Remove ads
Series of televised debates sponsored by CNN and YouTube From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The CNN/YouTube presidential debates were a series of televised debates held during the 2008 Republican Party and Democratic Party presidential primaries that were sponsored by CNN and YouTube. In the debates presidential primary candidates who were invited to the debate and still had active campaigns at the debates airing. participated and fielded questions submitted through YouTube. The Democratic Party installment took place in Charleston, South Carolina and aired on July 23, 2007. The Republican Party installment took place in St. Petersburg, Florida and aired on November 28, 2007.
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
The CNN/YouTube Debates were conceived of by David Bohrman, the Washington Bureau Chief of CNN, and Steve Grove, the Head of News and Politics at YouTube. YouTube was a new platform on the political scene, rising to prominence in the 2006 midterm elections after Senator George Allen's Macaca Controversy, in which the Senator was captured calling his opponent Jim Webb's campaign worker a "Macaca" on video, which went viral on YouTube and damaged a campaign that narrowly lost at the polls. Media companies were looking for new ways to harness the possibilities of web video and YouTube was looking for opportunities to give its users access to the national political stage, so Bohrman and Grove formed a unique partnership in the CNN/YouTube Debates. It was the first-ever web-to-television debate partnership.
A man named Chris from Portland, Oregon introduced the debate in a YouTube video. He challenged the candidates at the debate (Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mike Gravel, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson, and John Edwards) to "actually answer the questions" instead of "beating around the bush." Moderator, Anderson Cooper, stepped in and discussed why many of the video questions were not selected, even showing the most popular video, made by YouTube celebrity Tony Huynh, better known as TheWineKone.[1] After that, more video questions were shown and the candidates answered them.
Here are the video questions that were directed at each candidate. Sometimes, the questions were asked to one candidate, multiple candidates, or all candidates. Moderator Anderson Cooper opened questions directed at one candidate to specific additional candidates. Cooper also sometimes allowed candidates to respond if they were mentioned or addressed in another response.
After the debate ended, CNN interviewed their focus groups, and they thought that Barack Obama was the candidate who most understood their issues.[2]
In an article published by Reuters, Nielsen Media Research indicated that the Democratic debate delivered the highest Nielsen ratings of any debate broadcast on a cable news network among adults 18–34.[3] The debate had an average of 2.6 million viewers, which makes it the second-most-watched debate of the 2007 television season.[3] The Manchester, New Hampshire Democratic Debate that was held on June 3, 2007, received 2.8 million viewers.[3]
Senator Clinton and Senator Obama quarreled with one another in post-debate memos over whether it would be suitable for them to meet with world leaders considered by some hostile to the U.S., among them Fidel Castro, Kim Jong-il, and Hugo Chavez. A memo issued by a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign spokesman stated that Obama said he would meet with some of the world's worst dictators during his first year of office without preconditions. Obama's campaign said that Obama's method "is exactly the kind of change and new thinking that excites voters about an Obama presidency."[4] The two candidates also argued over who won the overall debate.
On July 26, 2007, in a speech made in Concord, New Hampshire, Senator Obama stated that he did not want "Bush–Cheney Lite," referring to Senator Clinton.[5]
Media following the event expressed mixed feelings about whether or not the questions were 'tough' or pertinent enough. Some analysts expressed criticism of the candidates responses, and the format itself pointing to the lack of follow up questions. During the debate, presidential candidate Mike Gravel questioned whether the debate was "fair" or not and complained due to a lack of airtime. In a Newsweek article written by Brian Braiker, he indicated that many YouTube users would have preferred that CNN select the most popular video questions.[6]
All candidates who still had active primary campaigns at the time of the debates airing participated except for Alan Keyes who was not invited. Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer introduced the then governor of Florida, Charlie Crist. The governor then gave a brief introduction before turning the debate over to moderator Anderson Cooper.
Soon after the debate several bloggers discovered that several questions to Republicans were asked by Democratic supporters, not by undecided voters, with some bloggers and commentators alleging that CNN purposely arranged this to embarrass Republican candidates.[8] Also, there is controversy that many of the questions were used to boost certain candidates, but not others. The question absorbed in controversy is the one asked by retired general Keith Kerr (question 23, see above).[9] He is an adviser to the Hillary Clinton campaign, and is also a supporter of her campaign. This has given rise to claims that he was planted by the Clinton campaign.[10][11]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.