Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Were the YouTube Debates Revolutionary?

One thing that interested me about the first YouTube debate was the introduction. In it, YouTube user Chris requested:

…since this is such a "revolutionary debate," that you as politicians can do something "revolutionary," and that is to actually answer the questions that are posed to you tonight.
How do you think the Democrats fared with this challenge? Did they answer difficult questions directly, or did they "dip and dodge," as YouTube user Will puts it, despite the unique format of the debates?

The YouTube debates changed the way we ask politicians questions, but it seems it didn't change how they answer them. The
Republican debate airs November 28, and I'm not expecting it to be any better in this regard.

2 comments:

Leanne said...

I think it's a neat concept. It's much more interactive than most debates and it's appealing that average people can possibly have their questions answered (or cleverly dip and dodged).

Even if politicians are up to the same tricks, I like the idea. It's a change from the press asking the questions.

Amanda said...

I agree. I think because it's new, politicians are still sticking to their old habits. But as the internet becomes more widely used for this sort of thing, the way politicians respond to people will change.