Democratic Debate Mash-up

[illusionofjoy]

One of the great things about the Internet is that it is a place where a myriad of new "toys" are always popping up. More recent in this long line is the Democratic Candidate Mashup and Debate. Pick two to all eight candidates, click an issue and watch a video of each candidate responding to said issue.

It's a nifty idea, if not slightly limited in scope; there are only four issues to choose from, "The Big Three" of Iraq, Health Care and Education along with lighter questioning from Bill Maher. It also does nothing to alleviate the ADD nature of current information dissemination. I decided to match up my two favourite candidates - Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - with each other and ended up watching the same talking points that I've seen many times before in regards to each candidate. While this is a bit disappointing, it is to be expected. I'd say that this tool at this stage of the game is better for the uninitiated, rather than the hardcore political junkie.

Currently, there is only a mashup for Democratic candidates as the Republicans (as expected) are a step behind. An offer has been extended to Republicans to do their own debate mashup, but thus far, they have been unresponsive. Republicans fear progressive things like the Internet, Socialised Health Care and indoor plumbing (one of those I made up).

Should this idea prove popular enough, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some cross-party mashups by the time the main presidential campaign is in full swing. Personally, I'd like to see them dig deeper and include more than just the two mainstream parties, but something tells me that I'll have to wait a little while before I can click and automatically see Democratic, Socialist, Libertarian and Green party members each stating their piece about Health Care or Iraq.