Republican counterpart is scheduled for November 28. For the first time in presidential debate history, user-generated video will have driven two unprecedented debates. I plan on tuning in.
There’s already been much debate about the effectiveness of the format. On the one hand, many believe it marks a new era in American politics, where citizen journalism gets its moment in the limelight. On the other hand, CNN is the sole arbiter of what videos are shown and questions asked. (I was a little concerned that at least four of the questions were posed by puppets.) And many feel the format marks a low point in American politics with serious discourse put in the hands of the same people who watched a video of a baby giggling 27 million times. So I suppose the ball is still in the air as to whether the whole exercise will prove to have been good for the American public.
If you watched the first debate, you’ll recognize the key players in this spoof. A would-be Anderson Cooper moderates.