Google/YouTube Bring A Presidential Debate To New Orleans
Announcing the Google/YouTube debate.
The strange events of the last few weeks are starting to make a little more sense.
The Mysterious Stranger
New Orleans is back on the map, as a part of the presidential campaign, and the strangest part, because of the Republican candidate. As Stephanie Gracie notes in her article Tour of Duty, New Orleans is an issue that plays into the Democrats hands.
He offered a few glimpses of his famous temper, showing the type of visceral anger that everyone here knows too well. Borrowing a refrain from those dedicated to preserving memories of the Holocaust, he said that “never again, never again will a disaster of this nature be handled in the terrible and disgraceful way that it was handled.”
McCain spoke at length about the need for affordable housing, although he offered few specifics other than a commitment to “work with the governor on these issues.”
He even threw in a jab at Road Home contractor ICF, although not by name.
Nothing to get to excited about. We’re all too well aware of the problems. We don’t cotton up to anything lacking specifics. But, as Stephanie noted, he’s saying the right things. The gaff about having a conversation aside, one could imagine that McCain is trying to be inclusive on his tour to places where he won’t really get any votes.
Bobby Jindal’s Jay Leno appearance and Netroots Nation ‘08 after the jump.
Vice President Bobby Jindal
Then there’s Bobby Jindal, who spent last night on Jay Leno and talked about New Orleans, specifically the uplifting bootstrap recovery. Bobby might have been talking to fast, but he was saying the right things. It was Jay who was creepy with his New Orleans stereotypes. I’ve not seen him in a while and that didn’t do to much to recommend the Tonight Show.
In his post PBJ Meets Jay Leno Adrastos knocks Bobby’s delivery, but add “He did say one very funny thing: that he’s not interested in running for Veep…”. For an R-rated live blogging commentary that had me laughing read Liveblogging Bobby’s Tonight Show Appearance by Greg Peters, which is especially funny if you watched it locally with all the commercials. A Liberty and Justice for All I’ve gone and asked what’s so bad about Jindal? in the comments of Jindal on Leno, so tune into that comments section for a response.
Bobby talked about cleaning up corruption and the hard work in the recovery of New Orleans. Two basic messages worthy of broadcast. He danced around the VP question, but as Greg Peters said “I have to give him this: He’s done more to improve the image of the state by this appearance than Foster did in eight years.”
Google/YouTube Debate and Netroots Nation ‘08
Then this morning Bobby Jindal is kicking off the Google/YouTube video, inviting the presidential candidates to come down and debate in New Orleans. We can tell that John McCain is up for it. He was just here with Bobby touring New Orleans. We can assume that the Democrats will have to participate, since this is their issue.
What I like most about this turn of events is that it makes my Netroots Nation ‘08 panel, Can America Save New Orleans? all the more relevant. The McCain visit and the Google/YouTube debate puts New Orleans on the election calendar.
Netroots Nation ‘08
I want to use the Netroots Nation ‘08 panel to brief the campaign strategists on New Orleans, prepare them for a debate, one that won’t focus solely on the emergency response. We need to look at the trauma of the recovery.
For the last three years, the government response to New Orleans has been to throw anchors to people that are barely treading water. While the citizens were rebuilding their lives, the government dithered in a morass of infighting and no-bid contracts. Now the recovery is underway, but it is a piecemeal, credit-card funded recovery. Can America Save New Orleans? Or will New Orleans continue to save itself?
The Netroots Nation ‘08 panel will be a lead in to energize the netroots politicos for a Google/YouTube New Orleans presidential debate. Netroots Nation ‘08 is a gathering of people who understand the use of social media in politics. Our New Orleans debate will be a showpiece of social media in politics with Google/YouTube backing.
The panel is coming together nicely.
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