Advertisement

Opinion: As goes Rudy, so goes YouTube?

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

While YouTube, CNN and the Democratic presidential contenders bask in the (relative) afterglow of Monday’s Democratic debate, there are rumblings that Rudy Giuliani might skip the Republican version scheduled for Sept. 17.

And that, of course, would give other candidates an excuse not to sit for questions by shirtless men, Kermit the Frog and a blue duck. Mitt Romney has already mocked the merger of digital video, the internet and presidential debates: ‘I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman.’

Advertisement

Josh Levy has the full rundown and links over at TechPresident, and points out that the Washington Post reports only John McCain and Ron Paul have committed. Which has left some tech-savvy Republicans baffled: Are the top-tier Republican contenders ready to cede the Internet fight – and the 18-to-34 year olds who watched on Monday in (relatively) high numbers – to the Democrats?

As Patrick Ruffini, a former ecampaign director for the Republican National Committee, blogs elsewhere at TechPresident: ‘The Democrats are afraid to answer questions from Big Bad Fox News Anchors, and the Republicans are afraid to answer questions from regular people. Which is worse? It’s stuff like this that will set the GOP back an election cycle or more on the Internet. No matter the snazzy Web features and YouTube videos they may put up, if they’re fundamentally uncomfortable with the idea of interacting with real people online, what’s the point?’

--Scott Martelle

Advertisement