This guy sounds like the US public, who has listened to talk radio in large numbers: “Being an organizer out here in the field, you find it’s a hell of a lot different than what’s reported in the media.” And this was still the mainstream media’s debate.

The various videos were the source of entertainment. They were screened, so there were probably no truly “tough” questions given to the candidates. The content of the videos was both a source of entertainment and concern.

Among photos taken at the convention (something more important in what they might reveal about the candidates than the candidates’ still-phony answers to the “tough” questions) was one I saw that must have shown DLC-DNC pre-planning, with Hillary Clinton at center stage, brightly dressed, with fairly similar darkly-dressed guys to either side of her. We know who the party leadership wants to win. I called it the “Queen Bee” photo. (See here, along with the “duel photo,” awaiting the word to start pacing, on the same page. How did Cheney make it into the far left of the lineup? hahahaha)

In another photo, look at Pretty Boy Edwards. Look at the tip of his tie! I suspect it was glued or pinned there.

Let’s hope Obama does even better and that Al Gore gets into the race eventually. Smart money remains with Hillary Clinton still.

I’m in the same boat. But, thankfully, there’s:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Politicstv

Also, while long-windedness can destroy the evening, the ‘answer yes or no” of a courtroom technique doesn’t really allow for a meaningful answer.

Basically, I just didn’t like that the questions upstaged the answers, seeing that the questions will never hold office.

The questions were refreshingly blunt, and the novelty of posing them via YouTube was interesting, but there was no time for thoughtful answers. Anderson chopped off thoughtful and detailed candidate responses as gleefully as the garrulous, vapid ones. Since some questions simply can’t be answered in 10 seconds or less, the candidates had to choose between being cut off in mid-sentence or making gross generalizations to fit into the allowed time frame.

I was left with this thought: Great questions. Now can we hrar the answers?

I would like to see them forced to answer to the public- rather than talking around the questions as we see so much in WH press conferences today. Given the present-day example of executive uberprivilege, once they are elected they will have to answer to no one!

What I would like to see, either on TV or via the Internet is a monthly You Tube question and answer session with each candidate individually. Lets really get to know these people BEFORE we cast votes. The Candidate stump speeches are never very revealing and neither is the regular journalist led mass debates we have had during the last 3 decades.

I think this kind of participatory involvement by regular Americans would be a good SMALL start on solving some of our problems. ( I don’t want to over hype the concept). Hopefully the monthly Q&A would force candidates to be more revealing of their true nature and positions. I think the typical political trick of avoiding direct answers will be more obvious and negative when the question comes from an “average American” like the people watching. In addition, any candidate who avoids the monthly Q&A does so at some political peril.

What should be more interesting is how daily polling numbers show that campaigns, debates, and the entire election cycle actually have very little effect on the outcome. They have had four debates and been campaigning for months, yet the poll numbers just do not budge for any of the candidates.

To be the biggest conclusion of the debate is that it is obvious that Senator Obama is running for vice president and that Governor Richardson wants to be Secretary of State or Defense (probably State since Defense will become much less important in a Democratic dominated government).

What I enjoyed so much about the debate was the simple fact that my wife who listens to me argue with the walls over politics was actually interested in the debate because of the way questions were asked.

I tend statistically to prefer reading centrist or moderate blogs. I’m surprised that more people don’t. Whereas blogs that lean right or left tend to be pretty predictable, centrist/moderate bloggers are full of surprises. Furthermore, they generall…