Well the questions were all online. A bunch of staffers could ff through them to eliminate the dumb ones and the ones CNN would never pick, and put together a profile of likely questions.
Or CNN could have sent a compilation of 100 and told all the candidates (or the one they liked) what the 100 most likely were.
While I’m ranting on, I’ll state that the slice of America who could ask questions was thin. Must have access to a broadband-connected computer, must have a webcam, a microphone, and know how to use it all to record, edit, and post a clear understandable vid. A lot of kids and slackers do, but among “most likely to vote”, not that many. AARP members seem to be underrepresented on Youtube and Myspace for some reason.
Actually those demographics are rapidly catching up. The average age for a blogger is mid-forties. And MySpace and Facebook are quickly growing with Boomers. More than half the country has access to Broadband and roughly 40% regularly view YouTube videos.
This is a misnomer that is crippling the Republican Party. The web allows conversations and true discussions to take place. If used correctly, it's a much better form of democracy than broadcast campaigns. If you want actual numbers, visit