CNN/YouTube Debate: Live reaction…
The New York Times’ Adam Nagourney writes about the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate…
Here is what you missed watching it on television, starting with some fluff.
Anderson Cooper is taller than he looks on television. He also was wearing a much nicer suit than any of the men on stage who wanted to be president. (If you are now looking for some carping about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s fashion sense, you have come to the wrong place: turn the page or click the link, or whatever it is one needs to do these days to move on.) Mr. Cooper is also rather funny, in a droll sort of way, as was clear during the moments he bantered with the audience in those expectant moments leading up to the debate.
“We really have no idea if this is going to work,” he said.
“Take a deep breath!” someone yelled from the audience.
If you were wondering why the audience seemed so pumped, that is because the producers assigned someone to pump up the crowd. “Five minutes until we are live on the air!” he announced. It reminded me of what I saw many years ago – many, many years ago – while attending a taping of the Ed Sullivan Show in New York City.
Is Nagourney saying this was an audience artificially stimulated to be “pumped up?” We at home never knew that.
What a ruse to think that the audience was a pack of jackals reacting like Pavlovian dogs.
The format using YouTube was horrible. The questions should come from a moderator, or a team of moderators, knowledgeable about the issues of the day. We want serious discussion, not entertainment which we have had a surfeit of from Hilton, Lohan and Ritchie. The audience can always participate with questions that have been chosen for their relevance. Let’s ban this format and use it in the next program starring Rosie O’Donnel, or perhaps for that wacko, Olbermann.
Comment by RGL — July 30, 2007 @ 3:16 pm
Yah, RGL - I noticed all the conservatives running as fast as they could away from the format. How long is it going to be before they start getting stalked by snowmen, you think? Remember GHWB’s chicken?
Comment by Arthur — July 30, 2007 @ 3:29 pm