And then the duck says...

With the CNN/YouTube debate on tap Monday from Charlestown, South Carolina, we decided to browse the questions web-users have submitted hoping for their 30 seconds of stardom (CNN journalists will pick a handful of the ones they like best to pose during the debate).

Lots of angst out there. The war. Healthcare. Darfur. Schools and education policy.

Surprisingly, the humor component is low. The videos have lot of poorly-lit folks sitting in their living rooms earnestly asking, well, the kinds of questions the pros usually ask during debates. A few rise to the level of interesting, such as the disabled lawyer who asks his question about government income limits that make it difficult for disabled people to both work and receive help – a question posed in a series of signs reminiscent of the old Bob Dylan “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video. 

Some of the questions are obviously part of coordinated campaigns to push issues. But then there’s the blue duck worried about the effects of war and immigration on the egg he-–yes, he-–has just laid. John Dardenne, shirtless, asks Hillary Clinton, given the family’s legacy in the White House, “Can I be your intern?” And an animated President Bush poses a satirical question about the military’s ban on gays.

But the best question comes from Kermit the Frog, of Muppets fame, who wonders about the effects of technology like YouTube on the shaping of political views.

We wonder, too.

--Scott Martelle

Comments

[M. J. Orange Co.]

Yes, the best question came for MSU's Kermit the Frog. Bring him back for more.