Save the Debate: What’s Next
by Patrick Ruffini :: August 13th, 2007 12:59 pmThanks in large part to the intrepid work of everyone in the Save the Debate coalition, the Republican YouTube debate is back on! The November 28th date, just a month away from Iowa, makes this debate even more important. Good.
But we’re not stopping there. This morning on SavetheDebate.com, we launched a national campaign to encourage substantive question submissions from Republicans across America. This effort has two parts. First, recruiting volunteers to fan out across the country at Republican events and elsewhere to record questions from people who may not otherwise use YouTube. You can volunteer right here. And second, encouraging question submissions through SavetheDebate.com.
The full email Save the Debate sent to its list is after the jump.
You did it!
Thanks to your efforts, the Republican YouTube debate is back on — for Wednesday, November 28th. That’s just over a month out from the Iowa Caucuses, and that means this debate will be even more important and more closely followed.
In case you’re wondering whether it was you that made the difference, just read what Presidential campaign insiders told the Washington Times:
Multiple sources close to the discussions say it was pressure from conservative bloggers, not scheduling conflicts, that made the reluctant Republican candidates reconsider.
Two weeks ago, a number of prominent conservative bloggers launched an effort called “Save the Debate” that generated what one of the campaigns referred to as a “full-court press,” from conservative activists.
We may have won this battle — but our work is far from over. From now until November 28th, the online movement we have built will focus on ensuring that every Republican who wants to ask a question of our next President has the opportunity to do so.
To do this, we’ll need Video Volunteers who can record questions from citizens in their community, whether it’s at the county fair, at the mall, or at a local Republican Party event. We can only do it with your help. Have a camera or webcam and want to help? Just go to:
http://www.SavetheDebate.com/VideoVolunteer
The “debate about the debate” has shown us there is still a digital divide in America. Not everyone is on YouTube. But that doesn’t mean they can’t participate in this historic debate. Some are concerned about a liberal tilt to the debate questions. It’s because of you that we will have this debate. Now it’s on us to make sure it’s successful, with substantive questions from across America:
http://www.SavetheDebate.com/VideoVolunteer
We’re also calling on the Republican National Committee, state Republican parties, and conservative organizations to join us in this exciting grassroots effort to mobilize participation in this debate.
And once you’ve collected the questions, or if you have one of your own, please submit your question(s) at:
http://www.SavetheDebate.com/submit.php
We have seen some reports that not all candidates have yet committed to the just-announced November 28th date. We are extremely optimistic about the incredible momentum behind this debate. Save the Debate is confident that when the dust settles, every candidate will seize this historic opportunity to engage the American people.
Thanks for all you’ve done so far. Now the real work begins.
- Patrick, David, Soren, and the entire SavetheDebate team
Tagged: debate 
savethedebate youtube
Comments (1) 
Trackbacks (1) 
del.icio.us 
digg it 
subscribe
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Why Republicans need YouTube, Part II…
Some interesting statistics came up at BarCamp Nashville this weekend, and they reinforce that the conservative audience is more online than conventional wisdom suggests: HALF of YouTube’s audience is over the age of 34 17% of Sony Playstation owners …