The CNN/YouTube Debates

In concept, the idea behind these presidential debates sponsored by CNN and YouTube is intriguing because of the way it democratizes the debate process. Ideally, they have the potential of injecting new questions and under-discussed topics into the public discourse. However, depending on the questions selected, they could also turn out to be standard debates asking standard questions built on novel user videos and YouTube hype. Hoping for the best, I submitted my video question.

Do you think it’s immoral for 5% of the world’s population to consume over 25% of its resources? And, as President, what will you do to lead us to a sustainable future?

First and foremost, I’m asking these questions because I really want to know the answers. I truly believe that creating a sustainable future is the single most important challenge facing humanity today, but it is only discussed on the sidelines. While a sustainable future should be everyone’s top priority, it isn’t because of lack of both interest and awareness. I understand that its human nature to think our individual actions can’t affect such a large world especially when most of us are focused on own daily struggle to stay “above water.” However, these debates offer an opportunity to start changing that mindset by educating the public about the issues we face and their urgency.

Secondly, I wanted to challenge the candidates. I didn’t want to ask a standard debate question because those usually have pre-determined answers and rarely give additional insight to who the candidate is or how they think. Sustainability is a “big picture” question because it involves long-term thinking – a quality seriously lacking in our current planning and desperately needed in our next president. So I’m hoping my question will provoke unrehearsed responses, reveal the “big thinkers” and maybe even trip up a few of them. ;-)

Finally, I wanted to bring the issue of morality into the question since it’s been a buzzword in recent elections. I personally feel like the term was introduced to polarize the electorate and believe it hasn’t served us well because it has tended to push urgent and important issues to the wayside. Sustainability, however, ultimately relates to the very moral issues of how we treat one another both now and in the future. So I’m trying to point the morality finger at ourselves and see if we have matured enough as a society to admit our own mistakes and failures. In a way this is a litmus test on our dedication to moral behavior: Is it a term of political convenience or of our guiding convictions?

I recently heard this: Our hopes minus our doubts equal our reality. While this may be true for an individual, I think it is equally true for society as a whole. I don’t think I’m alone in hoping that this is not as good as it gets -- that a better future lays ahead. But, that hope also implies a change from where we are now to what we hope to become. Whereas we have largely stumbled into our present, a change to a sustainable future will only result from our conscious choice and good leadership. My hope is that this question will contribute to the public’s awareness of the issues we face and begin a dialogue on our common future.

Follow Up

Tommie Thompson Responds to my Question at the ABC Republican Debate
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3452217

My Response to Tommie Thompson's Answer
http://ugv.abcnews.go.com/player.aspx?id=577754


Related Links

CNN/YouTube Debates
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/14/the-skinny-on-cnn-youtubes-presidential-debates/

Submit a Video Question
http://www.youtube.com/debates