Transforming Debate for Inclusive and Impactful Participation
Objective: To empower thousands—or even millions—to contribute meaningfully to debates by leveraging structured organization and robust evaluation criteria. Together, we can ensure every voice is heard and every idea is thoughtfully considered.
When Ann Coulter was at the CPAC convention earlier this year, she said that "if both major parties' nominees are pro-abortion, we can pretty much hang it up as a country." I think she was right. If we didn't have MR as the pro-life standard bearer, we would be in dire straights right about now.
The only (formerly) top tier candidate, John McCain, who is pro-life, fell on his sword for the Immigration bill. The remaining pro-life Republicans are mired at or below 2%.
One thing that I think is worth considering is that younger voters in the 18-30 age bracket are dramatically more supportive of politicians who propose policies that respect life in all it's stages. I really feel that those Americans who have labored long and hard to move this country away from the "culture of death" are starting to see the first fruits of their labors.
Mitt is right on this issue and as we get into the general election campaign mode, wait until you see the television ads that Team Romney will produce to drive home the stark choices before the electorate, when it becomes apparent that MR will be the ONLY viable pro-life candidate. I believe the pendulum is swinging back towards us and I see an exciting opportunity for us to begin the process of restoring the rights of the pre-born for the first time since Roe v. Wade.
I have news for you "<a href="http://youtube.com/user/EmergencyCheese ">EmergencyCheese</a>" people stopped doing the air quotes thing about 5 years ago. Also the people on a stick is kind of an example of the problem with you tube…
It's not that our presidential candidates are "too important" to talk to you, but everyone is too important to talk to you. I know you "YouTubers" have found a forum that makes you feel important, but you are not. You tube levels the playing field, so any narcissistic idiot with a camera (myself included) can think they are the center of the universe.
EmergencyCheese says that the snow man asking a question at the last debate is part of the reason that young people are connecting with politics…
That is the problem with YouTube. People just make crap up. Are "young people connecting with politics"? What evidence do we have that young people are connecting with politics? The real question is what has the YouTube done to improve the debates? Nothing. They are a freek show. Youtube, can improve politics, because it cost less to get your message out, but having CNN pick from YouTube videos, instead of the typical townhall where they have real people standing their in real life, within the townhall, does nothing but promote YouTube.
EmergencyCheese says the CNN YouTube debate was the highest rated presidential debate among 18 to 35 year olds. Yes. It was promoted as something new and different. But is the next YouTube debate going to be higher rated after the gimmicky way that CNN promoted it?
EmergencyCheese asks, "would you rather have the debates be boring, Governor Romney?" HELL YES! Politics are not here to entertain. If people don't care about issues enough to watch unless a snow man ask the questions, THAN WE DON"T WANT THESE TYPE OF PEOPLE PARTICPATING IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS!
He goes on to call the professional journalist "vanilla" and says that we have to choose between them (turning off young people) and engaging them with youtube.
EmergencyCheese says, "tell me republican candidates, are you also too important to answer questions from parents with children serving in Iraq."
Again, I restate my thesis. We are all too important to listen to what these idiots on YouTube have to say. Do not waste your time! Mitt Romney has been having these forums called, "Ask Mitt Anything". Let me give you the gist of them. You can "Ask Mitt Anything". So no, Mitt Romney is not afraid of taking questions from anyone. He has been doing it with actual people in the same room as him, not with a TV screen where someone is able to put together some artificial "production".
Perhaps Mitt Romney is strategic enough to not walk into a trap where CNN gets to ask republicans the questions they have always wanted to, while hiding behind the public.
So you think EmergencyCheese is pretty stupid, for asking the question about being afraid to take questions from real people, when Romney, McCain, and Rudy have been doing that for months in townhalls across the country. So you think he must be pretty embarrassed, right? There is not much more that he could do to embarrass himself right? Well…
EmergencyChees asks the stupid question, how can you take on terrorist, when you are too afraid to go to the YouTube debate? Lets think about this for ½ a second… Do you notice any problems with his logic? Maybe any hypocracy? No? Perhaps you see a problem that he didn't have a problem with the Democrats not wanting to go to a Fox debate? If EmergencyChees had any logic to use, he could see that the democrats didn't want to go on the fox debate for the same reason that the republicans didn't want to go on the YouTube debate… they didn't see it being in their best interest…
Now that we are talking about interest, EmergencyCheese spends all his life on YouTube, do you think he is an impartial witness? Perhaps he has a dog in the race? Perhaps he is insulted that Mitt Romney thinks is "is not important" that he is a "nut" that he "wastes his time" that he "should get a real job" or "get a degree" or "make something of himself" instead of "wasting all his time on the computer posting videos to his friends, when he should just go over to their house".
So EmergencyCheese and all his budies that spend 5 hours a day on YouTube and Myspace all want validation that they are not losers. Well, he isn't going to get it from me, and I hope Mitt Romney doesn't give it to him.
John Le Carre quotes said, "A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world." I computer doubly so.
EmergencyCheese says "the internet is making regular people more powerful every day". Lets just put aside weather or not EmergencyChees is "regular" or not, and go straight to the heart of the problem…
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance says the only thing in life that matters in art, and science is quality. EmergencyChees warns politicians if they don't embrace "the new" format (YouTube) they and their politics will become "irrelevant". I have a hard time imagining a world where someone who gave the valedictorian speech, with a degree in English, who graduated with honors (Cum Laud) from Harvard Law school, and as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business school, who went on to run one of the most successful businesses of the 90s will ever become irrelevant in a world that has anyone that still values quality. Mitt Romney is not on trial, in my mind. The question for me is if our horse and pony show of a political process, can still pick a person like Mitt Romney, or if the people who Google "Paris Hilton" will pick our next president.
On Thursday Governor Mitt Romney joined his wife Ann, daughter-in-law Mary and grandson Parker in Spartanburg, South Carolina where they met with voters at The Beacon Drive-In and later traveled to West Columbia for a barbeque picnic with local residents.
