No question was off-limits during last night's YouTube debate. The purpose of the online Democratic presidential debate, in which all questions came from video submissions, was to get the candidates to stop "beating around the bush." And for the first time, they did.

In a historic move, YouTube, Google and CNN opened up the Internet to everyday people to ask the hard questions they felt had been missing in previous presidential debates. Internet-savvy voters of all ages from around the world challenged eight of the 2008 Democratic presidential hopefuls on hot diversity issues including their stance on healthcare, LGBT issues, education, Social Security and voting.

The debate, held at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and moderated by CNN's Anderson Cooper, featured creative video questions from workers in Darfur refugee camps, an animated snowman concerned over the effects of global warming and a guitarist who harmonized his question on whether the Democrats would raise taxes.

Here's a sample of what they had to say in response to online viewers' questions.  

Healthcare

Perhaps the biggest concern of the night, outside of the Iraq war, was about healthcare. In answering three viewers' questions regarding access to heathcare, almost every candidate was cynical about the current administration's regulations. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama offered a heartfelt personal story about his mother's battle with cancer. 

"I think that the problem is not that people are trying to avoid getting coverage, it's folks that can't afford it," he said. "My mother, when she was between jobs, contracted cancer. She spent the last few months of her life trying to figure out whether or not she was going to be able to pay for the treatments. It is an outrage. How is it that the wealthiest nation on earth can not afford to give coverage to all people?"

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton agreed with Obama and said that the government needs to create a sense of national commitment to universal healthcare as an American value.

"It's not easy coming in front of the entire world and talking about your Alzheimer's, diabetes, breast cancer or your disability, but the fact that this is happening in a country as rich as ours is just a national disgrace," she said.

On whether undocumented workers should receive healthcare, Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd said he would not be opposed to it as long as they were law-abiding.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said healthcare should be offered to everyone. "No matter who you are, every American deserves the right to best possible, quality health care," he said. 

Marriage Equality

A video featuring two women asked whether the presidential candidates were opposed to marriage equality.

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich dominated this. In the most enthusiastic response, he welcomed LGBT members to a "new America under the Kucinich administration." 

"If our Constitution really means what it says, that all are created equal, then our brothers and sisters who happen to be gay, lesbian and transgender should have the same rights accorded, granted to anyone else, and that includes the ability to have a civil marriage ceremony," added Kucinich.

While Dodd said he supports civil unions, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said he doesn't. However, his wife is for marriage equality.

In addition to domestic-partnership laws and a hate-crimes act that would protect the LGBT community, Richardson said he would offer civil unions with full marriage rights. He also said he would push to eliminate the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military, illustrating his strong opposition of discrimination on the basis of race, gender or orientation.

"If our military men and women die for this country, we shouldn't give them a lecture about sexual orientation," added Richardson.

Diversity

It wouldn't be a debate without mentioning race. When candidates were asked about their thoughts on having a woman or a black person running for office, Clinton said she was proud to be running as a woman.

"Look at this stage, at the diversity you have here in the Democratic party," said Clinton.  "Any one of us would be a better president than the current and future Republican nominee."

When it comes to racial divisions, Obama said Americans were ready to look beyond race.

"Race permeates our society, it's still a problem," said Obama. "But I do believe in the core decency of the American people, and I think they want to get beyond some of our racial divisions. My commitment is to close the disparities and the gaps."

Education

When talking about education, one viewer asked how the candidates felt about President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law. Richardson told audiences it doesn't work.

"I would scrap it. It's not just an unfunded mandate, but the one-size-fits-all doesn't work," says Richardson. "It doesn't emphasize teacher training, it doesn't emphasize disabled kids, the worst thing it does is it takes districts and schools and takes their funds away and penalizes them."

Social Security

When it came to Social Security, Obama described it as a necessity that needs to be preserved.

"What we need to do is ... is come up with a bipartisan solution that puts Social Security on a firm footing for a long time."

Richardson added that he would push for a universal pension plan.

Minimum Wage

On whether he would be willing to raise the minimum wage, Dodd said he would push to increase minimum wages to $10 per hour. Edwards, Clinton and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel all said they would increase the minimum wage.

"We don't need a minimum wage, we need a living wage," added Gravel.

For more information on the 2008 presidential candidates and their positions on issues important to DiversityInc readers, read the June 2007 issue of DiversityInc magazine. 

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