The Web on the Candidates

The big news this morning is that top Republicans are considering sitting out September's CNN/YouTube Republican debate in Florida. At the Washington Post, Jose Antonio Vargas writes that to date, only John McCain and Ron Paul have signed up for the debate. Sort-of kind-of frontrunner Mitt Romney isn't saying what he'll do, but quipped, "I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman" (is it more or less presidential than equating Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton with Osama Bin Laden?). And on this site, David All and Patrick Ruffini have expressed disappointment that Rudy Giuliani has indicated he won't attend. If he goes, so will all of the frontrunners, says Ruffini. "It's stuff like this that will set the GOP back an election cycle or more on the Internet... Having spent the better part of a decade working at the intersection of politics and the Web, I can't help but feel of a deep, deep sense of dismay that we're missing something so basic," says Ruffini. Meanwhile, perhaps to drive the point home, David All posted a video response on YouTube. Wearing the look of a guy who was suddenly dumped by his girlfriend, he says "this is your opportunity to show the American people that you're willing to connect, that you really do care about the community..."

Meanwhile, Mark Silva at the Chicago Tribune picks up on the unfortunate fact that Romney apparently doesn't know his YouTube from his Facebook. "YouTube is a website that allows kids to network with one another and make friends and contact each other," Romney said. God forbid his YouTubes get clogged with too many friends, which would inevitably grind the whole Facebook to a halt!