Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: 20070917 The Return of the Snowman

Friday, September 21, 2007

20070917 The Return of the Snowman

September 17, 2007

Billiam the snowman (and his son) cracks me up. See also: 20070730 Answering questions from a Snowman

Billiam the Snowman responds to Mitt Romney

Hello Mitt Romney!

In response to the CNN/YouTube debate, Mitt Romney was quoted as saying, "I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman."

Well, the snowman has responded.

_____

The Return of the Snowman By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Monday, Sept. 17, was supposed to be the day of the Republican YouTube debate. Some of the candidates got nervous, you might recall, and begged off. Then they were shamed into reconsidering. Now they are on again and scheduled to face video questions from the public on Nov. 28.

A scan of the videos submitted so far to YouTube shows they have little to fear. It also shows that fresh submissions have slowed to a trickle. That’s probably because the debate is more than two months away. Still, with the proliferation of video and of debates in this campaign, you have to wonder if the novelty of a YouTube debate isn’t wearing off. Which may be just the way the Republicans want it.

[…]

A man who teaches English in China addresses the candidates from his classroom and asks how they can ensure that American students will be able to compete with his Chinese students in 15 or 20 years.

Another man speaks from an airplane seat and wants to know how the candidates will reduce the hassles of commercial flying.

Yes, some take the Republicans to task for having spurned the debate the first time around. And there are several pointed questions for Rudolph W. Giuliani, like this one about police brutality.

[…]

Here a woman in Dallas says she can’t get a job without learning a second language to deal with the large immigrant population. And yet, she says, immigrants don’t have to learn English. “That’s so unfair,” she says. “What would you do about the illegal immigrants which are entering into the city and not knowing the language?"

And here a retired brigadier general who is openly gay, says: “I want to know why you think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians?”

[…]

The snowman who asked the Democrats about global warming is back. This time he addresses Mitt Romney, who initially said he wasn’t coming to the debate because animated creatures like the snowman had been allowed to ask questions and he thought it degrading.