NPR: Blogs Push GOP Contenders to Attend YouTube Debate

Blogs Push GOP Contenders to Attend YouTube Debate

For many conservative bloggers, the news that few top GOP contenders have committed to take part in the Republican version of the CNN-YouTube debate in September is like having your best friend get cold feet before her wedding -- you see the long-term gain, she fears the short-term pain.

So far, only Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul have said they will participate in the debate, scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Maybe the rest are afraid of talking snowmen?)

Whatever the other candidates' reasons, this has not gone down well with many conservative bloggers, who say that if the major GOP contenders take a powder on the debate, the Internet community and many young voters will not forget. Former RNC eCampaign Director Patrick Ruffini has created a site, Save the Debate, to help convince Republican holdouts like Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani to participate.

There are, of course, a few conservative bloggers who think maybe the candidates are right to be wary and advise skipping the whole thing. But for most, it's a real no-brainer. Candidates who don't come will be asked about it from now until the primaries, and then, if they fail to win the nomination, pundits will cite it as one of the reasons.

But there are signs that the leading contenders are starting to reconsider (although there are reports that the date may be changed to accommodate some candidates' schedules).

12:17 PM ET | 07-31-2007 | permalink

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