Sorry Lori. I think this debate format was rediculous! The Dems were stupid and went ahead with it. So we should too? That's just dumb.

I think there should be a moratorium/ban on ALL debates and ALL campaigning more than 1 year out of ANY election.

I'm already sick of this race and the election isn't for another 15 months.

I prefer the good old days when the election year kicked off in February of the election year.

But this? Ack....

I thought it was kinda silly too, but if Republicans don't do it i think it will be spun to look like they are afraid to face average (albeit loopy) Americans. Ruffini makes an excellent point about all the media attention the Dems got out of it and that the GOP needs to engage new media in every way possible. That is what convinced me that they should do it.

Lori: Yes - candidates need to engage new media and use it to their advantage. I completely agree.

The Dems got a lot of "media attention" out of it because a majority of the media is liberal and they would have gotten that attention no matter what format CNN decided on.

The spin about fear - well, good grief! I see how much it hurt the Dems when they ran from FoxNews.

Fred Thompson used "new Media" to respond to Michael Moore - in a smart, clever, way. That is what our candidates need to be doing more and more of. New media in a DUMB format is not smart, nor clever.

Lorie is absolutely right, this sure makes the Republicans look like cowards, afraid to answer the American public - and so long as you conservatives are willing to make excuses for them, and pass off their cowardice as something other than the chicken crap it is, you do not have a prayer in the 2008 elections.

The Republicans need to go but also need to lower expectations well before the debate. Having CNN in charge means that man of the questionaires will use the "I am a victim and I want a government goodie" type of question. It is almost impossible to answer in a sound bite without sounding cruel and heartless.

The Democrats will not go on FOX because they don't the (IDEOLOGY).

The Republicans may not go on YOU TUBE because they would like to avoid the insanity.

Democrats on FOX don't have to worry about Bill O'Reilly sticking a match box car up his butt while he asks them a question.
While Republicans on YOU TUBE will be given the the assclowns of the www, thank you very much you tube.

I'm tired of friggan libtards and MSM setting the so-called agenda to ANYTHING.

Democrats do what THEY want with NO consequences, so should Republicans.

Republicans are afraid tos tand up to the scrutiny of non-loyalty oath-signed crowds. They can't stand to answer for all the misdeeds of the rubberstamp Republican majority for the first five years of the Bush Administration and they don't want to justify their loyalty to party over country. It is as simple as that. They are Afraid to have to answer to the grieving mother of a fallen soldiers

Hmmm....didn't stop the RNC from encouraging their mailing list to send in questions for the Democratic candidates, did it?

"They couldn't be that much worse than some of the past debate commentators (Tinfoil Olbermann comes to mind)."

That's right, Lorie, kill the messenger. That's why you have the kook ideas that you do. If someone makes solid points, then the extremists' reponse is typical of your above absurd and rather silly reference. I'll take Olberman any day over slimeholes like Hasnnity or Limpbaugh.

Is the party of "personal responsibility" afraid to face the American public? It can get rough when they get outside those beautifully staged settings. There are a lot of people out their very angry with this current adminstration.

I got an idea, Lorie.

Let's not save the debate but say that we did!

While the YouTube debate was largely a circus, Republican snubbing will give the lib media/print more ammunition with which to brainwash the bulge of the bell curve. Joe and Sally Six-pack will perceive that Republicans are snobby, too high-brow to attend. This could cost us a few votes.

We need to flood CNN with rational, mature and pertinent questions and pray that they are selected for the debate. And I completely agree with Michelle Malkin, Republicans should point out stupid questions when they hear them.

The liberals on the site actually make me laugh because they think calling conservatives juvenile names will persuade us to do one thing or another. This is why the congress is at an all time historic low because if the democratic leadership?. Like Matt Damon and other lefties have to dress up like gas pumps and corn to talk to their base. Like they have the intelligience of Sesame Street kids.

I think the candidates should go on the debate. When a stupid, silly question comes up, call them on that. If it becomes undignigied, say so. Don't take questions from snowmen. ww

CandL:

Hmmm....didn't stop the RNC from encouraging their mailing list to send in questions for the Democratic candidates, did it?

And it didn't stop republicans from appearing on CNN when they hosted the debate on June 7th.

So your point was what?

FreedomFries:

That's right, Lorie, kill the messenger.

But wait, isn't that exactly what you have done?

Why yes it is: "slimeholes like Hasnnity or Limpbaugh."

"But wait, isn't that exactly what you have done?"

Well, not exactly. Limpbaugh & Hannity are sphincterphones for the Republican Party, not comparable to anything approaching a journalist.

I thought I already posted about this here but...

The Democrat You-Tube debate was fun. The Republicans should definitely accept a similar debate.

I signed the online petition to "save the debate."

If, and I'd be surprised if it happened, the question videos were picked irresponsibly... say the equivalent of putting all the RedstateUpdate ones for the Democrats (they did get one in, about Gore) it would not reflect on the candidates. Worrying about that *is* just as stupid as the Democrats worrying about the evil FOX network.

The Republicans should do it. Absolutely should.

Ut oh weeweewardie is out again.
I say do it. Get a stupid question, make the asker look stupid.

FreedomFries, they are more journalists than forgers like Dan Rather, so your whine is meaningless.

Why should they submit to the asshatery of idiots from the web like the Democrats did? To prove they're a stupid as the questioners and the Democrats?

Here is a silly question I wouls like asked.

http://youtube.com/user/rabsharky

Can't wait to see how they answer.